Letters · Instructions for Malik al-Ashtar upon his appointment as the governor of Egypt

al-Sharif al-Radi (d. 406 AH) · Thaqalayn library edition, reproduced verbatim

2

Arabic text

وَإِذَا قُمْتَ فِي صَلَاتِكَ لِلنَّاسِ، فَلَا تَكُونَنَّ مُنَفِّراً وَلَا مُضَيِّعاً، فَإِنَّ فِي النَّاسِ مَنْ بِهِ الْعِلَّةُ وَلَهُ الْحَاجَةُ. وَقَدْ سَأَلْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ (صلى الله عليه وآله) حِينَ وَجَّهَنِي إِلَى الْيَمَنِ كَيْفَ أُصَلِّي بِهِمْ؟ فَقَالَ: «صَلِّ بِهِمْ كَصَلَاةِ أَضْعَفِهِمْ، وَكُنْ بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ رَحِيماً».

Original English translation

When you lead the prayers for the people it should be neither (too long as to be) boring nor (too short as to be) wasteful, because among the people there are the sick as well as those who have needs of their own. When the Messenger of Allāh (S) sent me to Yemen I enquired how I should offer prayers with them and he replied, “Say the prayers as the weakest of them would say, and be considerate to the believers.”

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