This excerpt from Jāḥiẓ’s book of eloquence quotes the correspondence of the second Rightly Guided Caliph, ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb, with his governor Abū Mūsā al-Ashʿarī. Among other duties, ʿUmar urges Abū Mūsā to deal equitably with men and to employ his own understanding (fahm) to resolve uncertainties in matters that are not addressed in the Quran or the Sunna. In her analysis of Islamic mirrors-for-princes literature on judging in Justice and Leadership in Early Islamic Courts, Louise Marlow refers to this report as an example of a model appointment by a past caliph.
This source is part of the Online Companion to the book Justice and Leadership in Early Islamic Courts, ed. Intisar A. Rabb and Abigail Krasner Balbale(ILSP/HUP 2017)—a collection of primary sources and other material used in and related to the book.