Nahj al-Balāgha

٤٧٦. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام) لِزِيَادِ ابْنِ أَبِيهِ. وَقَدِ اسْتَخْلَفَهُ لِعَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ الْعَبَّاسِ عَلَى فَارِسَ وَأَعْمَالِهَا، فِي كَلَامٍ طَوِيلٍ كَانَ بَيْنَهُمَا، نَهَاهُ فِيهِ عَنْ تَقَدُّمِ الْخَرَاجِ:

476. When Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, put Ziyād ibn Abīh in place of ‘Abdullāh ibn al-‘Abbās over Fārs (in Persia) and its revenues, he had a long conversation with him in which he prohibited him from advance recovery of revenue. Therein he said:

اسْتَعْمِلِ الْعَدْلَ، وَاحْذَرِ الْعَسْفَ والْحَيْفَ فَإِنَّ الْعَسْفَ يَعُودُ بِالْجَلاَءِ، وَالْحَيْفَ يَدْعُو إِلَى السَّيْفِ.

Act on justice and keep aloof from violence and injustice because violence will lead them to forsake their abodes while injustice will prompt them to take up arms.