economic thought of the rightly guided caliphs 121continued to be a source of annoyance to the caliphate for decades
to come. In 661 while Imam Ali was on his way to congregational
prayers early in the morning he was assassinated by a Kharijite. In
contrast to the person who assassinated Caliph Umar, the assassin
of Caliph Ali was a Muslim. In the same year Mu"awiyah in Syria
declared himself as the new caliph.
Caliph Ali, the Man
Three main features characterised Imam Ali distinctively: righteous-
ness, knowledge and bravery (Al-Suyùtì). He was pious; the exam-
ples of his piety are numerous in history books. He was knowledgeable
of the Sharì"ah, “Ali is the gateway of knowledge”, the Prophet
testified. He was also brave, he slept in the Prophet’s bed at the
night of the Prophet’s emigration to elude those who besieged the
Prophet’s house and he would put himself forward for a duel before
the start of the battle against well-known knights with far more
experience than him. For his bravery he was nicknamed by the
Prophet “the lion of God”. The fact that Ali was brought up by the
Prophet since he was a child must have influenced his character,
promoted his piety, deepened his knowledge and reinforced his sense
of bravery. Moreover, as a caliph, he was approachable, lenient and
affable.
Economic Thought of the Fourth Caliph Ali
Caliph Ali’s economic thought is best summarised in a comprehen-
sive document that took the form of instructions to his newly appointed
governor of Egypt, Màlik al-Ashtar. Compared with instructions given
to governors by previous caliphs in similar occasions, Caliph Ali’s
document was rather lengthy and more comprehensive. It reflected
the thought of the fourth caliph in a comprehensively constitutional
manner that covered economic and administrative matters in the
state. From the document (Al-Sharief al-Radhie, Imam Ali’s Nahg al-
Balàghah), Caliph Ali’s thought can be depicted as follows:
General function of government
After praising God, the caliph laid down the general function of gov-
ernment as being to “seek the goods of people and to make cities
prosperous”. How that could be generally done was by the fulfillment