Eternal Words Nahj al-Balaghah Letters letter67 - To Qutham ibn al-`Abbas, his Governor over Mecca
letter67 - To Qutham ibn al-`Abbas, his Governor over Mecca
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Make arrangements for people’s hajj. Remind them of the days (of devotion to) Allah. Give them audience in the morning and in the evening. Explain the law to the seeker, teach the ignorant and hold discussions with the learned. There should be no intermediary between you and the people except your tongue and no guard save your own face. Do not prevent any needy person from meeting you because if the needy is returned unsatisfied from your door in the first instance, even doing it thereafter will not bring you praise.
See what has been levied with you of the funds of Allah (in the public treasury) and spend it over the persons who have families, the distressed, the starving, the naked, at your end. Then send the remainder to us for distribution to those at this end.
Ask the people of Mecca not to charge rent from lodgers because Allah, the Glorified One, says the following: “... alike for the dweller therein as well as the stranger” (Holy Qur’an, 22: 25). “al-`akif” (the mosque dweller) here means whoever is living there, while “al-badi” (the stranger) means whoever is not among the people of Mecca, one who comes for hajj from outside. May Allah grant us and yourself promptitude for seeking His love (by doing good deeds), and that is the end of the matter.
