The 4 Kinds of Servants

Being a servant is not a natural way of making a living

The ruler must use the services of men, such as soldiers, policemen, and secretaries., in all the departments of political power (imarah).

For each department, he will be satisfied with men who, he knows, are adequate, and he will provide for their sustenance from the treasury. All this belongs to political power and the living made out of it. The authority of political administration extends to all these men, and the highest royal authority is the (common) source of (power for) their various branches.

Servants exist on a lower level because most of those who live in luxury are too proud to take care of their own personal needs or are unable to do so, because they were brought up accustomed to indulgence and luxury.

Therefore, they employ people who will take charge of such things for them. They give these people wages out of their own (money).

This situation is not praiseworthy from the point of view of manliness, which is natural to man, since it is a sign of weakness to rely on persons (other than oneself).

It also adds to one’s duties and expenditures, and indicates a weakness and effeminacy that ought to be avoided in the interest of manliness.

However, custom causes human nature to incline toward the things to which it becomes used. Man is the child of customs, not the child of his ancestors.

Moreover, satisfactory and trustworthy servants are almost nonexistent.

There are just 4 categories of servant:

1. He is capable of doing what he has to do, and trustworthy

No one would in any way be able to secure his employment. With his capability and trustworthiness, he would have no need of persons of low rank.

He would disdain to accept the wages offered to him, because he could get more.

Therefore, such a person is employed only by amirs who have high ranks because the need for rank is general.

2. He is neither capable nor trustworthy

This should not be employed by any intelligent person, because he will do damage to his master on both counts.

He will cause losses to his master through his lack of ability.

He will defraud him and deprive him of his property.

In any event, he is a liability to his master.

No one would want to employ these 2 kinds of servants.

Thus, the only thing that remains is to employ servants 3 and 4.

3. He is capable and not trustworthy

The capable servant, even when he is not trustworthy, is preferable.

He will not cause any damage. One can be on guard as far as possible against being defrauded by him.

4. He is trustworthy but not capable

The servant who may cause damage, even when he is reliable, is more harmful than useful because of the damage caused by him.

This should be realized and taken as the norm for finding satisfactory servants.