وتثبّتْ في قولك وفعلك، وتأنَّ في أمرك ولا تعجل، وتمهّل ولا تغفل، وراعِ حال نفسك، وتصفّح عملك بما يعود عليك بإحكامه ويؤمن معه وقوع خلل في إبرامه. وليكن من نقضت الحكم بشهادتهم مشهورين بالأمانة والديانة، معروفين بالصدق والصيانة، ومن تنتخبهم للاستعانة١ بهم في أمورك والقيام بمهمّاتك موسومين بالورع والعفّة، مذكورين بالعدالة والفقه٢. وتفقّدْ أعمالهم وما تجري عليه أحوالهم في كلّ وقت، وافحصْ عن٣ أمورهم فحصًا تقف به على حقيقة ما عليه كلّ امرئ منهم من الاقتداء برأيك والعمل بمذهبك أو مخالفة لأمرك واعتداء لنهيك، فتجازيه بما يستحقّه فيما حمدته منه أو ذممته ليزداد ذو الثقة والأمانة بصيرةً في أمره، واغتباطًا بحاله، ويتّعظ بعقوبة غيره ممّن نقض دينه وخان أمانته وجهل حظّه وأضاع رشده. وأَحْسِن النظر في أمور المواريث التي يتحاكم إليك فيها وحفظ ما يرد عليك من أموال اليتامى ووضعه مواضعه الواجبة وحفظه وإحرازه من الاخترام والضياع مسترشدًا بالله عزّ وجلّ في جميع أسبابك مستعينًا به مراقبًا له مفوّضًا إليه أمرك في كلّ ما تصرّفت عليه أحوالك. وأمير المؤمنين يسأل الله لك جميل العون والإرشاد إنّه المنّان الجواد.
١ ل: لك استعانة. ٢ كذا في ز، خ، ل ولعلّ الصواب: الثقة. ٣ ز: من.
Be firm in your words and deeds. Advance slowly and surely in your affairs and eschew haste; proceed deliberately and avoid carelessness. Watch over the condition of your lower soul to keep your carnal instincts in check. Examine your performance in order to perfect it, to your credit, and in order to safeguard your verdicts from flaws that will prevent their being upheld. Let those by whose attestation you overturn earlier verdicts77 be renowned for their trustworthiness and devotion and noted for their veracity and continence, and let those whom you select to assist you in your affairs and to undertake your duties be distinguished by their piety and chastity and reputed for their probity and knowledge of the law.78 Scrutinize their actions and conditions at all times, and examine their affairs in such a way that you become apprised of the true state of each one: Does he follow your opinions and practice according to your doctrines, or does he contradict your commands and violate your prohibitions? Do this so that you might recompense him as he deserves for his praiseworthy or blameworthy conduct. Those who are trustworthy and honest will become more perspicacious concerning their affairs and content with their circumstances, while those who have violated their religion, betrayed their trust, ignored their good fortune, and cast away what was best for them will take heed from the punishment of others. Examine well matters of inheritance that are brought before you for judgment. Safeguard the property of orphans that is placed under your control, dispose of it as the law requires, and maintain and guard it against squander and loss. In doing this you should seek the guidance of God in all of your affairs, beseech His assistance, be ever heedful of His wrath, and entrust your affairs to Him in all the various situations that befall you. The Commander of the Faithful beseeches God to grant you the grace of His assistance and guidance, for He is the Munificent and Generous One.
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وكتب يوم الاثنين لليلتين بقيتا من شهر ربيع الأوّل سنة ثلاث وأربعين وثلاثمائة وصلّى الله على محمّد نبيّه وخيرته وصفوته وعلى أبرار عترته وسلّم تسليمًا.
Enscribed on Monday, three days before the end of the month of Rabiʿ al-Awwal, in the year Three Hundred and Forty-Three [August 1, 954]. God bless Muḥammad His Prophet, His Chosen and Elect, and the Pious Ones among his progeny and keep them.
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فالذي ذكر أمير المؤمنين صلوات الله عليه وعلى آبائه الصادقين١ من أنّ الله عزّ وجلّ قد أبان في كتابه حلاله وحرامه وأحكامه فهو ما تقدّم القول به وشهد به كتاب الله وقول رسول الله صلّى الله عليه وعلى آله. وكذلك ما أمر به أدام٢ الله علوّ أمره من ردّ ما أشكل والتبس عليّ إليه. فذلك أيضًا هو الذي نطق كتاب الله عزّ وجلّ به وتقدّم قول رسول الله صلّى الله عليه وعلى آله. وكذلك أمر الأئمّة المهديّون من أهل بيت رسول الله صلّى الله عليه وعلى آله في القديم والمهديّ صلوات الله عليه ومن بعده من الأئمّة مع كلّ من ولّوه القضاء وكذلك عهدوا إليهم، وكذلك جاء في عهد٣ المنصور صلّى الله عليه إليّ :
١ ساقطة في ل: وعلى آبائه الصادقين، وتزيد خ هنا: وأبنائه الطاهرين. ٢ ز:أدم. ٣ ز، خ، ل: عصر، ولعلّ الصواب ما أثبتناه لأنّه يتلو هذه الجملة نصّ من عهد المنصور الى القاضي النعمان.
That which the Commander of the Faithful, God bless him, stated, that God set forth in His Book His permitted and forbidden things and His legal rulings, is what has been discussed above, and both the Book of God and the report of the Messenger of God attest to this. The same may be said of what the Imam, may God prolong his exalted status, commanded: That which was difficult and confusing for me should be referred to him. That as well is what the Book of God has pronounced, and the report of the Messenger of God has been cited to that effect above. The case of the Rightly Guided Imams among the People of the House of the Messenger of God was similar, both in ancient times, and in the time of al-Mahdī, God’s blessings be upon him, and those Imams who came after him, with all those whom they appointed as judge. They appointed them on this principle, and the contents of the decree of my appointment by al-Manṣūr, God bless him, were similar:
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واقتدِ بكتاب الله فيما
