Remember, Maalik, that amongst your subjects there are two
kinds of people: those who have the same religion as you have;
they are brothers to you, and those who have religions other than
that of yours, they are human beings like you.
The Letter of Amir al Momineen
to Malik al Ashtar by Laila Malik
The letter of Amir al Momineen, Ali ibn Abi Talib (as) to Malik
al Ashtar is arguably one of the most beautifully written letters in
history. The elegance and wisdom of Ali (as) embodies every
letter on that page and is visible for all to see. Like Ali (as)
says, ''There is enough light for those that want to see'', likewise
those that wish to see who Ali (as) is and why we revere him,
look towards this letter.
Rajiv Ghandi spoke about how he would always keep with him
the Charter of Government which Ali (as) gave to Malik. He
would say that he would never enter a cabinet meeting in his
government without a new minister being given this letter.
Ali's legacy is there for all to see. Ralph Emerson the famous
American Philosopher would say how no human can understand
the essence of humanity like Ali ibn Abi Talib. Look at the
mixture in one human being, in one minute he is a warrior, the
next minute he is a leader, then he is a man of knowledge, then
he is a man of philosophy. Have you ever seen a human being as
rounded? He says, look at his words, which human says, "Oh
mankind, you came from a drop of semen and leave as a piece of
dust. You don't know when you came and you don't know when
you are going, so why do you walk around like you know
everything?"
One thing we have to remember is that Ali (as) belongs to the
whole world, not just to Shia Muslims. The Message of Ali (as)
is Universal, and he came for all mankind. That sentiment is
backed up by how many non-Muslims refer to the teachings of
Imam Ali (as) and especially in regards to this letter of his to
Malik al Ashtar.
Kofi Anan from the United Nations speaks about how this is the
greatest letter of government ever written by a human being.
He went on to frame this line at the United Nations;
The Martyrdom of Ali
by Zainab Kazim
A brave man was Ali, The Lion Of God,
the Prophet's wasi, His father was the
chief of the clan, He was a good and
pious man. His mother was entirely free
from blame. Fatema binte Asad was her
name. His cousin, the