Man, as the superior creation of the Almighty, needs conditions to reach perfection and felicity in order to achieve his ultimate purpose under these conditions. These conditions sometimes manifest internally and sometimes externally. The internal and individual conditions of man have been equitably entrusted among humans by the Wise Creator, while external conditions, which are defined in relation to various surrounding phenomena, can be divided into relations with nature, God, and fellow human beings. One of these conditions is in the realm of human interaction with fellow beings, which must manifest itself in the social and political sphere. The existence of free will in man and the delegation of this task to competent individuals for organizing inter-human relations toward macro-management over the endless desires of humans will be possible through the creation of law, do's, and don'ts. In various schools of thought, the method of delegating authority takes place through diverse styles and methods, and in the authentic school of Islam, government is formed to guide man to the peak of perfection, and rulers—possessing conditions derived from authentic Islamic sources including verses, traditions, conduct, and reason—become qualified to govern other humans.
Rulers in Islam and from the perspective of the infallible Imams must possess characteristics by which an individual is qualified to be in government, and with the persistence of these traits, the individual maintains the competence to preserve and continue this responsibility. Among the authentic Islamic sources that can be consulted for this purpose is the discourse of Amir al-Mu'minin Ali (PBUH) in Nahj al-Balagha. Thus, the author in this paper, utilizing the tools of studying books and documents, will briefly identify the characteristics of rulers.