The Khalifah appoints assistants for implementation and their work is administrative. They are not rulers and their department is the institution that executes what the Khalifah issues in both of the internal and foreign affairs authorities and submits what comes to him from these authorities. The department is the intermediary between the Khalifah and others, conveying to and from him in the following matters:

a. Relations with the people.

b. International relations.

c. The military.

d. The institutions of the State other than the military.

The executive assistant is the minister whom the Khalifah appoints to be his assistant in the execution of matters, the following up and implementation of his orders. He is the intermediary between the Khalifah and the various State departments, the subjects and the foreign office. He conveys messages to and from the Khalifah. He is an assistant in executing orders and is not authorised over them or entrusted with them i.e. his role is one of execution and administrative and not ruling. His department is a tool used to execute what the Khalifah issues to the internal and foreign offices, ensuring submission to the Khalifah in all that comes to him through these offices. His department acts as an intermediary between the Khalifah and others, where it conveys to them on his behalf and conveys to him from them.

The executive assistant used to be called a secretary (Al- Katib) at the time of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) and the righteous Khulafaa’. Then he became known as the keeper of the Diwan of letters or correspondence. Later, it was decided that he is called the secretary of composition or the keeper of the Diwan of composition and then the jurists named him the executive assistant (Wazir Al-Tanfidh).

As for the actions regarding the four issues mentioned – the evidence is through examination of the evidences related to the Katib (Wazir Al-Tanfidh) at the time of the Messenger (pbuh) and the actions of the righteous Khulafaa’ in front of the masses of companions:

a. The messages sent to the subjects directly. Such as:

- His (pbuh) message to the people of Najran. Abu ’Ubayd narrated in Al-Amwal from Abu Al-Malih Al-Huthali which mentioned at its end.

.» شَ هِ دَ بِذَلِكَ عُ ثْ مَ انُ بْ نُ عَفَّانَ وَمُعَيْقِيبُ، وَكَتَ ب «.

- “’Uthman Bin ’Affan and Mu’ayqib witnessed it, and he wrote”. Abu Yusuf reported it in Al-Kharaj and mentioned that the Katib was Al-Mughaira, and then it mentioned the message of Umar (ra) with the Katib being Mu’ayqib, and then the message of ’Uthman (ra) to them with the Katib being his servant Hamran, and then the message from ’Ali (ra) with the Katib being ’Abdullah b. Abi Rafi’.

- His (pbuh) message to Tamim Al-Dari. Abu Yusuf mentioned in Al-Kharaj saying.

. قَامَ تَمِيمٌ الدَّارِيُّ وَهُوَ تَمِيمُ بْنُ أَوْسٍ - رَجُلٌ مِنْ لَخْمٍ - فَ قَالَ يَا رَسُولَ « اللَّهِ، إِنَّ لِي جِيرَةً مِنَ الرُّومِ بِفِلَسْطِينَ، لَهُمْ قَ رْيَةٌ ي قَُالُ لَهَا حِبْ رَى، وَأُخْرَى ي قَُالُ لَهَا عَيْ نُونُ، وَإِنْ فَ تَحَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْكَ الشَّامَ فَ هَبْ هُمَا لِي، فَ قَالَ: هُمَا لَكَ. قَالَ: فَاكْ تُبْ لِي بِذَلِكَ، فَكَتَبَ لَهُ: بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ، هَذَا كِتَابٌ مِنْ مُحَمَّدٍ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ لِ تَِِمِيمِ بْنِ أَوْسِ الدَّارِيِّ، أَنَّ لَهُ قَ رْيَة حِبْ رَى وَبَ يْتَ عَ ي نُونَ قَ رْيَ تُ هَا كُلُّهَا، وَسَهْلُهَا وَجَبَ لُهَا وَمَاؤُهَا وَحَرْث هَُا وَأَنْ بَاطُهَا وَبَ قَرُهَا وَلِعَقِبِهِ مِنْ بَ عْدِهِ، لاَ يُحَاقُّهُ فِيهَا أَحَدٌ، وَلاَ ي لُْحِدُ عَلَيْهِمْ أَحَدٌ بِظُلْمٍ، فَمَنْ ظَلَمَ وَأَخَذَ مِنْ هُمْ شَيْئاً فَإِنَّ عَل يْهِ لَعْنَةَ اللَّهِ وَالمَلاَئِكَةِ وَالنَّاسِ أَجْمَعِينَ. وَكَتَبَ » عَلِيٌ .

- “Tamim Al-Dari (Tamim Bin Aws, a man from Lakhm) stood up and said: O Messenger of Allah, I have a neighbourhood from the Romans in Palestine – there is a village which is called Hibra, and another called Aynun. If Allah opens as-Sham to you, grant them to me as a gift. And so he said – They are yours. He said – write that for me, and so he wrote: In the name of Allah, this is a message from Muhammad the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) to Tamim Bin Aws Al-Dari, that he has all the houses of the two villages: Hibra and Aynun, and their plains, mountains, water, agriculture, plants and its cattle, and for who comes after him. No one should contest over it with them, and no one should incline to take it by force. Whoever oppresses and takes anything from it, then they will have the curses of Allah and the angels and all of the people. ’Ali was the one who wrote it”. When Abu Bakr (ra) took the leadership, he wrote them a message which mentioned “In the name of Allah – this is a message from Abu Bakr the guarantor of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) succeeded on the Earth, he wrote to the people of Dari, no one should spoil anything by their hand from the villages of Hibra and Aynun, and whoever heard and obeyed Allah, then do not spoil anything from them, and should build two entrances around them to prevent anyone who intended to do so from entering”.

b. International relations:

- The Treaty of Hudaybiyah: Al-Bukhari narrated from Al- Miswar and Marwan regarding the treaty:

.»... الكَاتِبَ فَدَعَا النَّبِيُّ «. - “So the Prophet (phuh) called the Katib (writer)…”. Abu Yusuf also narrated in the book Al-Kharaj saying:

. وَحَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِسْحَقَ وَالكَلْبِيُّ، زَادَ بَ عْضُهُمْ عَلَى ب عَْضٍ فِي الحَدِيثِ، « »... وَفِيهِ: وَقَالَ: اكْ تُ بُوا – .

“Muhammad Ibn Ishaq and Al-Kalbi informed me, some others added in the narration saying: He said: Write (plural)”, without mentioning the name of the writer. Ibn Kathir reported. . عَلِيَّ بْنَ أَبِي طَالِبَ قَالَ ابْنُ إِسْحَقَ قَالَ الزُّهْرِيُّ ... ثُمَّ دَعَا رَسُ ولُ اللَّهِ « »... فَ قَالَ: اكْتُبْ  - .

“Ibn Ishaq said Al-Zuhri said…then the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) called upon ’Ali Ibn Abi Talib and said: ‘Write (singular)…’”. Abu ’Ubayd narrated it in the book of Al- Amwal from Ibn ’Abbas, where he said:

.»... فَ قَالَ لِعَلِيٍّ: أُكْ تُبْ يَا عَلِيُّ ...« .

- “….and he said to ’Ali: ‘O ’Ali, write…’” and Al-Hakim narrated from Ibn ’Abbas, and Al-Dhahabi authenticated and approved it, saying:

. »... اكُْ تُبْ يَا عَلِيُّ ...« .

- “…..O ’Ali, write…”. The text of this peace treaty is well known and does not need mentioning here. c. The Military: - The letter of Abu Bakr (ra) to Khalid (ra), in which he commands him to travel to as-Sham. Abu Yusuf said in the book Al-Kharaj: “Khalid wanted to take Al-Heerah as his centre. However, the letter of Abu Bakr came to him commanding him to travel to as-Sham as reinforcement for Abu ’Ubaydah and the Muslims…” d. The institutions of the state other than the military - The letter of the Messenger (pbuh) to Mu’adh regarding the tenth (Al-Ushr): Yahya Ibn Adam narrated in the book of Al-Kharaj from Al-Hasan, he said: . إِلَى مُعَاذٍ بِالْيَمَنِ: فِيمَا سَقَتِ السَّمَاءُ أَوْ سُقِيَ غَيْلاً كَتَبَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ « » العُشْرُ، وَمَا سُقِيَ بِالغَرْبِ فَنِصْفُ العُشْرِ .

– “The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) wrote to Mu’adh in Yemen: “A tenth is payable on what is watered by rain or by sizable water; and a twentieth (have of a tenth) on what is watered by bucket.” Al-Sha’bi wrote the same narration. Ibn Abu Shaybah has also narrated similar in his book about ruling.

The Khalifah can appoint writers (Kuttab) according to his needs; rather it could reach to the level of being an obligation if he could not fulfill the obligatory tasks without appointing them. The authors who wrote the history of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) mention that he had about twenty such writers.