The Book on Government

It has been narrated on the authority of Abu Dharr who said:

My friend (i. e. the Prophet) advised me to listen (to the man in position of authority) and obey (him) even if he were a slave maimed (and disabled).

In another version of the tradition, we have the wording:

" An Abyssinian slave maimed and disabled."

Abu 'Imran narrated this hadith with a slight change of wording.

It has been narrated on the authority of Yahya b. Husain who learnt the tradition from his grandmother. She said that she heard the Prophet (ﷺ) delivering his sermon on the occasion of the Last Pilgrimage. He was saying:

If a slave is appointed over you and he conducts your affairs according to the Book of Allah, you should listen to him and obeey (his orders).

This hadith has been transmitted on the authority of Shu'ba with the same chain of transmitters, and he said:

"An Abyssinian slave."

In other versions of the above tradition, the wordings are" an Abyssinian slave." and" a maimed Abyssinian slave".

Another version of the tradition does not qualify the slave with the epithets" maimed,"" an Abyssinian" but makes the addition:

" I have heard the Prophet (ﷺ) (say this) at Mina or 'Arafat."

It has been narrated on the authority of Yahya b. Husain who learnt the tradition from his grandmother. Umm Husain. He said':

I heard her say: I performed Hajjat-ul-Wada' in the company of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). He said a lot of things (on this occasion). Then I heard him say: If a maimed slave is appointed a commander over you the narrator says: I think she said:" a black stave" who leads you according to the Book of Allah, then listen to him and obey him.

It has been narrated on the authority of Ibn 'Umar that the Prophet (ﷺ) said:

It is obligatory upon a Muslim that he should listen (to the ruler appointed over him) and obey him whether he likes it or not, except that he is ordered to do a sinful thing. If he is ordered to do a sinful act, a Muslim should neither listen to him nor should he obey his orders.

This hadith has been transmitted on the authority of 'Ubaidullah.

It has been narrated on the authority of Abu 'Abd al-Rahman from 'Ali that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sent a force (on a mission) and appointed over them a man. He kindled a fire and said:

Enter it. Some people made up their minds to enter it (the fire), (carrying out the order of their commander), but the others said: We fled from the fire (that's why we have come into the fold of Islam). The matter was reported to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). He said to those who Contemplated entering (the fire at the order of their commander): If you had entered it, you would have remained there until the Day of Judgment. He commanded the act of the latter group and said: There is no submission in matters involving God's disobedience or displeasure. Submission is obligatory only in what is good (and reasonable).

It has been narrated on the authority of 'All who said:

The Mersenger of Allah (ﷺ) sent an expeditionand appointed over the Mujahids a man from the Ansar. (While making the appointment), he ordered that his work should be listened to and obeyed. They made him angry in a matter. He said: Collect for me dry wood. They collected it for him. Then he said: Kindle a fire. They kindled (the fire). Then he said: Didn't the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) order you to listen to me and obey (my orders)? They said: Yes. He said: Enter the fire. The narrator says: (At this), they began to look at one another and said: We fled from the fire to (find refuge with) the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) (and now you order us to enter it). They stood quiet until his anger cooled down and the fire went out. When they returned, they related the incident to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). He said: If they had entered it, they would not have come out. Obedience (to the commander) is obligatory only in what is good.

This hadith has been transmitted on the authority of A'mash.

It has been narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira that the Prophet (ﷺ) of Allah (ﷺ) said:

A commander (of the Muslims) is a shield for them. They fight behind him and they are protected by (him from tyrants and aggressors). If he enjoins fear of God, the Exalted and Glorious, and dispenses justice, there will be a (great) reward for him; and if he enjoins otherwise, it redounds on him.

It has been narrated by Abu Huraira that the Prophet (may pceace be upon him) said:

Banu Isra'il were ruled over by the Prophets. When one Prophet (ﷺ) died, another succeeded him; but after me there is no prophet and there will be caliphs and they will be quite large in number. His Companions said: What do you order us to do (in case we come to have more than one Caliph)? He said: The one to whom allegiance is sworn first has a supremacy over the others. Concede to them their due rights (i. e. obey them). God (Himself) will question them about the subjects whom He had entrusted to them.

The same tradition has been transmitted by a different chain of narrators.

It has been narrated on the authority of 'Abdullah who said:

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: After me there will be favouritism and many things that you will not like. They (his Companions) said: Messenger of Allah, what do you order that one should do if anyone from us has to live through such a time? He said: You should discharge your own responsibility (by obeying your Amir), and ask God for your right (by guiding the Amir to the right path or by replacing him by one more just and God-fearing).

It has been narrated on the authority of 'Abd al-Rahman b. Abd Rabb al-Ka'ba who said:

I entered the mosque when 'Abdullah b. 'Amr b. al-'As was sitting in the shade of the Ka'ba and the people had gathered around him. I betook myself to them and sat near him. (Now) Abdullah said: I accompanied the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) on a journey. We halted at a place. Some of us began to set right their tents, others began to compete with one another in shooting, and others began to graze their beasts, when an announcer of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) announced that the people should gather together for prayer, so we gathered around the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). He said: It was the duty of every Prophet (ﷺ) that has gone before me to guide his followers to what he knew was good for them and warn them against what he knew was bad for them; but this Umma of yours has its days of peace and (security) in the beginning of its career, and in the last phase of its existence it will be afflicted with trials and with things disagreeable to you. (In this phase of the Umma), there will be tremendous trials one after the other, each making the previous one dwindle into insignificance. When they would be afflicted with a trial, the believer would say: This is going to bring about my destruction. When at (the trial) is over, they would be afflicted with another trial, and the believer would say: This surely is going to be my end. Whoever wishes to be delivered from the fire and enter the garden should die with faith in Allah and the Last Day and should treat the people as he wishes to be treated by them. He who swears allegiance to a Caliph should give him the piedge of his hand and the sincerity of his heart (i. e. submit to him both outwardly as well as inwardly). He should obey him to the best of his capacity. It another man comes forward (as a claimant to Caliphate), disputing his authority, they (the Muslims) should behead the latter. The narrator says: I came close to him ('Abdullah b. 'Amr b. al-'As) and said to him: Can you say on oath that you heard it from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)? He pointed with his hands to his ears and his heart and said: My ears heard it and my mind retained it. I said to him: This cousin of yours, Mu'awiya, orders us to unjustly consume our wealth among ourselves and to kill one another, while Allah says:" O ye who believe, do not consume your wealth among yourselves unjustly, unless it be trade based on mutual agreement, and do not kill yourselves. Verily, God is Merciful to you" (iv. 29). The narrator says that (hearing this) Abdullah b. 'Amr b. al-As kept quiet for a while and then said: Obey him in so far as he is obedient to God; and diqobey him in matters involving disobedience to God.

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of A'mash with a different chain of transmitters.

It has been narrated on the authority of 'Abd Rabb al-Ka'ba as-Sa'idl who said:

I saw a group of people near the Ka'ba.... Then he narrated the tradition as narrated by A'mash.