Tradition

لِلظّالِمِ ثلاثُ عَلامات: يَظْلِمُ مَنَ فَوْقَهُ بِالْمَعْصِيَةِ وَ مَنْ دُوْنَهُ بِالْغَلَبَةِ، وَ يُظاهِرُ الْقَوْمَ الظَّلَمَةِ

Imam ‘Ali (‘a) is narrated to have said: “An oppressor has three signs- He oppresses those who are above him through opposition and disobedience, he oppresses those who are below him through domination and compulsion, and he cooperates with the oppressors.”1

Brief Commentary

The one who possesses a spirit of oppression will always exhibit facets of this spirit through his actions. When he is supposed to obey the commands of those above him, he rebels and disobeys them. When he finds people who are employed by him or under his command, he acts in a forceful way and puts them under pressure. The third sign is that he cooperates and collaborates with those who are oppressors as well.

You will find that his friends and close associates all possess the characteristics of oppressors as well. In a nutshell, such an individual is an oppressor in all aspects of his life and character, and it can clearly be seen that the attribute of oppression has taken over his entire being.

• 1. Nahj al-Balaghah, Words of Wisdom.