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In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

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The life of the salaf between word and deed.

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The conduct of the salaf regarding matters of authority.

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Their obedience and their urging to remain with the community.

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A man wrote to Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him),

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"Write down for me all of knowledge."

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So he wrote back to him:

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"Knowledge is vast,

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but if you are able to meet Allah

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with a light back, free from the blood of the people,

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an empty stomach, free from their wealth,

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a restrained tongue, free from their honor,

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and adhering to the command of their community,

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then do so."

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Abu Zur‘ah al-Razi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

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"Friday prayer and Jihad are, in our view, to be performed with

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the righteous and the wicked

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among those who hold authority."

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Dealing with them with diplomacy, gentleness, and kindness.

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It was said to Usamah Ibn Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him):

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"Will you not visit ‘Uthman Ibn ‘Affan (may Allah be pleased with him)

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and speak to him?"

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He replied:

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"Do you think that I do not speak to him

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unless I let you hear me?

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By Allah, I have spoken to him privately between me and him,

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without opening a door

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that I would be the first to open."

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"And I am not one to say to a man,

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after he has become a leader over even two people,

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'You are the best,'

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after I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) say:

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'A man will be brought and cast into the Fire,

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and he will be ground therein as a donkey grinds with its millstone.

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The people of the Fire will gather around him

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and say:

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'O so-and-so,

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were you not one who commanded the good and forbade the evil?'

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He will say:

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'I used to command the good but not do it,

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and I used to forbid the evil but do it myself.'"

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On the authority of Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), he said:

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"I entered upon Hafsah and said:

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'You see what has happened to the people,

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and nothing of this affair has been entrusted to me.'"

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She said:

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"Join them, for they are waiting for you,

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and I fear that your staying away from them will cause division."

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He did not hesitate until he went.

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When the people dispersed,

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Mu‘awiyah gave a sermon and said:

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"Whoever wishes to speak about this matter,

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let him show us his head;

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for we are more entitled to it than he and his father."

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Habib Ibn Maslamah said:

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"Why did you not answer him, may my father and mother be sacrificed for you?"

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Ibn ‘Umar replied:

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"I loosened my garment,

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and I intended to say:

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'The one more entitled to it than you

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is he who fought you and your father for the sake of Islam.'

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But I feared saying a word that would divide the community

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and lead to the shedding of blood,

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so I remembered what Allah has prepared in the Gardens of Paradise."

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Speaking the truth openly,

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and not being sycophantic in advising them.

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‘Ubayd Allah Ibn Ziyad visited

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Ma‘qil Ibn Yasar (may Allah be pleased with him)

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during the illness in which he died.

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Ma‘qil said to him:

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"I will narrate to you a hadith I heard from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).

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I heard the Prophet (peace be upon him) say:

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'There is no servant whom Allah places in charge of subjects,

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and he does not look after them with sincere advice,

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but that he will not smell the fragrance of Paradise.'"

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Muhammad Ibn Wasi‘ (may Allah have mercy on him) was

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with Yazid Ibn al-Muhallab in Khurasan, participating in a military campaign.

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He asked his permission to go for Hajj,

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and he granted it.

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He then said to him:

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"Shall we order a provision for you?"

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He said:

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"Order it for the entire army."

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He said: "No."

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He said:

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"Then I have no need of it."

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On the authority of Zayd Ibn Aslam, he said:

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"I was with Abu Hazim (may Allah have mercy on him) during the summer campaign,

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and ‘Abd al-Rahman Ibn Khalid sent to Abu Hazim:

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'Come to us so that we may ask you and you may speak to us.'

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Abu Hazim said:

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'I seek refuge in Allah!

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I met the people of knowledge,

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and they did not carry their religion to the people of the world,

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so I will not be the first to do that.

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If you have a need, then come to us.'"

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‘Abd al-Rahman came to him and asked him,

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and said to him:

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"You have only increased in our estimation by this."

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It was said to Imam Malik (may Allah have mercy on him):

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"You enter upon the ruler,

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and they oppress and act unjustly."

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He said:

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"May Allah have mercy on you,

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then who will speak the truth?"

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Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

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"If I am threatened with the sword, I will not answer,"

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meaning: I will not give them an answer that contradicts the religion of Allah,

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which the governor or the prince desires,

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to please them or out of fear of them.

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He said:

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"If the scholar answers out of dissimulation (taqiyyah),

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and the ignorant person answers out of ignorance,

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then when will the truth be made clear?"

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Guidance and advice of the salaf

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for those who wish to engage with them.

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On the authority of Hudhayfah Ibn al-Yaman (may Allah be pleased with him), he said:

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"Beware of the places of fitnah (strife)."

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It was said:

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"And what are the places of fitnah, O Abu ‘Abd Allah?"

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He said:

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"The doors of the rulers.

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One of you enters upon the ruler,

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and confirms his lies,

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and says what is not in him."

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Muslim Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

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"It is appropriate for one who serves the ruler

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not to be deceived by them when they are pleased with him,

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nor to change toward them when they are angry with him,

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nor to find burdensome what they entrust to him,

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nor to be persistent in asking them."

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Al-Awza‘i (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

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"Whoever is present with a ruler

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and he commands something that is not right,

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and there is no fear of missing an opportunity,

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then do not speak to him about it at that moment.

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Rather, speak to him in private.

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But if you see him commanding something where there is a fear of missing an opportunity,

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then you must speak to him,

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whatever may befall you as a result."

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Patience regarding their oppression

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and not rebelling against them,

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and condemning those who do so.

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‘Abd Allah Ibn Mas‘ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said in his sermon:

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"O people,

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you must adhere to obedience and the community,

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for it is the rope of Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, which He has commanded.

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What you dislike in the community is better than what you love in division."

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Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said when the pledge of allegiance to Yazid came to him:

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"If it is good, we are pleased,

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and if it is a trial, we are patient."

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On the authority of Nafi‘ (may Allah have mercy on him), he said:

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"When the people of Madinah deposed Yazid Ibn Mu‘awiyah,

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Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) gathered his family and children

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and said:

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'I heard the Prophet (peace be upon him) say:

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'A banner will be raised for every traitor on the Day of Resurrection.'

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We have pledged allegiance to this man upon the pledge of Allah and His Messenger,

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and I do not know of any treachery

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greater than pledging allegiance to a man upon the pledge of Allah and His Messenger,

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and then raising a fight against him.

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I do not know of anyone among you who has deposed or pledged allegiance in this matter

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but that it will be the deciding factor between me and him.'"

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It was said to al-Hasan al-Basri (may Allah have mercy on him):

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"O Abu Sa‘id,

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a Khariji has rebelled in al-Khuraybah,"

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which is a neighborhood near Basra.

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He said:

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"The poor man saw an evil and denounced it,

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but he fell into something even more evil."

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Abu al-Harith said:

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"I asked Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) about a matter that had occurred in Baghdad,

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where a group intended to rebel.

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I said:

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'O Abu ‘Abd Allah,

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what do you say about rebelling with these people?'

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He denounced that against them

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and began saying:

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'Subhan Allah!

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The blood! The blood!

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I do not see that, nor do I command it.

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Patience with what we are in is better than fitnah,

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in which blood is shed,

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wealth is made lawful,

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and sacred things are violated.

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Do you not know what the people were in?'

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meaning the days of the fitnah.

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I said:

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'And the people today,

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are they not in a fitnah, O Abu ‘Abd Allah?'

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He said:

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'Even if they are,

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it is a private fitnah.

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But if the sword is drawn,

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the fitnah becomes widespread and the paths are cut off.

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Patience with this,

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and your religion remains safe for you, is better for you.'

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I saw him denouncing rebellion against the leaders,

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He said:

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[Regarding] bloodshed,

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I do not hold that view, nor do I command it.

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Hanbal said regarding the reign of al-Wathiq:

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The jurists of Baghdad gathered to see Abu 'Abd Allah [Ahmad ibn Hanbal].

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They came to Abu 'Abd Allah,

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and I sought permission for them to enter.

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They said:

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"O Abu 'Abd Allah,

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this matter has become grave and widespread,"

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referring to his public proclamation that the Qur'an is created and other such matters.

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Abu 'Abd Allah said to them:

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"What is it that you intend?"

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They replied:

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"We wish to consult you, for we are not pleased with his leadership or his authority."

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Abu 'Abd Allah debated with them for a while,

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and said to them:

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"You must reject this in your hearts,

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but do not withdraw your hand from obedience,

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do not break the unity of the Muslims,

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and do not shed your blood or the blood of the Muslims along with you.

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Consider the consequences of your actions,

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and be patient until a righteous person finds relief,

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or one is relieved of a wicked person."

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[This includes] praying for them and refraining from praising them except for what is true.

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Al-Fudayl ibn 'Iyad, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

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"If I had a prayer that was guaranteed to be answered,

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I would not use it except for the leader,

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for the righteousness of the leader is the righteousness of the lands and the servants."

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On the authority of 'Umar ibn al-Fadl, he said:

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"I asked Abu al-'Ala', may Allah have mercy on him,

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while al-Hajjaj was in his cloak,

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and I said, 'O Abu al-'Ala',

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shall I curse al-Hajjaj?'

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He replied, 'Pray for his righteousness,

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for his righteousness is better for you.'"

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Other benefits:

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'Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, said:

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"No one should assume this authority,"

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meaning the affairs of the people,

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"except a man who possesses four qualities:

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gentleness without weakness,

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firmness without violence,

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restraint without stinginess,

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and generosity without extravagance.

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For if one of these is lost,

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the other three are corrupted."

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'Abd Allah ibn Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him, said:

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"If the leader is just,

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then he has the reward and you have the duty of gratitude.

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And if he is tyrannical,

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then he bears the burden of sin and you have the duty of patience."

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'Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

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"Be fair to us, O subjects!

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You desire from us the conduct of Abu Bakr and 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both,

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yet you do not conduct yourselves, nor do you treat one another,

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according to the conduct of the subjects of Abu Bakr and 'Umar."

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We ask Allah to assist everyone in every matter.

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On the authority of Ibn Hisham, he said:

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"Al-Ma'mun, may Allah have mercy on him, said to me:

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'O 'Ali, kings tolerate everything from their subjects,

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except for three things.'

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I said, 'And what are they, O Commander of the Faithful?'

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He said, 'Attacking the king's legitimacy,

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divulging secrets,

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and violating the sanctity of the harem.'"

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The life of peace,

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between speech and age.