Imam Ali (AS) said in a letter he wrote to al-Ashtar when he appointed him governor of Egypt, ‘Know - along with this - that most of the merchants and traders are very narrow-minded, and awfully avaricious. They hoard goods for profiteering and fix high prices for goods. This is a source of harm to the people, and a source of shame for the governors in charge. So stop people from hoarding, because verily the Messenger of Allah (SAWA) has prohibited it.