Hadith: There shall be rulers in charge of you, and you will approve and disapprove. So anyone who approves (their good deeds) shall be absolved, and anyone who forbids (their bad deeds) shall be safe, except for those who are content and comply
عَنْ أُمِّ سَلَمَةَ أُمِّ المُؤمنين رضي الله عنها: أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ:
«سَتَكُونُ أُمَرَاءُ فَتَعْرِفُونَ وَتُنْكِرُونَ، فَمَنْ عَرَفَ بَرِئَ، وَمَنْ أَنْكَرَ سَلِمَ، وَلَكِنْ مَنْ رَضِيَ وَتَابَعَ» قَالُوا: أَفَلَا نُقَاتِلُهُمْ؟ قَالَ: «لَا، مَا صَلَّوْا».
[صحيح] - [رواه مسلم] - [صحيح مسلم: 1854]
المزيــد ...
’Umm Salamah, the Mother of the Believers, (may Allah be pleased with her) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said:
"There shall be rulers in charge of you, and you will approve and disapprove. So anyone who approves (their good deeds) shall be absolved, and anyone who forbids (their bad deeds) shall be safe, except for those who are content and comply." They said: ''Shall we not fight them?'' He replied: "No, so long as they offer the prayer."
[Authentic hadith] - [Narrated by Muslim] - [Sahih Muslim - 1854]
The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informs us that rulers will be appointed to be in charge of us. We will approve some of their deeds for conforming with Shariah, and we will disapprove other deeds for contradicting Shariah. Whoever hates such evil deeds in his heart and is unable to forbid them is absolved of sin and hypocrisy. Whoever is able to forbid evil with his hand or tongue and does so is safe from bearing sin and from participating in it. However, those who are content with their evil deeds and follow them will be doomed just like them.
Then, they asked the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him): Shall we not fight against such rulers? He (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) forbade them from that and said: No, as long as they establish the prayer amongst you.
Benefits from the Hadith
- Among the signs of the Prophet's prophethood is his foretelling about things of the Unseen that will take place in the same manner he foretold.
- It is impermissible to approve of evil or participate in it and it must be forbidden.
- If the rulers introduce something that contradicts Shariah, obeying them in this regard will be impermissible.
- It is impermissible to rebel against the Muslim rulers given the harm, bloodshed, and loss of security that result therefrom; whereas, enduring the wrongdoing of sinful rulers and bearing their harm is the lesser of two evils.
- The great significance of the prayer as it represents the difference between disbelief and Islam.
More ...
- Hadith: We pledged allegiance to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) to listen and obey at times of hardship and ease, energy and idleness, and to endure if prejudice is held against us, and not to fight for power those in authority
- Hadith: There is no one whom Allah has put in a position of authority and he dies on the day he dies cheating those under his authority, but Allah will forbid Paradise for him
- Hadith: Whoever gives up obedience and separates from the Muslim community and then dies has died a death like that of the pre-Islamic era of ignorance
- Hadith: If someone comes to you seeking to undermine your solidarity or disrupt your unity when you have agreed on a man (as your leader), kill him
- Hadith: Be patient, for no time will come but will be followed by a worse one until you meet your Lord
- Hadith: You will eagerly seek out a position of authority, but it will be a source of regret on the Day of Judgment. How excellent is the wet nurse, and how evil is the weaning one
- Hadith: O ‘Abdur-Rahmān ibn Samurah, do not ask for a position of authority, for if you were granted such authority upon your request, you would be left (to manage it) unaided.