the king’s satisfaction with his subjects and that he nurses no anger toward the people of his realm. And if the boon companion is upright, it bespeaks order and soundness in the entire administration.
Wisdom: The Mobedhān in the days of Anushirwan said, “A kingdom can be preserved only through loyal, helpful companions, and even the finest companions are useless if the king himself lacks piety. The root must be wholesome before the branch. The ruler’s piety, truthfulness, and integrity mean that he is sound in every affair, commanding soundness by both word and deed so that, through his own rectitude, his entourage and subjects become upright as well. He must put his trust in God Most High, recognizing that his strength, power, triumph over enemies, support, and attainment of his goals all come from God. Let him beware of self-admiration, for should pride overtake him destruction is to be feared, as the following tale makes clear.
Story: It is said that Solomon—peace be upon him—was once seated upon his royal throne while the wind bore it aloft in the sky. Gazing over his dominion and the obedience of humans and jinn to his awe-inspiring majesty and governance, he felt the throne quiver and begin to tip. Solomon said to the throne, “Steady!” The throne replied, “Steady yourself, that we may remain steady,” in keeping with the Almighty’s words: “Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves” (Q 13:11). Abu ʿUbaydah likewise said in his proverbs, “Whoever treads the path of earnestness is safe from stumbling.”
A vizier must be learned, intelligent, and advanced in age; for however discerning a young man may be, he can never equal an elder in experience, and the lessons people draw from the trials of the years can be gained only from the elders. The vizier is the adornment of the monarchy, and an adornment must be virtuous and free of blemish. Five qualities are indispensable if the vizier’s expertise is to be praised and his conduct esteemed: vigilance, so that in every matter he undertakes he can discern a means of exit; knowledge, that the true nature of affairs may be clear to him; courage, that he fear nothing where fear is misplaced; veracity, lest he deal with anyone in falsehood; and the keeping of the sultan’s secrets until death overtakes him.
Azdashir Bābak said: “The vizier must be calm, deliberate, courageous, broad-minded, eloquent in speech, comely in appearance, modest, and silent when…"