Obeying Those in Authority and Patience with Rulers in Islam

Yes.

Section.

And know that it is a Sharia obligation to obey those in authority,

due to the saying of Allah ﷻ: "O you who..."

“O you who have believed, obey Allāh and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you. And if you disagree over anything, refer it to Allāh and the Messenger, if you should believe in Allāh and the Last Day. That is the best [way] and best in result.” (Quran 4:59)

Thus, a Muslim must listen and obey those in authority,

those in authority among us, in what is pleasing and displeasing, in hardship and ease, and even if others are given preference over us,

and to speak the truth wherever he may be, fearing not the blame of any blamer for the sake of Allah ﷻ.

In the Sahihayn, it is narrated from 'Ubadah ibn al-Samit (RA) that he said:

The Prophet ﷺ called us and we gave him our pledge of allegiance.

He said, among what he took from us as a pledge,

that we pledged to listen and obey

in ease and hardship, in difficulty and comfort, and even when others were favored over us.

And that we would not dispute authority with those who hold it,

"unless you see clear disbelief for which you have proof from Allah ﷻ."

An additional wording is found in another narration — the wording is Muslim's.

"And that we speak the truth wherever we are, fearing no one's blame for the sake of Allah ﷻ."

So whoever among them assumes authority, obedience is due to him,

whoever he may be — based on his ﷺ saying:

"Listen and obey, even if a slave from Abyssinia whose head is like a raisin is appointed over you."

Narrated by al-Bukhari from the Hadith of Anas bin Malik (RA).

And it is obligatory in what is good,

so there is no listening or obeying in disobedience to Allah ﷻ,

And if he sees from them what he dislikes, he should hate their deed,

and not withdraw his hand from obedience.

Narrated from 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar (RA),

from the Prophet ﷺ, that he said:

"Hearing and obeying is obligatory upon every Muslim, in what he likes and dislikes,

as long as he is not commanded to disobey Allah.

But if he is commanded to disobey, then there is no hearing and no obeying."

Agreed upon.

And from 'Awf ibn Malik (RA), from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, that he said:

"The best of your rulers are those whom you love and who love you, and who pray for you and you pray for them.

and the worst of your rulers are those whom you hate and who hate you, and whom you curse and who curse you."

It was said, "O Messenger of Allah, should we not fight them with the sword?"

He said, "No, as long as they establish prayer among you.

And if you see from your rulers something you dislike,

then hate their deed, but do not withdraw your hand from obedience."

Narrated by Muslim. And we have been commanded to be patient with what we dislike from them,

and to give them their due right, and to ask Allah for our right,

and not to dispute the authority of those in power,

unless we see open disbelief, for which we have a clear proof from Allah.

On the authority of Ibn Mas'ud (RA), he said,

"The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to us,

'Indeed, you will see after me favoritism and matters you will disapprove of.'

They said, "What do you command us to do, O Messenger of Allah?"

He said, "Give them their due right, and ask Allah for your right."

Agreed upon, and the wording is Al-Bukhari's.

We were forbidden from insulting, criticizing, and cursing the rulers.

Anas (RA) said: "Our leaders from the companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ forbade us:

'Do not insult your rulers, nor criticize them,

but fear Allah and be patient, for the matter is near.'"

Narrated by Ibn Abi Asim in Al-Sunnah,

and Abu Nu'aym al-Asbahani in Tarikh Asbahan.

The wording is his, and its chain is Hasan.

Abu al-Darda' (RA) said,

"Beware of cursing the rulers, for cursing them is destructive, and treating them harshly is severing."

It was said, "O Abu al-Darda', what should we do if we see from them what we dislike?"

He said, "Be patient, for if Allah sees that from them, He will remove them from you by death."

Narrated by Ibn Abi Asim in Al-Sunnah, and its narrators are trustworthy.

"Whoever humiliates Allah's authority on His earth, Allah will humiliate him."

Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman (RA) said,

"No people go to the authority of Allah on earth to humiliate it,

but Allah humiliates them before they die."

Narrated by Ma'mar in Al-Jami'.

The author, may Allah grant him success, mentioned

another section in which he calls to one of the best endeavors,

explaining that it is religiously obligatory upon us

to obey those in authority, in compliance with Allah's ﷻ saying: "O you...

“O you who have believed, obey Allāh and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you. And if you disagree over anything, refer it to Allāh and the Messenger, if you should believe in Allāh and the Last Day. That is the best [way] and best in result.” (Quran 4:59)

Obedience to those in authority is a Sharia ruling,

not a political dictate or a de facto imposition.

It is something explained in our religion in a comprehensive manner,

which the Quran's verses and the Prophet's ﷺ hadiths overflow with.

Among the most famous is the aforementioned verse, showing the obligation of obeying those in authority,

meaning, those who govern us.

The author said: "A Muslim must listen and obey those in authority among us,

in what he likes and dislikes, in hardship and ease, and even if they are selfish,

and to speak the truth wherever he may be, not fearing any blame for Allah's sake."

Thus, the Muslim listens and obeys his ruler.

Listening means acceptance,

and obedience means submission.

The former is like a prelude to the latter, in that he accepts from him by listening to him,

then submits obediently,

accepting from them and submitting to them in every circumstance mentioned.

In the hadith of 'Ubadah: he hears and obeys

in what pleases him, meaning in his state of eagerness and agreement with what he likes,

meaning in his state of eagerness and agreement with what he likes,

and in what he dislikes, meaning in what he hates,

and in hardship, meaning in difficulty, and in ease, meaning in facility,

and in selfishness, meaning in their reserving things for themselves to the exclusion of others,

meaning in their reserving things for themselves to the exclusion of others.

So if this state is found from them,

it does not lift from us what has been obligated upon us of hearing and obeying them.

Then the author mentioned, in confirmation of these meanings,

the hadith of 'Ubadah ibn al-Samit (RA) in the Sahihayn regarding their pledge to the Prophet ﷺ

to what we have mentioned.

And it occurred in a narration in the Sahihayn

explicitly stating a great matter concerning the completion of the pledge, which is...

that the servant speaks the truth wherever he may be,

not fearing the blame of any critic for Allah's sake ﷻ.

Part of true religious sincerity in advising the Muslim rulers

is to approach them to clarify the truth, advising them and discharging one's duty.

The Prophet ﷺ took this pledge from the Companions

(RA) in the pledge they gave him,

For no sustainable good remains for people except with the complete presence of truth among them,

for if falsehood spreads among them little by little,

it will continue to increase until truth is removed and falsehood takes its place.

And if falsehood takes over people in their life affairs,

they will lose the good life in this world,

and it will be a cause of immediate and delayed punishments upon them.

Among the things that ward this off from Muslims is that they stand...

the Muslim fulfills towards the ruler what is obligatory upon him of clarifying the truth,

without fearing the blame of any blamers or the reproach of any reproachers.

For indeed, most people fear undertaking this task, lest they lose any part of their worldly life.

As for the truthful one, he remembers that this is among the particulars of the pledge of allegiance

that the Prophet ﷺ took from the Companions (RA).

And he ﷺ was the most perfect of people in exercising authority over them,

and they were the best of people in fulfilling what they pledged allegiance to, so how about those after them?

And this which the Prophet ﷺ mentioned of the particulars of the pledge of allegiance,

the way to fulfill it is through what the prophetic Sunnah has guided to,

and what the righteous predecessors of the Ummah adhered to, so the servant follows them in clarifying the truth.

The condition for clarifying truth is that it be done with truth,

The condition for clarifying truth is that it must be done with truth,

so it is not permissible for a servant to comply with this command in an untruthful way.

For what he calls to may be a matter of truth,

but he pursues it in a way that is not the way of truth.

Thus, in clarifying the truth to the rulers,

he directs advice and guidance to them privately between him and them,

or in their presence, even in public if the public interest requires that.

As for not doing so in their presence or not addressing them directly in private,

this is contrary to the way of truth,

which is indicated by the prophetic Hadiths and the reports of the Salaf,

And whatever is found that suggests otherwise, deduced from Hadiths or reports,

its context is declaring that in the presence of the ruler.

So if the ruler is present and public interest requires

that a person declare something to guide him,

then that is what occurred in the Hadith of

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (RA) with Marwan ibn al-Hakam.

And if the situation does not necessitate that,

then the default is that this matter should be between him and them,

as Usamah bin Zaid (RA) mentioned in his Hadith in the Sahihayn,

when he was asked to speak to 'Uthman (RA) to advise him,

and he said: "I speak to him privately between him and me,

and I would not be the one to open this door,"

meaning: to make this door wide open for the Muslims by doing it publicly,

which is not their way that they knew from the Prophet ﷺ.

The author said: "Whoever is appointed leader, listening and obeying is obligatory, whoever he may be,"

due to the saying of the Prophet ﷺ: "Listen and obey, even if an Abyssinian slave whose head is like a raisin is appointed over you."

Narrated by al-Bukhari from the Hadith of Anas bin Malik (RA).

Meaning, if it is assumed that the ruler's state is one that free people would disdain

to appoint by choice, for the Arabs disdain

to be ruled by someone of deficient, incomplete status.

Yet, if his rule is established, a servant must rid himself

of the authority of his own desires and what his heart inclines to,

and submit to the authority of Sharia, in that he must hear and obey,

even if he is in this state that is disliked by him personally.

Then he said: "And it"—meaning obedience to them—"is obligatory in what is good,

so there is no hearing or obeying in disobedience to Allah ﷻ.

So if a servant is called to disobey Allah, he does not obey them,

because obedience to Allah and obedience to His Messenger ﷺ

take precedence over obedience to anyone else among creation.

He said: if he sees what he dislikes, he dislikes the action but does not withdraw his hand from obedience,

as has been clarified in the hadith

of Ibn Umar (RA) in the two Sahihs.

And in it is his saying ﷺ: 'Hearing and obedience is upon the Muslim man in what he likes'

'and dislikes, unless commanded to sin. If commanded to sin, there is no hearing and no obedience.'

Meaning: no hearing and no obedience to him in that act of disobedience,

meaning no hearing and no obedience to him in that disobedience, while the original general hearing and obedience to them remains.

Then he mentioned the hadith of 'Awf ibn Malik (RA)

from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ that he said:

'The best of your rulers are those whom you love and who love you.'

Then he mentioned their worst, then he said:

Someone said, "O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, should we not oppose them with the sword?"

He said, "No, as long as they establish prayer among you."

Meaning, as long as the name of Islam remains with them,

for prayer is one of the greatest symbols of the people of Islam.

He said, "And if you see something you dislike from your rulers, hate their deed,

but do not withdraw your hand from obedience."

And this explains his saying, "There is no hearing and obeying" along with

the guidance not to withdraw obedience,

meaning that this refers to a specific case, which is not hearing and obeying in sin.

As for the general principle of hearing and obeying them, it remains.

Then the author said, "We have been commanded to be patient with what we dislike from them,

and to give them their due right, and ask Allah ﷻ for our right,

and not to contest authority from those who hold it,

unless we see open disbelief for which we have a proof from Allah ﷻ."

The servant is commanded to be patient with what he dislikes

from these rulers and governors, and to give them their due right,

and to ask Allah ﷻ for his own right,

for whoever entrusts his right to Allah, Allah will grant it to him sooner or later.

The servant is responsible for what is obligatory upon him,

and his duty is to give them their right,

and once he fulfills their right, he is cleared of responsibility.

As for his own right that he seeks, if they deny it and usurp it,

then Allah ﷻ will question them about it.

So if the servant submits the matter to Allah ﷻ,

and entrusts the affair to Him, referring it to His command,

then Allah ﷻ is the Manifest Truth Who judges with justice,

granting the oppressed justice against their oppressor, sooner or later.

So whoever complies with the command of the Sharia regarding them,

the Sharia protects his right,

and the guarantor of this right is Allah ﷻ.

Sufficient is Allah as Trustee, Guarantor, and Reckoner.

Then, his saying in the Hadith: "and that we should not dispute the authority of those in power,"

meaning, we do not enter into dispute and conflict with them in managing the affairs of authority and governance.

For this is something left to them, and it is not permissible for a servant to dispute with them.

And if opposition to them occurs in any matter, this is considered a form of disputing.

So the reality of the matter, in what does not involve disobedience to Allah or His Messenger ﷺ,

is that a person should hasten to comply with what they see fit,

even if he dislikes it for himself, as long as it is not forbidden.

Then he mentioned the Hadith of Ibn Mas'ud (RA),

that he said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to us:

"Indeed, you will see after me selfishness and matters you disapprove of,"

meaning, you will find rulers reserving things for themselves to the exclusion of...

...people, and you will see matters that you disapprove of."

They said, "What do you command us to do then, O Messenger of Allah?"

He said, "Give them their due right, and ask Allah for your right."

Agreed upon, and the wording is Al-Bukhari's.

This is the effective remedy and the healing answer that the Prophet ﷺ guided to.

And if it occurs to a servant's mind that taking a path other than this leads to good,

let him remember the saying of Sahl ibn Hunayf (RA):

"O people, suspect your opinion against your religion,

for if I could have rejected the command of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ on the day of Abu Jandal, I would have done so."

Meaning, a person experiences in his heart, when such events occur,

an aversion and a desire to reclaim what he loses.

If he submits to this passing thought, he violates the Sharia, and if...

...submits to the Sharia by complying with what the Prophet ﷺ said:

'Give them their right, and ask Allah for your right,' he would be complete in religion.

Then he said, 'We were forbidden from abusing, criticizing, and cursing the rulers.'

And this cursing brings an evil consequence,

And this prohibition exists due to its evil consequence,

for its consequence is indeed grave.

An evil consequence does not mean that one will be punished for it in this world,

but an evil consequence is what harm occurs because of it.

For cursing is in reality a supplication (du'a).

So if people multiply in cursing their rulers and reviling them, it becomes a supplication against them.

And if it coincides with an hour of answered prayer,

that ruler is given power over them because of their own supplication.

And sometimes this occurs because the ruler

does not deserve the curse, so the supplication returns upon

the one who made it, and his end becomes bad in this world

due to the effect of the supplication that was answered when returned upon him,

or the accountability he will face in the Hereafter,

along with the aversion and boycotting that spread among the people towards one another,

as mentioned in the previous Hadith of 'Awf ibn Malik: "And the worst of your leaders are those whom you curse and who curse you,"

for this evil occurred and increased among them due to this mutual exchanging of curses.

He mentioned in this regard the statement of Anas (RA):

"The elders among the Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ forbade us, saying:

'Do not abuse your rulers nor criticize them; fear Allah and be patient, for the matter is near.'"

It was narrated by Ibn Abi 'Asim in Kitab as-Sunnah

and Abu Nu'aym in Hilyat al-Awliya; the wording is his, and its chain is Hasan.

So the servant is forbidden from that and commanded to take the beneficial path,

and that is in their saying: "Fear Allah and be patient, for the matter is near."

And that is either by this ruler dying, so the people are relieved of his evil,

or by the servant dying, so he is relieved of the evil of this ruler.

So reviling and criticizing the rulers brings no good to the people,

“Assuredly, that to which you invite me has no [response to a] supplication in this world or in the Hereafter; and indeed, our return is to Allāh, and indeed, the transgressors will be companions of the Fire.” (Quran 40:43)

Then he mentioned the narration of Abu al-Darda' (RA) that he said:

"Beware of cursing the rulers, for cursing them is the shaver, and hating them is the uprooter."

The meaning of "the shaver" is the destroyer,

and the meaning of "the uprooter" is that which eradicates people.

So hatred has a more severe effect than cursing,

for the spread of hatred causes their hearts to grow distant,

and when hearts grow distant, evil occurs between them,

which may lead to the trials of fighting, loss of lives, and bloodshed.

It was said, "O Abu al-Darda', what should we do if we see from them what we dislike?"

He said, "Be patient, for if Allah sees that from them, He will remove them from you by death."

Reported by Ibn Abi 'Asim in "Kitab al-Sunnah."

Meaning that if Allah ﷻ sees the sincerity of the people in complying by being patient with their injustice,

then Allah will hasten their relief through the death of this ruler, and his evil will then be lifted from them.

Then he said: "And whoever humiliates the authority of Allah on His earth, Allah ﷻ will humiliate him."

And "the authority of Allah" is a title for

the one in charge of ruling among the Muslims.

And the attribution to Him is an attribution of honor,

and that is because Allah ﷻ is the One Who granted him authority,

for Allah ﷻ is the One Who gave him authority to rule.

For Allah ﷻ distributes shares among creation, including what He grants to someone of authority to rule.

So Allah ﷻ is the One Who gave this ruler authority from His own authority, Glorified be He.

The general rule belongs to Allah,

and this ruler has been given authority by Allah ﷻ over the people in terms of time or place.

And he mentioned in this the saying of Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman (RA):

“No people walk—meaning, no people strive—against Allah's authority on earth to humiliate it,

meaning, against the ruler of the Muslims to humiliate him, except that Allah humiliates them before they die.”

Narrated by Ma'mar in Al-Jami'.

For whoever Allah ﷻ has clothed with authority

and given him power from His authority,

and then someone wants to contest the rule of Allah ﷻ in this

in a way that is not pleasing to Allah,

then Allah punishes him with humiliation.

For honor is derived through Sharia-compliant means.

If Sharia-compliant means are abandoned and others are pursued, it brings them humiliation.

The injustice of leaders and rulers is something we are commanded by Sharia to endure with patience.

So if people do not resort to patience and take another path contrary to the judgment and command of Allah ﷻ,

then Allah ﷻ...

hastens their punishment by humiliating them.

So whoever seeks honor must attain it through Sharia-compliant means,

and whoever abandons Sharia-compliant means and seeks honor through other than them,

then honor will not be attained by him "until the camel enters the eye of the needle,"

rather, that sought-after honor will turn into humiliation.

And this matter, if you examine the events of history, past and present, you will find its reality,

for those who strive in this matter are usually humiliated by Allah ﷻ, and even if it is decreed

that the first of them achieved what they wanted, they are usually killed, and then the matter goes to others.

Yes.