What do we find when we turn to Hadrat Amir (Imam Ali), may God's peace be upon him, the rightful executor of the Prophet's will, and we examine his life at the time when he was the sovereign- to use the word "sovereign" is in fact impertinent of me- when he was the leader of certain vast countries and when the entire Hejaz, all of Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, and Iran were under his rule and formed part of his sovereign dominion. What kind of life did he lead? Was he like an emperor? In fact the Hadrat possessed one pelisse made from sheepskin which, according to the religious traditions and historical documents, he would spread on the floor at night in order for his wife and himself to sleep upon it. During the day he would scatter grass upon this very same covering so that his camels could come and eat; such is the Islamic government. Hadrat Amir, may God's peace be upon him, used to construct wells single-handedly, by using his very own pick. History relates how on that day when they paid allegiance to Hadrat Amir as their caliph- the caliph of such a vast domain at that- on that same day, allegiance having been paid, Hadrat took up his pick and spade and got on with the job in hand (i. e. the digging of a well). He worked. The work in which he was engaged at that time was not for his own personal benefit; it was not for him to gain some kind of return from the well. But rather, when water gushed from beneath the ground, like blood from a camel, he took up pen and paper and bequeathed the well to the poor. He bequeathed it to the poor for it to be used by them. This is the kind of ruler we want. We who go to such lengths and who shout out in protest, urge the nation of Islam to join us in our demands for a ruler, for a king, who is not treacherous. Hadrat Amir was busy reckoning the accounts of the public treasury, he was making a written account of the religious and other forms of taxes which were due from the people to the public treasury, and he was doing so in the light emitted from an oil-lamp- it seems that in those days oil used to be burned to give light. However, according to written accounts, when someone came to speak with the Hadrat, the latter turned out the light and said: "Before, when the lamp was lit, it was lit to enable me to reckon the public treasury of the Muslims, but now that you want to speak with me concerning something which bears no relation to the public treasury, I have turned out the light. This lamp belongs to the public treasury and thus I have no right to use it under these circumstances ."
Sahifeh, vol. 4, Page: 167- 168
Speech, October 28, 1978