Riyadh Al-Salehin | Episode (89) | Chapter on the just governor

0:00 *Riyadh al-Salihin* from the words of the Master of the Messengers, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.

0:09 Chapter: The obligation upon rulers to show gentleness, sincerity, and compassion to their subjects,

0:19 and the prohibition against deceiving them, being harsh with them,

0:23 neglecting their welfare, and being heedless of them and their needs.

0:28 Allah Almighty said:

0:32 “And lower thy wing (in kindness) unto those believers who follow thee.” (26:215)

0:36 And He Almighty said:

0:38 “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)

0:44 “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)

0:48 "He admonishes you so that you may take heed."

0:52 On the authority of Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said:

0:57 I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say:

1:01 "Every one of you is a shepherd, and every one of you is responsible for his flock.

1:07 The ruler is a shepherd and is responsible for his flock;

1:11 the man is a shepherd over his family and is responsible for his flock;

1:16 the woman is a shepherdess in her husband's home and is responsible for her flock;

1:22 the servant is a shepherd over his master's wealth and is responsible for his flock;

1:28 indeed, every one of you is a shepherd and responsible for his flock."

1:32 Agreed upon.

1:34 And on the authority of Abu Ya'la Ma'qil ibn Yasar (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:

1:40 I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say:

1:45 "No servant is entrusted by Allah with the care of a flock,

1:49 and dies on the day he dies while having been deceitful toward his flock,

1:53 except that Allah forbids Paradise for him."

1:57 Agreed upon.

1:59 And in another narration: "and does not encompass them with his sincere counsel,

2:03 he will not even perceive the fragrance of Paradise."

2:06 And in a narration by Muslim:

2:08 "No ruler is appointed over the affairs of the Muslims,

2:12 and then fails to strive diligently on their behalf and advise them sincerely,

2:15 except that he will not enter Paradise with them."

2:18 "Entrusted with the care of" (*yustar'ihi*)

2:21 means delegating to him the guardianship and governance of his subjects.

2:25 "Deceitful" (*ghashsh*)

2:27 means betraying them and neglecting their rights.

2:30 “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)

2:33 That is, he will not enter it alongside the successful ones at the very beginning,

2:37 or not at all, if he deemed deceiving and betraying the Muslims to be lawful.

2:42 "Does not encompass them"

2:44 means he did not protect them or safeguard their rights.

2:47 "Fails to strive diligently on their behalf"

2:49 means he does not exert himself for their sake.

2:52 Among the lessons of the hadith:

2:56 The fundamental duty of rulers

2:58 is to exert every effort in offering sincere advice to the Ummah,

3:00 guiding it toward the obedience of Allah Almighty,

3:04 and helping them establish the Sacred Law of Allah Almighty

3:07 within themselves and among their families.

3:11 A definitive warning and a severe threat

3:14 against tyrannical rulers

3:16 who neglect the rights of their subjects,

3:19 betray the interests of their Ummah, and bring them to ruin.

3:25 On the authority of 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), who said:

3:28 I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)

3:32 say in this house of mine:

3:34 "O Allah, whoever is given authority over any affair of my Ummah

3:38 and makes things difficult for them, make things difficult for him;

3:42 and whoever is given authority over any affair of my Ummah

3:45 and is gentle with them, be gentle with him."

3:48 Transmitted by Muslim.

3:52 "Makes things difficult for them" means he constricts and burdens them unduly,

3:56 unjustifiably, whether in word or deed.

3:59 "Is gentle" means he is soft-hearted and compassionate toward them,

4:03 safeguarding their rights in word and deed.

4:07 Among the lessons of the hadith:

4:11 Recompense corresponds to the nature of the deed:

4:13 if a ruler burdens his Ummah and brings hardship upon them,

4:17 Allah will inflict worldly hardships upon him

4:20 by setting his enemies over him,

4:22 and with various forms of torment in the Hereafter.

4:25 The Prophet's eager concern, peace be upon him,

4:28 for the well-being of his Ummah after him and his compassion toward them.

4:33 On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:

4:38 The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:

4:42 "The Children of Israel were governed by prophets;

4:46 whenever a prophet passed away, another prophet succeeded him.

4:50 But indeed, there is no prophet after me,

4:53 and there will be caliphs after me, and they will be numerous."

4:56 They asked, "O Messenger of Allah,

4:59 what do you command us to do?"

5:01 He said: "Fulfill the pledge of allegiance to the first, then the next.

5:05 Give them their due rights,

5:08 and ask Allah for what is rightfully yours,

5:11 for Allah will question them about what He entrusted to their care."

5:14 Agreed upon.

5:18 "Governed them" (*tasusuhum*) means caring for their affairs.

5:21 "They will be numerous" means their numbers will multiply.

5:25 "Fulfill the pledge of allegiance to the first"

5:28 means adhere to the allegiance given to him,

5:30 and fulfill his right of obedience by fighting whoever rebels against him

5:33 and defies his authority.

5:37 Among the lessons of the hadith:

5:39 The subjects must have a leader who attends to their affairs,

5:43 steers them along the straight path,

5:46 and protects them from the evil of oppressors.

5:50 Those in authority (*ulu al-amr*) in this Ummah

5:52 are the caliphs and the scholars,

5:55 because there is no prophet after Muhammad, peace be upon him;

5:59 thus, they are the ones who govern and care for the Ummah,

6:03 enveloping it with sincere counsel and guidance.

6:07 The subjects have the right to ask their rulers for gentleness

6:11 and for exertion of effort in looking after their welfare.

6:15 Giving priority to religious matters over worldly matters,

6:19 because the Prophet, peace be upon him,

6:22 commanded fulfilling the right of the ruler

6:25 for the sake of elevating the word of the religion

6:28 and suppressing civil strife (*fitnah*).

6:30 The pledge of allegiance is only obligatory to the single leader of the Muslim community.

6:34 It is not permissible to contract the pledge of allegiance to two caliphs at the same time;

6:39 rather, it is binding only for the first.

6:42 Whoever rises to contest his authority,

6:44 he must be executed, whomever he may be.

6:48 The immense responsibility of the ruler,

6:50 for Allah will question him concerning his governance and his subjects.

6:56 This hadith is among the signs of his prophethood, peace be upon him,

7:02 as it foretells what would occur within this Ummah

7:05 regarding the multiplicity of rulers,

7:07 their disputes, and their rivalry.

7:10 On the authority of 'A'idh ibn 'Amr (may Allah be pleased with him),

7:14 who entered upon 'Ubaydullah ibn Ziyad

7:18 and said to him:

7:20 "O my son,

7:21 I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) say:

7:26 'The worst of shepherds are the cruel and oppressive,'

7:29 so beware of being one of them."

7:32 Agreed upon.

7:34 On the authority of Abu Maryam al-Azdi (may Allah be pleased with him),

7:37 who said to Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him):

7:41 I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) say:

7:46 "Whoever is entrusted by Allah with any affair of the Muslims,

7:50 yet conceals himself from their needs, destitution, and poverty,

7:55 Allah will conceal Himself from his needs, destitution, and poverty on the Day of Resurrection."

8:01 Thereupon, Mu'awiyah appointed a man to attend to the needs of the people.

8:05 Transmitted by Abu Dawud and al-Tirmidhi.

8:10 "Conceals himself" means he ignores their welfare, hides from their petitions,

8:17 and prevents those in need from reaching him.

8:21 "Their destitution" (*khallatahum*) means their need and poverty.

8:25 Among the lessons of the hadith:

8:29 Recompense corresponds to the nature of the deed:

8:31 whoever hides himself from the servants of Allah, Allah will conceal Himself from him on the Day of Summoning.

8:37 A warning to rulers against turning away from fulfilling the needs of their subjects

8:42 and preventing them from gaining access to them,

8:45 because people need a leader to ward off injustice from them,

8:49 restore rights to their owners, and alleviate their poverty.

8:54 The swiftness of the Companions in adhering to the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him),

9:01 and their profound fear of meeting Allah.

9:05 For here is Mu'awiyah ibn Abi Sufyan (may Allah be pleased with them both):

9:09 when this hadith reached him,

9:12 he hastened to appoint a man to oversee and fulfill the needs of the people.

9:18 An isolated narration (*khabar al-wahid*) is authoritative in itself,

9:22 which is why Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) acted upon it.

9:26 The hadith contains proof of the believers seeing their Lord on the Day of Resurrection,

9:32 for when Allah, Glorified and Exalted, conceals Himself from His enemies so that they do not see Him,

9:38 He manifests Himself to His allies so that they gaze upon Him.

9:41 The confirmation of that is found in the Book of Allah Almighty:

9:45 “Nay, but surely on that day they will be covered from (the mercy of) their Lord.” (83:15)

9:51 And this verse was cited by al-Shafi'i (may Allah have mercy on him) as proof for this issue.

9:57 Chapter: The Just Ruler.

10:03 Allah Almighty said: "Indeed, Allah commands justice and excellence."

10:10 And He Almighty said: "And act justly; indeed, Allah loves the just."

10:17 On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him),

10:21 from the Prophet (peace be upon him), who said:

10:25 "Seven whom Allah will shade under His shade on the Day when there is no shade but His:

10:31 a just ruler;

10:33 a youth who grew up in the worship of Allah Almighty;

10:37 a man whose heart is attached to the mosques;

10:41 two men who love each other for the sake of Allah,

10:44 meeting for His sake and parting for His sake;

10:48 a man who is invited by a woman of noble status and beauty,

10:53 yet he says: 'Indeed, I fear Allah';

10:56 a man who gives charity

10:59 and conceals it such that his left hand does not know what his right hand has spent;

11:05 and a man who remembers Allah in solitude and his eyes overflow with tears."

11:10 Agreed upon.

11:12 On the authority of 'Abdullah ibn 'Amr ibn al-'As (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said:

11:17 The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:

11:21 "Indeed, the just will be with Allah upon pulpits of light:

11:26 those who are just in their rulings, toward their families, and over whatever authority they hold."

11:31 Transmitted by Muslim.

11:33 "In their rulings" means in their judicial decisions.

11:38 "Whatever authority they hold" means whatever has been placed under their governance and stewardship.

11:44 Among the lessons of the hadith:

11:48 The virtue of justice and the encouragement toward it.

11:51 Responsibility in the Muslim community is shared,

11:55 and the matter of governance extends to every stewardship, whether large or small,

12:01 even reaching a man's care of his family and a woman's care of her household.

12:06 The exalted status of the just with Allah on the Day of Resurrection.

12:11 The variation in the ranks of the people of faith on the Day of Resurrection,

12:16 each according to his deeds.

12:19 On the authority of 'Awf ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:

12:24 I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) say:

12:29 "The best of your leaders are those whom you love and who love you,

12:35 for whom you pray and who pray for you;

12:39 and the worst of your leaders are those whom you hate and who hate you,

12:45 whom you curse and who curse you."

12:48 He said: We said, "O Messenger of Allah, should we not overthrow them?"

12:53 He said: "No, as long as they establish the prayer among you;

12:58 no, as long as they establish the prayer among you."

13:02 Transmitted by Muslim.

13:04 His saying "you pray for them" means you supplicate for them.

13:09 Among the lessons of the hadith:

13:13 The Ummah must inevitably have a leader, whether righteous or wicked:

13:17 as for the righteous one, his benefit is obvious,

13:20 As for the wicked ruler, Allah may indeed support this religion through a wicked man,

13:26 and through him, legal punishments are established, highways are secured,

13:30 the enemy is fought, and war revenues are distributed.

13:34 Leaders should be urged to maintain justice among the subjects,

13:37 so that mutual harmony may be fostered between them.

13:40 People should be urged to obey those in authority in matters that do not involve sin.

13:46 It is impermissible to rebel against the authority of the rulers

13:50 as long as they uphold the rites of Islam and do not display open disbelief.

13:55 It is recommended to pray for a believing ruler to have success and sound guidance,

14:01 and for a deviant one to receive guidance and righteousness, in an unrestricted prayer,

14:07 without restricting such prayers solely to the Friday sermon or the two Eid sermons,

14:11 for that was an innovation introduced by certain rulers

14:14 to ensure that their subjects remained firmly under their grip.

14:18 Clarifying the vital importance of prayer,

14:21 and that it is the pillar of the religion and one of its fundamental pillars.

14:25 On the authority of 'Iyad ibn Himar (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:

14:30 I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say:

14:35 "The people of Paradise are of three kinds:

14:37 A just ruler who is divinely guided to doing good;

14:41 a merciful man who is soft-hearted toward every relative and Muslim;

14:47 and a chaste, self-restrained man who has dependents."

14:51 Narrated by Muslim.

14:53 Whomever among the rulers Allah Almighty intends good for,

14:58 He grants him success in establishing justice among his subjects,

15:01 treating them with benevolence, and offering them sincere counsel.

15:04 Encouraging treating all people with gentleness and kindness.

15:10 The virtue of refraining from begging and seeking provision through honest earning.

15:17 Justice, benevolence, and chastity are noble traits that necessitate entry into Paradise.

15:23 Riyad al-Salihin.

Riyadh Al-Salehin | Episode (89) | Chapter on the just governor

Transcript