ومن كتاب له (عليه السلام) إلى زياد بن أبيه وهو خليفة عامله عبد الله بن عباس على البصرة. وعبد الله عامل أمير المؤمنين يومئذ عليها وعلى كور الأهواز وفارس وكرمان (وغيرها)
To Ziyād ibn Abī (son of his [unknown] father), when ‘Abdullāh ibn al-‘Abbās was the Governor of Baṣrah, the suburbs of Ahwāz, Firs and Kirmān while Ziyād was his deputy in Baṣrah.
وَإِنِّي أُقْسِمُ بِاللهِ قَسَماً صَادِقاً، لَئِنْ بَلَغَني أَنَّكَ خُنْتَ مِنْ فَيْءِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ شَيْئاً صَغِيراً أَوْ كَبِيراً، لَأَشُدَّنَّ عَلَيْكَ شَدَّةً تَدَعُكَ قَلِيلَ الْوَفْرِ، ثَقِيلَ الظَّهْرِ، ضَئِيلَ الْأَمْرِ، وَالسَّلَامُ.
I truthfully swear by Allāh that if I come to know that you have misappropriated the funds of the Muslims, small or big, I shall inflict upon you such punishment which will leave you empty handed, heavy backed and humiliated; and that is an end to the matter.
