Suriy-i-Muluk/GPT4 13
O Sultan, listen to the words of one who speaks the truth and seeks no reward from you for what Allah has granted you, and who is on a straight and just balance. He calls you to Allah, your Lord, and guides you to the paths of righteousness and prosperity, so that you may be among the successful. Beware, O King, of gathering around you those agents who follow only their desires, abandoning their trusts and engaging in clear betrayal. Show kindness to your subjects as Allah has shown kindness to you, and do not leave their affairs in the hands of these treacherous agents. Fear Allah and be among the righteous.
Gather around you agents who exude the scent of faith and justice, consult with them in matters, and choose the best actions. Be among those who do good. Know and be certain that those who lack religion also lack honesty and trustworthiness; indeed, this is a certain truth. Whoever betrays Allah will also betray the ruler and will not refrain from anything, nor will they act piously in matters concerning the people, for they are not among the righteous. Ensure that you do not relinquish control of your affairs to others and do not become complacent; be not among the heedless.
Those whose hearts are inclined towards others besides you should be treated with caution; do not trust them with your affairs or the affairs of the Muslims. Do not appoint the wolf as the shepherd of Allah's sheep and do not leave His lovers under the control of His haters. Those who betray Allah in His command cannot be trusted with honesty or piety. Avoid them and be vigilant, lest their plots and harm affect you. Turn away from them and then turn to Allah, your Lord, the Mighty and Noble. Those who are for Allah, He is for them; those who rely on Him, He indeed protects them from all harm and from the deceit of contemptible schemers.
If you listen to my words and heed my advice, Allah will elevate you to a position where the hands of all on earth cannot reach you. O King, follow the laws of Allah in your own self and your domains, and do not follow the ways of the oppressors. Take control of your command and investigate all matters yourself; do not neglect anything, for there is great good in this. Be thankful to Allah, your Lord, for choosing you among His creation and making you a ruler of the Muslims. Recognize the wonders of His generosity and kindness, and thank Him at all times. Your gratitude to your Lord is manifested in your love for His beloved, in protecting His servants from these traitors, ensuring that no one oppresses them, and in implementing Allah's law among them so that you are firmly established in His command.
If you administer justice among your subjects like flowing rivers, Allah will support you with the armies of the unseen and the visible and strengthen you in your command. There is no deity but Him; to Him belongs the command and the creation, and to Him returns the work of the sincere. Do not be content with your treasures; rely on the bounty of Allah, your Lord, and trust in Him for your affairs, being among those who rely on Him. Seek help from Allah, then be independent with His wealth, for He owns the treasures of the heavens and the earth, giving to whom He wills and withholding from whom He wills. There is no deity but Him, the Rich, the Praiseworthy. Everyone is needy at the door of His mercy, weak in the face of His power, and everyone seeks from His bounty.
Do not neglect matters; treat your servants justly and spend on them according to their needs, not according to what they hoard and use for adornment. Be fair to them equally, so that none of them is in need or hoarding, for this is clear justice. Do not place the honorable under the control of the ignoble, nor the superior under the inferior, as we have witnessed in the city. When we entered the city, we found some in abundance and others in clear poverty and humiliation, which is not fitting for your kingdom or appropriate for your status. Listen to my advice, then be just among the people so that Allah may elevate your name with justice among the worlds.
Beware of favoring these agents and oppressing the people. Fear the outcry of the poor and the righteous at dawn and be to them as a compassionate ruler, for they are your treasure on earth. It befits you to protect your treasure from these thieves. Investigate their affairs and conditions every year, indeed every month, and be not among the heedless. Set up the scale of Allah before your eyes, place yourself as if you see Him, then weigh your actions by it every day, indeed every moment. Hold yourself accountable before you are held accountable on the day when no one's foot will remain firm for fear of Allah, and the hearts of the heedless will tremble. It befits the ruler to be like the sun, nourishing everything, giving everyone their due right, not from himself but by what has been decreed by an Almighty, Capable One. His mercy should be like the clouds, bestowing upon the servants as the clouds shower mercy's rain on every land by the command of an Omniscient Arranger.
Beware of being reassured by anyone in your matter, and no one should be to you like yourself. Thus, we elucidate to you words of wisdom and cast upon you what turns you from the left of injustice to the right of justice and guides you to a bright, near shore. All this is from the practices of the kings who preceded you in the kingdom and who were just among the people and followed the straight paths of justice. You are the shadow of Allah on earth, so do what befits this exalted and great status. If you deviate from what we have cast upon you and taught you, you will depart from this noble and exalted status.
Return to Allah with your heart, then purify it from the world and its adornments, and do not let the love of others enter it. For if you let in the love of others, the lights of Allah's manifestation will not shine upon it, for Allah has not given anyone two hearts. Since He has made it one, you should not let two loves enter it. So, hold on to the love of Allah and turn away from the love of others, that Allah may immerse you in the ocean of His Oneness and make you among the monotheists. By Allah, my purpose in what we have cast upon you is only to purify you from perishable things and immerse you in the dominion of the eternal, so that you may be among the rulers by Allah's permission.