When Amir al-Mu’minin Ali (peace be upon him) assumed the leadership of the Islamic government, he was confronted with numerous problems, one of which was the class divisions that had developed within society. During the time of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and also under the first caliph, the spoils of war and wealth were not hoarded; instead, they were immediately distributed equally among the Muslims. The second caliph, Umar ibn al-Khattab, established the Bayt al-Mal (Treasury), but distributed it unequally, assigning stipends to people based on their rank and status, and he even created a special office for this purpose. For example:
“For Abbas (the Prophet’s uncle), an annual sum of 12,000 dirhams, for each of the Prophet’s wives 10,000, with Aisha receiving 2,000 more than the others; for the companions of Badr from the emigrants (Muhajirun), 5,000, and from the helpers (Ansar), 4,000; for the companions of Uhud and until Hudaybiyyah, 4,000; for the companions after Hudaybiyyah, 3,000; and for those who participated in jihad after the Prophet’s death, sums were set at 2,500, 2,000, 1,500, and 200, with different ranks”[1]. This policy of the second caliph laid the foundation for class divisions in Islam, and during the rule of Uthman, these divisions deepened and became more severe.
During the 13 years of Uthman’s caliphate, a group of his associates accumulated massive wealth, benefiting excessively from the spoils of war. For example, the wealth of Zubair ibn al-Awwam was reported as 59,800,000, though it is unclear whether this was in dirhams or dinars[2]. Al-Mas’udi states that he owned a thousand horses, a thousand slaves, and a thousand concubines[3]. Similarly, Talha’s income from farms in Iraq ranged between four hundred thousand to five hundred thousand dinars. This hoarding of wealth was not limited to these two figures; many others in the caliphate, including members of the Umayyad and Quraysh families, amassed vast fortunes for themselves, such as Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf, Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas, Ya’la ibn Umayya, Zayd ibn Thabit, Abu Sufyan, and Marwan ibn al-Hakam. Above all these hoarders, the caliph himself was the wealthiest[4]. Meanwhile, righteous individuals such as Abu Dharr al-Ghifari, Ammar ibn Yasir, and Abdullah ibn Mas’ud lived in severe hardship.
When Imam Ali (peace be upon him) took over the caliphate, he faced this enormous issue. On one hand, the wealthy elites, many of whom were prominent companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him), held power and status under the guise of being the Prophet’s companions. On the other hand, the public wealth, which had been unjustly allocated to these individuals, had to be returned to the Bayt al-Mal. In such circumstances, Imam Ali (peace be upon him) sought to return to the Prophet’s practice (peace be upon him) and to distribute the wealth equally among the people. He worked to abolish the arbitrary class privileges. This can be seen in the letters he wrote to his governors and especially in the detailed letter to Malik al-Ashtar, as well as in his own practical conduct in governance. On the second day of his caliphate, he addressed the Muslims and said:
“By God, if I see that (the public funds) have been spent on the dowries of women or the prices of slaves, I will return it, for justice is the way to prosperity for all…”[5]
This method of Imam Ali (peace be upon him) during his five years of rule and his efforts to eliminate class divisions and ill-gotten wealth faced resistance from the aristocracy and created serious problems for his government. During this time, he became embroiled in three major wars, and his role in these events was not insignificant. However, under these harsh conditions, economic inequality was minimized, and absolute poverty was eradicated from the Islamic world. Imam Ali (peace be upon him) said regarding this:
“There is no one in Kufa except that they are living in comfort and wealth; even the lowest of people eat wheat bread, sit in the shade (they have homes), and drink from the Euphrates water (clean drinking water).”[6]
(Taken from the book “Imam Ali (peace be upon him) and the Principles of Politics,” by Ayatollah Ja’far Subhani, with some additions)
Footnotes:
[1] Al-Kamil Ibn Athir, Vol. 2, p. 503; Sharh Nahj al-Balagha Ibn Abi al-Hadid, Vol. 12, p. 214
[2] Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 4, p. 87
[3] Muruji’ al-Dhahab, Vol. 2, p. 262
[4] Muruji’ al-Dhahab, Vol. 2, p. 261-262
[5] Nahj al-Balagha, Sermon 15
[6] Manaqib Ibn Shahr Ashub, Vol. 2, p. 99