And He—exalted is He—also says: “Allah is the One who has sent down the Book in truth and the Balance.” The people most entitled to prestige and sovereignty are those whose hearts reserve a place for justice; whose homes are a refuge for the devout and the virtuous; whose judgement is sought from people of religion and reason; whose companions are the intelligent; and whose deliberations are with men of sound opinion. As the poet put it:
His hand is the vault of his bounty,
his heart the keeper of his aim;
its doors stand ever arranged,
forever open to seekers of his justice.
Al-Hasan al-Basri said: “Every king who magnifies the cause of religion is held in awe by his subjects, great in stature and command. Whoever truly knows Allah, creation comes to know him through that knowledge and chooses to be counted among his acquaintances”—as another poet said:
Whoever has learnt the exalted name of Allah,
all people prefer to recognise him;
bliss to the one whose very first gain
was knowledge of the Creator, glorious is He.
Buzurjmehr observed: “The king should be no less vigilant over his realm than a gardener over his orchard. When he plants sweet basil and weeds sprout among it, he hastens to uproot the weeds lest they overrun the beds of basil.”
Plato said: “The mark of a ruler victorious over his enemies is that he be strong in himself, inclined to silence, reflective in thought and planning, intelligent in his governance, noble in his own person, beloved in the hearts of his subjects, gentle in all his actions; experienced in the covenants of those who preceded him, knowledgeable about the deeds of those earlier than he, steadfast in his religion and firm in his resolve. Any king in whom these traits converge and to whom these virtues accrue will appear formidable in his enemy’s eyes, and no fault-finder will detect a flaw in him. When the king believes that his might and strength come from Allah—majestic is His power—even if his foe is strong, he will overcome and triumph, as in Allah’s saying: ‘How many a small company has overcome a large one by Allah’s permission; and Allah is with the steadfast’ (Quran 2:249).”
Observation: the sage Socrates said, “The sign of a ruler whose sovereignty will endure is that he be—”