sages, and the virtuous in their proper stations—to honor their status as they deserve and to distinguish between them and their ignorant ones, giving each of them his place. They used to be just among the people, equitable toward them, protecting them, defending them, and collecting their wealth only to spend what they collected on their poor, their weak, those of little means, manifest poverty, and weak strength.

It was mentioned of their kings that a man was brought who was begging from the people, showing them poverty and an evil state, complaining of his condition with weeping and humiliation. His state was investigated and he was found to possess that which sustained and enriched him. The King said to him: "What induced you to deny the favors of Allah, to hide them, and to show poverty?" The man said: "I feared that what is in my hand would vanish and my state would turn bad, so I wanted to increase my wealth." The King said: "You have deserved what you feared." Then he ordered that he be publicly shamed and a call made over him: "This is the recompense for one who denies what Allah favored him with, who thinks an evil thought of his Lord, who did not raise himself above the humiliation of begging, and did not raise his tongue from lying."

He (the King) said: "I defended myself and protected my planting." He ordered that his name be recorded in the Register of the Living (dīwān al-aḥyā’), granted him a great provision, and made him among his elite companions.

It was mentioned that a man was brought who had killed. He was asked: "What induced you to kill?" He said: "I heard from him words that made me feel small, so ignorance led me to kill him." The King said: "Was he truthful or lying?" He said: "Rather, lying." The King said to him: "It was necessary for you to be soft and pity his lying—to show him mercy and not to be harsh toward him, to excuse him and not join the two states upon him: his lying and his killing." Then he ordered his life imprisonment.