Treasury (beitolmal) in Islam

It was already discussed about personal properties, what is gained with work, trouble and effort, and it was concluded that the Islamic lifestyle is moderation and avoidance of going extremes. It also recommends that a revolutionary devout should pay attention to and follow contentment in the life.
Such a matter becomes more important about state properties and beitolmal (treasury) because persons can own their personal properties, but Islam does not allow them to be prodigal. We should know that a revolutionary devout is a kind of trustee and treasurer and if they damage beitolmal (treasury), they will be responsible for them.
Khomeini states
It is beitolmal of Muslims and order is order of Islam. Of course, it is necessary to preserve things that are related to officials. Even media should pay attention that they should not write things that are not useful for the nation and do not spend time for writing them. Radio and Television should pay attention that media belongs people, they should be about things that are in favor of Muslims. In fact, officials should have necessary consultation and they should have servants for necessary affairs…''.
Hence, state properties are trust in devout persons and should use them for necessary affairs in moderation and they should know that using them for luxury-oriented in office tables, management and so forth is one of examples of prodigality.
Indicators

Preservation of beitolmal (trusteeship)

In Islamic system, agents of the government are responsible in two levels of trusteeship because on one hand, they are responsible for the properties of people and should observe the benefits of people. On the other hand, they have the responsibility of divine trust and will be responsible for it in God.
Imam Ali stated to a person that expected generosity from beitolmal
''وَ اللَّهِ مَا هُوَ بِكَدِّ يَدِي وَ لَا تُرَاثِي مِنَ الْوَالِدِ وَ لَكِنَّهَا أَمَانَةٌ أُودِعْتُهَا فَأَنَا أُؤَدِّيهَا إِلَى أَهْلِهَا''
Therefore, in Islamic lifestyle, a revolutionary devout is responsible for beitolmal and should try to preserve it.

References

a. prohibition of personal use

State and public properties that are used in workplace and determined missions should not be for personal use at all; such a thing is a kind of betrayal. It has been expressed in the sire of Amir Al-Momenin that one night Amir Al-Momenin went to beitolmal so that he could divine properties. In such time, Talhe and Zobeir came to Hazrat Ali. He turned off the light right away and ordered to bring another light from his house. They asked reason of this action and he stated
''کَانَ زَیْتُهُ مِنْ بَیْتِ الْمَالِ، لا یَنْبَغِی أَن نُصَاحِبَکُمْ فِی ضَوْئِهِ''
As a person should not use state properties for personal affairs, ground of misuse of relatives and friends should not be provided and they should not have expectation of such a thing and put him under pressure for personal benefits.
Imam Ali considers laxity in preservation of state properties indecent and even refused to help his poor brother, Aghil, from beitolmal. The story of the behavior of Hazrat Ali with his brother, Aghil, is a clear example of preventing from misuse of others from beitolmal. He expressed the story of his brother attendance in this way
''وَ اللَّهِ لَأَنْ أَبِيتَ عَلَى حَسَكِ السَّعْدَانِ مُسَهَّداً أَوْ أُجَرَّ فِي الْأَغْلَالِ مُصَفَّداً أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِنْ أَنْ أَلْقَى اللَّهَ وَ رَسُولَهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ ظَالِماً لِبَعْضِ الْعِبَادِ وَ غَاصِباً لِشَيْ‏ءٍ مِنَ الْحُطَامِ وَ كَيْفَ أَظْلِمُ أَحَداً لِنَفْسٍ يُسْرِعُ إِلَى الْبِلَى قُفُولُهَا وَ يَطُولُ فِي الثَّرَى حُلُولُهَا وَ اللَّهِ لَقَدْ رَأَيْتُ عَقِيلًا وَ قَدْ أَمْلَقَ حَتَّى اسْتَمَاحَنِي مِنْ بُرِّكُمْ صَاعاً وَ رَأَيْتُ صِبْيَانَهُ شُعْثَ الشُّعُورِ غُبْرَ الْأَلْوَانِ مِنْ فَقْرِهِمْ كَأَنَّمَا سُوِّدَتْ وُجُوهُهُمْ بِالْعِظْلِمِ وَ عَاوَدَنِي مُؤَكِّداً وَ كَرَّرَ عَلَيَّ الْقَوْلَ مُرَدِّداً فَأَصْغَيْتُ إِلَيْهِ سَمْعِي فَظَنَّ أَنِّي أَبِيعُهُ دِينِي وَ أَتَّبِعُ قِيَادَهُ مُفَارِقاً طَرِيقَتِي فَأَحْمَيْتُ لَهُ حَدِيدَةً ثُمَّ أَدْنَيْتُهَا مِنْ جِسْمِهِ لِيَعْتَبِرَ بِهَا فَضَجَّ ضَجِيجَ ذِي دَنَفٍ مِنْ أَلَمِهَا وَ كَادَ أَنْ يَحْتَرِقَ مِنْ مِيسَمِهَا فَقُلْتُ لَهُ ثَكِلَتْكَ الثَّوَاكِلُ يَا عَقِيلُ أَ تَئِنُّ مِنْ حَدِيدَةٍ أَحْمَاهَا إِنْسَانُهَا لِلَعِبِهِ وَ تَجُرُّنِي إِلَى نَارٍ سَجَرَهَا جَبَّارُهَا لِغَضَبِهِ أَ تَئِنُّ مِنَ الْأَذَى وَ لَا أَئِنُّ مِنْ لَظَى''

b. Avoidance of overspending beitolmal (treasury)

Another point is that the managers and guardians of the government should not grant someone from beitolmal without regulations and criteria and give public properties to others. According to narrations, munificence of public properties is considered as betrayer. Imam Ali (peace be upon him) states
'' جُودُ الْوُلَاةِ بِفَيْ‏ءِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ جَوْرٌ وَ خَتَرٌ''
Imam Ali stated to Abdullah bin Zmh that had wanted him some money in time of his caliphate
''إِنَّ هَذَا الْمَالَ لَيْسَ لِي وَ لَا لَكَ وَ إِنَّمَا هُوَ فَيْ‏ءٌ لِلْمُسْلِمِينَ وَ جَلْبُ أَسْيَافِهِمْ فَإِنْ شَرِكْتَهُمْ فِي حَرْبِهِمْ كَانَ لَكَ مِثْلُ حَظِّهِمْ وَ إِلَّا فَجَنَاةُ أَيْدِيهِمْ لَا تَكُونُ لِغَيْرِ أَفْوَاهِهِم‏''

c. Avoidance of spending beitolmal (treasury)

Imam Ali (peace be upon him) did not delay division of beitolmal incomes even a night without reasons. When he divided the properties of beitolmal, he fulfilled two rekat of mostahab prayer and stated
''اشْهَدْ لِي يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ أَنِّي لَمْ أَحْبِسْ فِيكَ الْمَالَ عَلَى الْمُسْلِمِينَ''
Hilal bin Muslim Jhdry narrates from his grandfather '' I witnessed that wealth was brought for Amir Al-Momenin in the sunset. He stated
''اقْسِمُوا هَذَا الْمَالَ''
They said ''O' Amir Al-Momenin! It is evening and delay it to tomorrow''. Imam Ali said to them
''تَقْبَلُونَ لِي أَنْ أَعِيشَ إِلَى غَدٍ''
They said '' what can we do?'' He said
''فَلَا تُؤَخِّرُوهُ حَتَّى تَقْسِمُوهُ''
Then they brought a candle and divided it at night.
Of course, sometimes, it is interpreted that preserve of beitolmal is to stop using it, but such an interpretation is not right, but it should be spent without prodigy and wastefulness.

d. Rules in spending of beitolmal (treasury)

a. Thrift in use of public properties

One of the most important principles in use of public properties is their thrift and even their small part should not be wasted and should be used in necessary affairs.
Amir Al-Momnein stated to his brokers
''أَدِقُّوا أَقْلَامَكُمْ وَ قَارِبُوا بَينَ سُطُورِكُمْ وَ احْذِفُوا عَنِّي فُضُولَكُمْ وَ اقْصِدُوا قَصْدَ الْمَعَانِي وَ إِياكُمْ وَ الْإِكْثَارَ فَإِنَّ أَمْوَالَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ لَا تَحْتَمِلُ الْإِضْرَارَ''
According to Imam Ali, the properties of beitolmal should not have a lot of losses and a lot of accuracy and care should be applied for public properties and wealth.

b. Prodigality and waste

Lexically, the word '' prodigality'' means going beyond boundary and it is a general term as an expression for all of inappropriate uses such as prodigality and waste.
Wasting property means frittering away and spoiling it. Wasting a property and lack of its useful use belonging a person is haram and if a property is a trust and it belongs public, it will be accompanied with liability. Imam Sadeq (peace be upon him) states
''وَ إِنَّ السَّرَفَ أَمْرٌ يُبْغِضُهُ اللَّهُ حَتَّى طَرْحَكَ النَّوَاةَ فَإِنَّهَا تَصْلُحُ لِلشَّيْ‏ءِ وَ حَتَّى صَبَّكَ فَضْلَ شَرَابِكَ''
Khamenei states about prodigality in public properties
There are some vices in the society that should be avoided such as waste of public facilities, waste of vital resources, waste of electricity, waste of fuel supplies, waste of food stuffs, waste of water and bread. We have a lot of bread waste and it is a religious, social and economic vice.

c. Wastefulness

The word '' tabzir'' is from the root '' bazr'' that means seeding and as an expression, it means prodigality and spending properties in illegitimate ways because such a thing is disposal and wasting. Such a thing is mainly seen in state properties. For example, in ceremonies, since guardians do not spend their properties, they sometimes waste them. Therefore, as wasting personal properties is haram, it is true about public properties and it is accompanied with liability. Quran considers wastefulness as satanic action and states
''وَلاَ تُبَذِّرْ تَبْذِيرًا إِنَّ الْمُبَذِّرِينَ كَانُواْ إِخْوَانَ الشَّياطِينِ''
But squander not (your wealth) in the manner of a spendthrift. Verily spendthrifts are brothers of the Evil Ones; and the Evil One is to his Lord (himself) ungrateful''. Al-Israa/ 26-27

d. Use of domestic products

Khamenei states
''We should use domestic products any more. When they wanted to build the international parliament and today we show off it, its civil engineers came here from foreign countries. I said to them '' you should make sure that foreign materials should not be used''. Finally, they used foreign products in audio and electrical works and fireproof carpet that we cannot produce in the country. Such a great building whose ninety percent of materials was from domestic products. I said such a thing about building of the construction several times firmly. We have lots of domestic products such as crystal and woodwork with high quality, but companies use foreign products''.
He also states
''Fortunately, today, most of products and artifacts in the country are much better than foreign ones. Why should we be neglect from our artifacts? In past time, the government inculcated that Iran nation could not build and produce. Today, we should tend to domestic artifacts and products; such a thing should be considered as a culture''.
Khamenei states that state systems should use national production and states
''State systems should use domestic products determinately if they are available. In fact, products that are available in the country should be used and they should not be imported from foreign countries. Such a matter should be expressed in the government and the president should order it to state systems. If our managers use Iranian products, their quality will increases; they must use them''.
The government must decide that they use whatever is produced in the country such as pen, paper, construction materials and so forth and using foreign products consider forbidden and haram for themselves.