gains oversight of all the other officials. The ruler must on no account lapse into heedlessness, for only then will the majesty of kingship remain intact and he will be spared the anxieties that arise from neglect.
Story: It is related that Azdashir was so vigilant and sharp-witted that when his companions came to him the next morning he would recount to each one what he had done, saying to one of them, “Last night you did such-and-such; you lay with your wife and with such-and-such a slave-girl.” They imagined that an angel from heaven informed him of their deeds. Sultan Maḥmūd ibn Sabuktagīn—may Allah have mercy on him—was of the same disposition.
Maxim: Aristotle said, “The best of kings is he whose sharpness of sight is like that of an eagle, while those around him are like falcons, not carrion.” That is, if the sovereign is clear-sighted, alert to affairs, and thoughtful of consequences, and if his intimates and the elite of his court share these traits, the affairs of his realm will be orderly and the condition of his subjects sound.
Maxim: Alexander said, “The finest of rulers is the one who replaces an evil custom with a good one, and the worst of rulers is the one who replaces a good custom with an evil one.”
Maxim: Khosrow Parviz said, “There are three people whose offences a king must neither overlook nor pardon: whoever impugns his sovereignty, corrupts the sanctity of his harem, or divulges his secret.”
Sufyān al-Thawrī said, “The best of sovereigns is the one who keeps company with the scholars.” It is also said: “Everything in the world is beautified by people, while people are beautified by knowledge; their rank is elevated by intellect. Nothing surpasses intellect and knowledge, for knowledge preserves honor and makes it endure, and intellect preserves happiness and keeps it in order. Whoever combines knowledge with intellect possesses twelve qualities: chastity, refinement, piety, trustworthiness, sound health, modesty, compassion, good character, loyalty, patience, forbearance, and tact in its proper place. These are among the special courtesies required of a king. Knowledge ought to accompany intellect just as gratitude accompanies blessing, and