All over history, rulers, according to their qualifications, have played influential roles in the development and retardation of nations. The ideal, sincere ruler is he who governs his subjects on the bases of leniency, justice, and equality. The absolute ruler, on the other hand, is he who enslaves, humiliates, and exploits the subjects for his own interests: The Prophet (PBUH) said: On the Day of Resurrection, a caller will cry out: where are the unjust rulers and their supporters, including those who provided them with an inkpot, those who untied one of their bags, and those who sharpened a pencil for them. Join all these individuals to those rulers.

The unjust rulers will sooner or later suffer punishments that befit their acts of oppression. History is full of stories showing the bad results of absolute rulers. Al-Hajjaj ibn Yousuf at-Thaqafi is the most hideous example of an unjust ruler. He ruled for twenty years during which he killed 120,000 individuals besides those who were killed during his campaigns. In his cells, there were fifty thousand men and thirty thousand women etc. Finally, this dictator was affected by canker and severe frost until he perished.

Rights of Subjects against Rulers

A- Justice:

The absolute authority of the unjust rulers, in most cases, is the result of people’s rebellion against and disobedience to the Lord: The Prophet (s) said: Allah says: I am Allah. There is no god but I. I have created the kings whose hearts are in My hand. I will make the hearts of the kings full of mercy towards the people who obey Me, but I will make them full of rancour towards the people who disobey Me. Do not engage yourselves in reviling at the kings. You must repent to Me so that I will make their hearts full of compassion towards you.

B- Righteousness

Because most people try to imitate them, it is obligatory upon rulers to be characterized by righteousness and well-behaved so as to act as good examples for their subjects. Likewise, the rulers’ deviation and misconduct push most people towards deviation.

C- Leniency

Rulers are required to govern people with means of lenience and avoid persecution because despotism is the most disreputable manner of the rulers and the most injurious act towards the subjects. The Prophet (s) said: Lenience will beautify anything it accompanies and will disfigure anything it leaves. Amir ul-Mu’minin (a) said: Habituate your heart to mercy for the subjects and to affection and kindness for them. Do not stand over them like greedy beasts who feel it is enough to devour them, since they are of two kinds, either your brother in religion or one like you in creation.

They will commit slips and encounter mistakes. They may act wrongly, willfully, or by neglect. So, extend to them your forgiveness and pardon, in the same way as you would like Allah to extend His forgiveness and pardon to you because you are over them and your responsible Commander (Imam) is over you while Allah is over him who has appointed you through what He has given to you of the knowledge of His Book and the practices of His Prophet (s). Imam as-Sadiq (a) said: The lenient can win anything he wants from people. Lenience is of no value unless it is done to virtuous people. The evildoers who disturb social peace do not deserve any sort of lenient treatment.

Aspects of Leniency

Aspects of lenience can be shown through the words and deeds of the rulers. Hence, the ruler must use good wording and avoid obscenity. He must treat the subjects with kindness through sympathizing with their pains and tragedies and hurrying for helping them in misfortunes and crises. Finally, the ruler must try his best to save the subjects from heavy taxes.

Results of Leniency

Lenience creates the subjects’ love for their rulers and save them from the need for flattering and hypocrisy. God praised His Messenger Mohammed (s) for his lenience: Only through the Divine Mercy have you (Muhammad) been able to deal with your followers so gently. If you had been stern and hardhearted, they would all have deserted you a long time ago. 

D-Selection of the Retinue

A ruler, no matter how well-qualified he is, cannot dispense with supporters who help him do his duties properly. Such supporters, in fact, have a great effect on guiding and conditioning the ruler’s morals and opinions. From this cause, it is important for the ruler to select well-qualified and decent retinue so that they will positively help him and contribute to achieving the subjects’ pleasure.

E- Settlement with the Officials

Because most of them take pride in their authority, officials usually challenge and treat people arrogantly and neglect their duties. Such behaviours will surely dissatisfy people with the ruling authorities. From this cause, it is necessary for rulers to supervise and call the officials to account so as to reward the dutiful and punish the negligent. By doing so, each individual will perform his duty towards society properly, tragedies and varieties of flattering to the office will be eradicated, and all social affairs will he prevail by justice.

F- Achievement of Social Happiness

The ruler is responsible for the moral and material development of the subjects. This happiness can be achieved when the ruler supervises the subjects, pays attention to their interests, secures their rights of security, justice, and luxury, raises their scientific, physical, social, moral, and structural levels, cares for the industrial, agricultural, and commercial development, and encourages the talents and abilities.