He who disapproves is guiltless, and he who disapproves is safe. Qatadah said : it means one who feels its disapproval in his heart, and one who expresses disapproval in his heart.
عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ بِمَعْنَاهُ قَالَ فَمَنْ كَرِهَ فَقَدْ بَرِئَ وَمَنْ أَنْكَرَ فَقَدْ سَلِمَ قَالَ قَتَادَةُ يَعْنِي مَنْ أَنْكَرَ بِقَلْبِهِ وَمَنْ كَرِهَ بِقَلْبِهِ
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Another version of the tradition narrated on the same authority attributes the same words to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ except that it replaces kariha with ankhara and vice versa.
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ بِنَحْوِ ذَلِكَ غَيْرَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ فَمَنْ أَنْكَرَ فَقَدْ بَرِئَ وَمَنْ كَرِهَ فَقَدْ سَلِمَ
from the Prophet ﷺ, he said: “Rulers will be appointed over you; you will recognize ˹some of what they do˺ and you will disapprove ˹of some of it˺. Whoever dislikes ˹the wrongdoing˺ is absolved, and whoever rejects it is safe; but whoever is pleased and follows ˹it is not˺.” They said: “O Messenger of Allah, should we not fight them?” He said: “No, as long as they pray.” meaning: whoever hates (it) in his heart and denounces it in his heart.
عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: «إِنَّهُ يُسْتَعْمَلُ عَلَيْكُمْ أُمَرَاءُ فَتَعْرِفُونَ وَتُنْكِرُونَ، فَمَنْ كَرِهَ فَقَدْ بَرِئَ، وَمَنْ أَنْكَرَ فَقَدْ سَلِمَ، وَلَكِنْ مَنْ رَضِيَ وَتَابَعَ»، قَالُوا: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَلاَ نُقَاتِلُهُمْ؟ قَالَ: «لاَ، مَا صَلَّوْا»، أَىْ مَنْ كَرِهَ بِقَلْبِهِ وَأَنْكَرَ بِقَلْبِهِ