وَقَدْ أَمَّرْتُ عَلَيْكُمَا وَعَلى مَنْ فِي حَيِّزِكُمَا مَالِكَ بْنَ الْحَارثِ الْأَشْتَرَ، فَاسْمَعَا لَهُ وَأَطِيعَا، وَاجْعَلَاهُ دِرْعاً وَمِجَنّاً، فَإِنّهُ مِمَّنْ لَا يُخَافُ وَهْنُهُ، وَلَا سَقْطَتُهُ، وَلَا بُطْؤُهُ عَمَّا الْإِسْرَاعُ إِلَيْهِ أَحْزَمُ، وَلَا إِسْرَاعُهُ إِلَى مَا الْبُطءُ عَنْهُ أَمْثَلُ.
I have placed Mālik [1] ibn al-Ḥārith al-Ashtar in command over you and over all those under you. Therefore, follow his commands and take him as the armour and shield for yourselves, because he is one of those from whom I have no fear of weakness nor any mistake, nor laziness where haste is more appropriate, nor haste where slackness is expected of him.
