In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The life of the salaf between word and deed.
The conduct of the salaf regarding matters of authority.
Their obedience and their urging to remain with the community.
A man wrote to Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him),
"Write down for me all of knowledge."
So he wrote back to him:
"Knowledge is vast,
but if you are able to meet Allah
with a light back, free from the blood of the people,
an empty stomach, free from their wealth,
a restrained tongue, free from their honor,
and adhering to the command of their community,
then do so."
Abu Zur‘ah al-Razi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
"Friday prayer and Jihad are, in our view, to be performed with
the righteous and the wicked
among those who hold authority."
Dealing with them with diplomacy, gentleness, and kindness.
It was said to Usamah Ibn Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him):
"Will you not visit ‘Uthman Ibn ‘Affan (may Allah be pleased with him)
and speak to him?"
He replied:
"Do you think that I do not speak to him
unless I let you hear me?
By Allah, I have spoken to him privately between me and him,
without opening a door
that I would be the first to open."
"And I am not one to say to a man,
after he has become a leader over even two people,
'You are the best,'
after I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) say:
'A man will be brought and cast into the Fire,
and he will be ground therein as a donkey grinds with its millstone.
The people of the Fire will gather around him
and say:
'O so-and-so,
were you not one who commanded the good and forbade the evil?'
He will say:
'I used to command the good but not do it,
and I used to forbid the evil but do it myself.'"
On the authority of Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), he said:
"I entered upon Hafsah and said:
'You see what has happened to the people,
and nothing of this affair has been entrusted to me.'"
She said:
"Join them, for they are waiting for you,
and I fear that your staying away from them will cause division."
He did not hesitate until he went.
When the people dispersed,
Mu‘awiyah gave a sermon and said:
"Whoever wishes to speak about this matter,
let him show us his head;
for we are more entitled to it than he and his father."
Habib Ibn Maslamah said:
"Why did you not answer him, may my father and mother be sacrificed for you?"
Ibn ‘Umar replied:
"I loosened my garment,
and I intended to say:
'The one more entitled to it than you
is he who fought you and your father for the sake of Islam.'
But I feared saying a word that would divide the community
and lead to the shedding of blood,
so I remembered what Allah has prepared in the Gardens of Paradise."
Speaking the truth openly,
and not being sycophantic in advising them.
‘Ubayd Allah Ibn Ziyad visited
Ma‘qil Ibn Yasar (may Allah be pleased with him)
during the illness in which he died.
Ma‘qil said to him:
"I will narrate to you a hadith I heard from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).
I heard the Prophet (peace be upon him) say:
'There is no servant whom Allah places in charge of subjects,
and he does not look after them with sincere advice,
but that he will not smell the fragrance of Paradise.'"
Muhammad Ibn Wasi‘ (may Allah have mercy on him) was
with Yazid Ibn al-Muhallab in Khurasan, participating in a military campaign.
He asked his permission to go for Hajj,
and he granted it.
He then said to him:
"Shall we order a provision for you?"
He said:
"Order it for the entire army."
He said: "No."
He said:
"Then I have no need of it."
On the authority of Zayd Ibn Aslam, he said:
"I was with Abu Hazim (may Allah have mercy on him) during the summer campaign,
and ‘Abd al-Rahman Ibn Khalid sent to Abu Hazim:
'Come to us so that we may ask you and you may speak to us.'
Abu Hazim said:
'I seek refuge in Allah!
I met the people of knowledge,
and they did not carry their religion to the people of the world,
so I will not be the first to do that.
If you have a need, then come to us.'"
‘Abd al-Rahman came to him and asked him,
and said to him:
"You have only increased in our estimation by this."
It was said to Imam Malik (may Allah have mercy on him):
"You enter upon the ruler,
and they oppress and act unjustly."
He said:
"May Allah have mercy on you,
then who will speak the truth?"
Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
"If I am threatened with the sword, I will not answer,"
meaning: I will not give them an answer that contradicts the religion of Allah,
which the governor or the prince desires,
to please them or out of fear of them.
He said:
"If the scholar answers out of dissimulation (taqiyyah),
and the ignorant person answers out of ignorance,
then when will the truth be made clear?"
Guidance and advice of the salaf
for those who wish to engage with them.
On the authority of Hudhayfah Ibn al-Yaman (may Allah be pleased with him), he said:
"Beware of the places of fitnah (strife)."
It was said:
"And what are the places of fitnah, O Abu ‘Abd Allah?"
He said:
"The doors of the rulers.
One of you enters upon the ruler,
and confirms his lies,
and says what is not in him."
Muslim Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
"It is appropriate for one who serves the ruler
not to be deceived by them when they are pleased with him,
nor to change toward them when they are angry with him,
nor to find burdensome what they entrust to him,
nor to be persistent in asking them."
Al-Awza‘i (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
"Whoever is present with a ruler
and he commands something that is not right,
and there is no fear of missing an opportunity,
then do not speak to him about it at that moment.
Rather, speak to him in private.
But if you see him commanding something where there is a fear of missing an opportunity,
then you must speak to him,
whatever may befall you as a result."
Patience regarding their oppression
and not rebelling against them,
and condemning those who do so.
‘Abd Allah Ibn Mas‘ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said in his sermon:
"O people,
you must adhere to obedience and the community,
for it is the rope of Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, which He has commanded.
What you dislike in the community is better than what you love in division."
Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said when the pledge of allegiance to Yazid came to him:
"If it is good, we are pleased,
and if it is a trial, we are patient."
On the authority of Nafi‘ (may Allah have mercy on him), he said:
"When the people of Madinah deposed Yazid Ibn Mu‘awiyah,
Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) gathered his family and children
and said:
'I heard the Prophet (peace be upon him) say:
'A banner will be raised for every traitor on the Day of Resurrection.'
We have pledged allegiance to this man upon the pledge of Allah and His Messenger,
and I do not know of any treachery
greater than pledging allegiance to a man upon the pledge of Allah and His Messenger,
and then raising a fight against him.
I do not know of anyone among you who has deposed or pledged allegiance in this matter
but that it will be the deciding factor between me and him.'"
It was said to al-Hasan al-Basri (may Allah have mercy on him):
"O Abu Sa‘id,
a Khariji has rebelled in al-Khuraybah,"
which is a neighborhood near Basra.
He said:
"The poor man saw an evil and denounced it,
but he fell into something even more evil."
Abu al-Harith said:
"I asked Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) about a matter that had occurred in Baghdad,
where a group intended to rebel.
I said:
'O Abu ‘Abd Allah,
what do you say about rebelling with these people?'
He denounced that against them
and began saying:
'Subhan Allah!
The blood! The blood!
I do not see that, nor do I command it.
Patience with what we are in is better than fitnah,
in which blood is shed,
wealth is made lawful,
and sacred things are violated.
Do you not know what the people were in?'
meaning the days of the fitnah.
I said:
'And the people today,
are they not in a fitnah, O Abu ‘Abd Allah?'
He said:
'Even if they are,
it is a private fitnah.
But if the sword is drawn,
the fitnah becomes widespread and the paths are cut off.
Patience with this,
and your religion remains safe for you, is better for you.'
I saw him denouncing rebellion against the leaders,
He said:
[Regarding] bloodshed,
I do not hold that view, nor do I command it.
Hanbal said regarding the reign of al-Wathiq:
The jurists of Baghdad gathered to see Abu 'Abd Allah [Ahmad ibn Hanbal].
They came to Abu 'Abd Allah,
and I sought permission for them to enter.
They said:
"O Abu 'Abd Allah,
this matter has become grave and widespread,"
referring to his public proclamation that the Qur'an is created and other such matters.
Abu 'Abd Allah said to them:
"What is it that you intend?"
They replied:
"We wish to consult you, for we are not pleased with his leadership or his authority."
Abu 'Abd Allah debated with them for a while,
and said to them:
"You must reject this in your hearts,
but do not withdraw your hand from obedience,
do not break the unity of the Muslims,
and do not shed your blood or the blood of the Muslims along with you.
Consider the consequences of your actions,
and be patient until a righteous person finds relief,
or one is relieved of a wicked person."
[This includes] praying for them and refraining from praising them except for what is true.
Al-Fudayl ibn 'Iyad, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
"If I had a prayer that was guaranteed to be answered,
I would not use it except for the leader,
for the righteousness of the leader is the righteousness of the lands and the servants."
On the authority of 'Umar ibn al-Fadl, he said:
"I asked Abu al-'Ala', may Allah have mercy on him,
while al-Hajjaj was in his cloak,
and I said, 'O Abu al-'Ala',
shall I curse al-Hajjaj?'
He replied, 'Pray for his righteousness,
for his righteousness is better for you.'"
Other benefits:
'Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, said:
"No one should assume this authority,"
meaning the affairs of the people,
"except a man who possesses four qualities:
gentleness without weakness,
firmness without violence,
restraint without stinginess,
and generosity without extravagance.
For if one of these is lost,
the other three are corrupted."
'Abd Allah ibn Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him, said:
"If the leader is just,
then he has the reward and you have the duty of gratitude.
And if he is tyrannical,
then he bears the burden of sin and you have the duty of patience."
'Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
"Be fair to us, O subjects!
You desire from us the conduct of Abu Bakr and 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both,
yet you do not conduct yourselves, nor do you treat one another,
according to the conduct of the subjects of Abu Bakr and 'Umar."
We ask Allah to assist everyone in every matter.
On the authority of Ibn Hisham, he said:
"Al-Ma'mun, may Allah have mercy on him, said to me:
'O 'Ali, kings tolerate everything from their subjects,
except for three things.'
I said, 'And what are they, O Commander of the Faithful?'
He said, 'Attacking the king's legitimacy,
divulging secrets,
and violating the sanctity of the harem.'"
The life of peace,
between speech and age.