To Egyptians after the appointment of Malik al-Ashtar as their governor

Nahj al-Balāgha|Volume 1|Book 2|Chapter 38
Nahj al-Balāgha

Book 2, Chapter 38

To Egyptians after the appointment of Malik al-Ashtar as their governor

مِنْ عَبْدِ اللهِ عَلِيٍّ أَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ، إِلَى الْقَومِ الَّذِينَ غَضِبُوا لِلَّهِ حِينَ عُصِيَ فِي أَرْضِهِ، وَذُهِبَ بِحَقِّهِ، فَضَرَبَ الْجَوْرُ سُرَادِقَهُ عَلَى الْبَرِّ وَالْفَاجِرِ، وَالْمُقِيمِ وَالظَّاعِنِ، فَلَا مَعْرُوفٌ يُسْتَرَاحُ إِلَيْهِ، وَلَا مُنْكَرٌ يُتَنَاهَى عَنْهُ.
From the slave of Allāh, ‘Alī, Amīr al-mu’minīn to the people who became wrathful for the sake of Allāh when He was disobeyed on His earth and His rights were ignored and oppression had spread its coverings over the virtuous as well as the vicious, on the local as well as the foreigner. Consequently, no good was acted upon nor any evil was avoided.