The seventh chapter of Naṣīḥat al-mulūk and the third in Pseudo- Māwardī's sequence of siyāsāt is devoted to the common people or ʿāmma. It provides numerous examples of Pseudo-Māwardī's use of texts, vehicles of meanings that were neither singular nor static; he moulds the meaning of his texts by integrating them into his argument and by juxtaposing them with other texts, in order to create a cumulative and collective effect. Pseudo-Māwardī opens his chapter with a reminder of the ruler's moral injunction to imitate the divine attributes and follow the divine commandments. Invoking God's instructive conduct (ādāb Allāh), he emphasises the divine qualities of mercy and justice. He reiterates the king's central responsibility to maintain his obligation to abide by his promises, to meet his subjects’ rightful expectations, and to strive continually to exhibit greater generosity towards them. Only in rare cases does Pseudo-Māwardī endorse punishment; much more commonly he counsels the restoration of reciprocal ties of loyalty. Like the previous chapter, chapter seven of Naṣīḥat al-mulūk demonstrates the model of cooperation and necessary mutual dependence between the ruler and his subjects, more particularly the subjects who mediate between the royal person and the population at large.

The chapter opens in Pseudo-Māwardī's usual manner, with a sequence of Qurʾānic quotations. Again, Pseudo-Māwardī employs these quotations in order to organise his argument, and groups them into three divisions. The first cluster of Qurʾānic fragments emphasises God's self-description as merciful and just. The second group demonstrates God's distinguishing of His Prophet by the same characteristics, compassion and fairness (qisṭ). The third consists of Qurʾānic texts that affirm human accountability and reject the notion of divine injustice: