*Riyadh al-Salihin* from the words of the Master of the Messengers, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
Chapter: The obligation upon rulers to show gentleness, sincerity, and compassion to their subjects,
and the prohibition against deceiving them, being harsh with them,
neglecting their welfare, and being heedless of them and their needs.
Allah Almighty said:
“And lower thy wing (in kindness) unto those believers who follow thee.” (26:215)
And He Almighty said:
“Lo! Allah enjoineth justice and kindness, and giving to kinsfolk, and forbiddeth lewdness and abomination and wickedness. He exhorteth you in order that ye may take heed.” (16:90)
“Lo! Allah enjoineth justice and kindness, and giving to kinsfolk, and forbiddeth lewdness and abomination and wickedness. He exhorteth you in order that ye may take heed.” (16:90)
"He admonishes you so that you may take heed."
On the authority of Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said:
I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say:
"Every one of you is a shepherd, and every one of you is responsible for his flock.
The ruler is a shepherd and is responsible for his flock;
the man is a shepherd over his family and is responsible for his flock;
the woman is a shepherdess in her husband's home and is responsible for her flock;
the servant is a shepherd over his master's wealth and is responsible for his flock;
indeed, every one of you is a shepherd and responsible for his flock."
Agreed upon.
And on the authority of Abu Ya'la Ma'qil ibn Yasar (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say:
"No servant is entrusted by Allah with the care of a flock,
and dies on the day he dies while having been deceitful toward his flock,
except that Allah forbids Paradise for him."
Agreed upon.
And in another narration: "and does not encompass them with his sincere counsel,
he will not even perceive the fragrance of Paradise."
And in a narration by Muslim:
"No ruler is appointed over the affairs of the Muslims,
and then fails to strive diligently on their behalf and advise them sincerely,
except that he will not enter Paradise with them."
"Entrusted with the care of" (*yustar'ihi*)
means delegating to him the guardianship and governance of his subjects.
"Deceitful" (*ghashsh*)
means betraying them and neglecting their rights.
“They surely disbelieve who say: Lo! Allah is the Messiah, son of Mary. The Messiah (himself) said: O Children of Israel, worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord. Lo! whoso ascribeth partners unto Allah, for him Allah hath forbidden paradise. His abode is the Fire. For evil-doers there will be no helpers.” (5:72)
That is, he will not enter it alongside the successful ones at the very beginning,
or not at all, if he deemed deceiving and betraying the Muslims to be lawful.
"Does not encompass them"
means he did not protect them or safeguard their rights.
"Fails to strive diligently on their behalf"
means he does not exert himself for their sake.
Among the lessons of the hadith:
The fundamental duty of rulers
is to exert every effort in offering sincere advice to the Ummah,
guiding it toward the obedience of Allah Almighty,
and helping them establish the Sacred Law of Allah Almighty
within themselves and among their families.
A definitive warning and a severe threat
against tyrannical rulers
who neglect the rights of their subjects,
betray the interests of their Ummah, and bring them to ruin.
On the authority of 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), who said:
I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
say in this house of mine:
"O Allah, whoever is given authority over any affair of my Ummah
and makes things difficult for them, make things difficult for him;
and whoever is given authority over any affair of my Ummah
and is gentle with them, be gentle with him."
Transmitted by Muslim.
"Makes things difficult for them" means he constricts and burdens them unduly,
unjustifiably, whether in word or deed.
"Is gentle" means he is soft-hearted and compassionate toward them,
safeguarding their rights in word and deed.
Among the lessons of the hadith:
Recompense corresponds to the nature of the deed:
if a ruler burdens his Ummah and brings hardship upon them,
Allah will inflict worldly hardships upon him
by setting his enemies over him,
and with various forms of torment in the Hereafter.
The Prophet's eager concern, peace be upon him,
for the well-being of his Ummah after him and his compassion toward them.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
"The Children of Israel were governed by prophets;
whenever a prophet passed away, another prophet succeeded him.
But indeed, there is no prophet after me,
and there will be caliphs after me, and they will be numerous."
They asked, "O Messenger of Allah,
what do you command us to do?"
He said: "Fulfill the pledge of allegiance to the first, then the next.
Give them their due rights,
and ask Allah for what is rightfully yours,
for Allah will question them about what He entrusted to their care."
Agreed upon.
"Governed them" (*tasusuhum*) means caring for their affairs.
"They will be numerous" means their numbers will multiply.
"Fulfill the pledge of allegiance to the first"
means adhere to the allegiance given to him,
and fulfill his right of obedience by fighting whoever rebels against him
and defies his authority.
Among the lessons of the hadith:
The subjects must have a leader who attends to their affairs,
steers them along the straight path,
and protects them from the evil of oppressors.
Those in authority (*ulu al-amr*) in this Ummah
are the caliphs and the scholars,
because there is no prophet after Muhammad, peace be upon him;
thus, they are the ones who govern and care for the Ummah,
enveloping it with sincere counsel and guidance.
The subjects have the right to ask their rulers for gentleness
and for exertion of effort in looking after their welfare.
Giving priority to religious matters over worldly matters,
because the Prophet, peace be upon him,
commanded fulfilling the right of the ruler
for the sake of elevating the word of the religion
and suppressing civil strife (*fitnah*).
The pledge of allegiance is only obligatory to the single leader of the Muslim community.
It is not permissible to contract the pledge of allegiance to two caliphs at the same time;
rather, it is binding only for the first.
Whoever rises to contest his authority,
he must be executed, whomever he may be.
The immense responsibility of the ruler,
for Allah will question him concerning his governance and his subjects.
This hadith is among the signs of his prophethood, peace be upon him,
as it foretells what would occur within this Ummah
regarding the multiplicity of rulers,
their disputes, and their rivalry.
On the authority of 'A'idh ibn 'Amr (may Allah be pleased with him),
who entered upon 'Ubaydullah ibn Ziyad
and said to him:
"O my son,
I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) say:
'The worst of shepherds are the cruel and oppressive,'
so beware of being one of them."
Agreed upon.
On the authority of Abu Maryam al-Azdi (may Allah be pleased with him),
who said to Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him):
I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) say:
"Whoever is entrusted by Allah with any affair of the Muslims,
yet conceals himself from their needs, destitution, and poverty,
Allah will conceal Himself from his needs, destitution, and poverty on the Day of Resurrection."
Thereupon, Mu'awiyah appointed a man to attend to the needs of the people.
Transmitted by Abu Dawud and al-Tirmidhi.
"Conceals himself" means he ignores their welfare, hides from their petitions,
and prevents those in need from reaching him.
"Their destitution" (*khallatahum*) means their need and poverty.
Among the lessons of the hadith:
Recompense corresponds to the nature of the deed:
whoever hides himself from the servants of Allah, Allah will conceal Himself from him on the Day of Summoning.
A warning to rulers against turning away from fulfilling the needs of their subjects
and preventing them from gaining access to them,
because people need a leader to ward off injustice from them,
restore rights to their owners, and alleviate their poverty.
The swiftness of the Companions in adhering to the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him),
and their profound fear of meeting Allah.
For here is Mu'awiyah ibn Abi Sufyan (may Allah be pleased with them both):
when this hadith reached him,
he hastened to appoint a man to oversee and fulfill the needs of the people.
An isolated narration (*khabar al-wahid*) is authoritative in itself,
which is why Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) acted upon it.
The hadith contains proof of the believers seeing their Lord on the Day of Resurrection,
for when Allah, Glorified and Exalted, conceals Himself from His enemies so that they do not see Him,
He manifests Himself to His allies so that they gaze upon Him.
The confirmation of that is found in the Book of Allah Almighty:
“Nay, but surely on that day they will be covered from (the mercy of) their Lord.” (83:15)
And this verse was cited by al-Shafi'i (may Allah have mercy on him) as proof for this issue.
Chapter: The Just Ruler.
Allah Almighty said: "Indeed, Allah commands justice and excellence."
And He Almighty said: "And act justly; indeed, Allah loves the just."
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him),
from the Prophet (peace be upon him), who said:
"Seven whom Allah will shade under His shade on the Day when there is no shade but His:
a just ruler;
a youth who grew up in the worship of Allah Almighty;
a man whose heart is attached to the mosques;
two men who love each other for the sake of Allah,
meeting for His sake and parting for His sake;
a man who is invited by a woman of noble status and beauty,
yet he says: 'Indeed, I fear Allah';
a man who gives charity
and conceals it such that his left hand does not know what his right hand has spent;
and a man who remembers Allah in solitude and his eyes overflow with tears."
Agreed upon.
On the authority of 'Abdullah ibn 'Amr ibn al-'As (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said:
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
"Indeed, the just will be with Allah upon pulpits of light:
those who are just in their rulings, toward their families, and over whatever authority they hold."
Transmitted by Muslim.
"In their rulings" means in their judicial decisions.
"Whatever authority they hold" means whatever has been placed under their governance and stewardship.
Among the lessons of the hadith:
The virtue of justice and the encouragement toward it.
Responsibility in the Muslim community is shared,
and the matter of governance extends to every stewardship, whether large or small,
even reaching a man's care of his family and a woman's care of her household.
The exalted status of the just with Allah on the Day of Resurrection.
The variation in the ranks of the people of faith on the Day of Resurrection,
each according to his deeds.
On the authority of 'Awf ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) say:
"The best of your leaders are those whom you love and who love you,
for whom you pray and who pray for you;
and the worst of your leaders are those whom you hate and who hate you,
whom you curse and who curse you."
He said: We said, "O Messenger of Allah, should we not overthrow them?"
He said: "No, as long as they establish the prayer among you;
no, as long as they establish the prayer among you."
Transmitted by Muslim.
His saying "you pray for them" means you supplicate for them.
Among the lessons of the hadith:
The Ummah must inevitably have a leader, whether righteous or wicked:
as for the righteous one, his benefit is obvious,
As for the wicked ruler, Allah may indeed support this religion through a wicked man,
and through him, legal punishments are established, highways are secured,
the enemy is fought, and war revenues are distributed.
Leaders should be urged to maintain justice among the subjects,
so that mutual harmony may be fostered between them.
People should be urged to obey those in authority in matters that do not involve sin.
It is impermissible to rebel against the authority of the rulers
as long as they uphold the rites of Islam and do not display open disbelief.
It is recommended to pray for a believing ruler to have success and sound guidance,
and for a deviant one to receive guidance and righteousness, in an unrestricted prayer,
without restricting such prayers solely to the Friday sermon or the two Eid sermons,
for that was an innovation introduced by certain rulers
to ensure that their subjects remained firmly under their grip.
Clarifying the vital importance of prayer,
and that it is the pillar of the religion and one of its fundamental pillars.
On the authority of 'Iyad ibn Himar (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say:
"The people of Paradise are of three kinds:
A just ruler who is divinely guided to doing good;
a merciful man who is soft-hearted toward every relative and Muslim;
and a chaste, self-restrained man who has dependents."
Narrated by Muslim.
Whomever among the rulers Allah Almighty intends good for,
He grants him success in establishing justice among his subjects,
treating them with benevolence, and offering them sincere counsel.
Encouraging treating all people with gentleness and kindness.
The virtue of refraining from begging and seeking provision through honest earning.
Justice, benevolence, and chastity are noble traits that necessitate entry into Paradise.
Riyad al-Salihin.