Wizara (vizierate and the minister's office)

وِزارة

Wizara (vizierate) in the lexicon derives from burden, support or refuge, and is a kind of authority: the minister is a helper, an adviser and a refuge in trouble. ¹ The Qur'an reports Moses asking God for a minister from his family, Aaron, and the sunna reports the saying that the Prophet ﷺ's ministers in heaven are Gabriel and Michael and on earth Abu Bakr and Umar; a report from Aisha says that God gives a ruler a true minister when He wishes him well. ²³ Al-Mawardi argues that if a minister is lawful for a prophet it is more so for an imam, who cannot manage the community's affairs alone. ²⁴ There are two kinds: the minister of delegation, the first office after the caliphate, who holds whatever authority the caliph holds; and the minister of execution, weaker in authority, who carries out and transmits the ruler's orders. ⁴⁵ A minister of delegation must be a Muslim, a man, sound in mind and judgement (some say mature at forty), just, trustworthy in money, able to exercise independent judgement in religion though not at the level of the fully qualified jurist, capable in administration, sound in senses, brave, and not engaged in trade. ⁶⁷⁸ Appointment requires an express words conferring general authority and asking for deputyship; a bare permission or an ambiguous phrase does not suffice. ⁹¹⁰ A minister of delegation has general authority, such as appointing judges and governors, raising troops, disbursing funds and sending armies, except the designation of an heir, resignation from the imamate, and dismissal of the one who appointed him. ¹⁰¹¹ Two ministers of delegation cannot be appointed with equal general power: if they are joined, they act only on what both agree; if each has a separate field, they are governors of a limited task rather than ministers of delegation. ¹¹¹² The minister must consult the imam in grave matters and report his decisions; he chooses assistants by the legal qualities and watches over their work. ¹²¹³ The executive minister needs trustworthiness, honesty, moderate greed, freedom from enmity, memory, intelligence, freedom from desire and experience; he need not be a jurist, since he does not judge. Al-Mawardi and Abu Ya'la allow a non-Muslim as executive minister, al-Juwayni refuses, and Umar rebuked Abu Musa for employing a Christian secretary. ⁵¹⁴¹⁵ The appointment is a revocable contract: the ruler may dismiss either minister, a minister of delegation may dismiss his own executive minister, and either may resign; a minister is dismissed for proven betrayal, negligence or incapacity, or moved to a lighter post. ¹⁵¹⁶