33. The Book on Government

٣٣۔ كتاب الإمارة

33.8 The obligation of obeying leaders in matters that do not involve sin, but it is forbidden to obey them in sinful matters

٣٣۔٨ باب وُجُوبِ طَاعَةِ الأُمَرَاءِ فِي غَيْرِ مَعْصِيَةٍ وَتَحْرِيمِهَا فِي الْمَعْصِيَةِ

(1203) bukhari:4584Ṣadaqah b. al-Faḍl > Ḥajjāj b. Muḥammad > Ibn Jurayj > Yaʿlá b. Muslim > Saʿīd b. Jubayr > Ibn

The Verse: "Obey Allah and Obey the Apostle and those of you (Muslims) who are in authority." (4.59) was revealed in connection with ʿAbdullah bin Hudhafa bin Qais bin ʿAdi' when the Prophet ﷺ appointed him as the commander of a Sariyya (army detachment).  

(١٢٠٣) البخاري:٤٥٨٤حَدَّثَنَا صَدَقَةُ بْنُ الْفَضْلِ أَخْبَرَنَا حَجَّاجُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنِ ابْنِ جُرَيْجٍ عَنْ يَعْلَى بْنِ مُسْلِمٍ عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ جُبَيْرٍ

عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ ؓ {أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَأُولِي الأَمْرِ مِنْكُمْ} قَالَ نَزَلَتْ فِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ حُذَافَةَ بْنِ قَيْسِ بْنِ عَدِيٍّ إِذْ بَعَثَهُ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ فِي سَرِيَّةٍ  

(1204) bukhari:7137ʿAbdān > ʿAbdullāh > Yūnus > al-Zuhrī > Abū Salamah b. ʿAbd al-Raḥman > Abū Hurayrah

Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Whoever obeys me, obeys Allah, and whoever disobeys me, disobeys Allah, and whoever obeys the ruler I appoint, obeys me, and whoever disobeys him, disobeys me."  

(١٢٠٤) البخاري:٧١٣٧حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدَانُ أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ عَنْ يُونُسَ عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ أَخْبَرَنِي أَبُو سَلَمَةَ بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ ؓ

أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ مَنْ أَطَاعَنِي فَقَدْ أَطَاعَ اللَّهَ وَمَنْ عَصَانِي فَقَدْ عَصَى اللَّهَ وَمَنْ أَطَاعَ أَمِيرِي فَقَدْ أَطَاعَنِي وَمَنْ عَصَى أَمِيرِي فَقَدْ عَصَانِي  

(1205) bukhari:7144Musaddad > Yaḥyá b. Saʿīd > ʿUbaydullāh > Nāfiʿ > ʿAbdullāh

The Prophet ﷺ said, "A Muslim has to listen to and obey (the order of his ruler) whether he likes it or not, as long as his orders involve not one in disobedience (to Allah), but if an act of disobedience (to Allah) is imposed one should not listen to it or obey it. (See Hadith No. 203, Vol. 4)  

(١٢٠٥) البخاري:٧١٤٤حَدَّثَنَا مُسَدَّدٌ حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ سَعِيدٍ عَنْ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ حَدَّثَنِي نَافِعٌ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ؓ

عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ السَّمْعُ وَالطَّاعَةُ عَلَى الْمَرْءِ الْمُسْلِمِ فِيمَا أَحَبَّ وَكَرِهَ مَا لَمْ يُؤْمَرْ بِمَعْصِيَةٍ فَإِذَا أُمِرَ بِمَعْصِيَةٍ فَلاَ سَمْعَ وَلاَ طَاعَةَ  

(1206) bukhari:7145ʿUmar b. Ḥafṣ b. Ghiyāth from my father > al-Aʿmash > Saʿd b. ʿUbaydah > Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥman > ʿAlī

The Prophet ﷺ sent an army unit (for some campaign) and appointed a man from the Ansar as its commander and ordered them (the soldiers) to obey him. (During the campaign) he became angry with them and said, "Didn't the Prophet ﷺ order you to obey me?" They said, "Yes." He said, "I order you to collect wood and make a fire and then throw yourselves into it." So they collected wood and made a fire, but when they were about to throw themselves into, it they started looking at each other, and some of them said, "We followed the Prophet ﷺ to escape from the fire. How should we enter it now?" So while they were in that state, the fire extinguished and their commander's anger abated. The event was mentioned to the Prophet ﷺ and he said, "If they had entered it (the fire) they would never have come out of it, for obedience is required only in what is good." (See Hadith No. 629. Vol. 5)  

(١٢٠٦) البخاري:٧١٤٥حَدَّثَنَا عُمَرُ بْنُ حَفْصِ بْنِ غِيَاثٍ حَدَّثَنَا أَبِي حَدَّثَنَا الأَعْمَشُ حَدَّثَنَا سَعْدُ بْنُ عُبَيْدَةَ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ عَنْ عَلِيٍّ ؓ قَالَ

بَعَثَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ سَرِيَّةً وَأَمَّرَ عَلَيْهِمْ رَجُلاً مِنَ الأَنْصَارِ وَأَمَرَهُمْ أَنْ يُطِيعُوهُ فَغَضِبَ عَلَيْهِمْ وَقَالَ أَلَيْسَ قَدْ أَمَرَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ أَنَّ تُطِيعُونِي قَالُوا بَلَى قَالَ عَزَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ لَمَا جَمَعْتُمْ حَطَبًا وَأَوْقَدْتُمْ نَارًا ثُمَّ دَخَلْتُمْ فِيهَا فَجَمَعُوا حَطَبًا فَأَوْقَدُوا فَلَمَّا هَمُّوا بِالدُّخُولِ فَقَامَ يَنْظُرُ بَعْضُهُمْ إِلَى بَعْضٍ قَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ إِنَّمَا تَبِعْنَا النَّبِيَّ ﷺ فِرَارًا مِنَ النَّارِ أَفَنَدْخُلُهَا فَبَيْنَمَا هُمْ كَذَلِكَ إِذْ خَمَدَتِ النَّارُ وَسَكَنَ غَضَبُهُ فَذُكِرَ لِلنَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَقَالَ لَوْ دَخَلُوهَا مَا خَرَجُوا مِنْهَا أَبَدًا إِنَّمَا الطَّاعَةُ فِي الْمَعْرُوفِ  

(1207) bukhari:7055Ismāʿīl > Ibn Wahb > ʿAmr > Bukayr > Busr b. Saʿīd > Junādah b. Abū Umayyah

We entered upon 'Ubada bin As-Samit while he was sick. We said, "May Allah make you healthy. Will you tell us a Hadith you heard from the Prophet ﷺ and by which Allah may make you benefit?" He said, "The Prophet ﷺ called us and we gave him the Pledge of allegiance for Islam, and among the conditions on which he took the Pledge from us, was that we were to listen and obey (the orders) both at the time when we were active and at the time when we were tired, and at our difficult time and at our ease and to be obedient to the ruler and give him his right even if he did not give us our right, and not to fight against him unless we noticed him having open Kufr (disbelief) for which we would have a proof with us from Allah."  

(١٢٠٧) البخاري:٧٠٥٥حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ حَدَّثَنِي ابْنُ وَهْبٍ عَنْ عَمْرٍو عَنْ بُكَيْرٍ عَنْ بُسْرِ بْنِ سَعِيدٍ عَنْ جُنَادَةَ بْنِ أَبِي أُمَيَّةَ قَالَ

دَخَلْنَا عَلَى عُبَادَةَ بْنِ الصَّامِتِ وَهْوَ مَرِيضٌ قُلْنَا أَصْلَحَكَ اللَّهُ حَدِّثْ بِحَدِيثٍ يَنْفَعُكَ اللَّهُ بِهِ سَمِعْتَهُ مِنَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ دَعَانَا النَّبِيُّ ﷺ فَبَايَعْنَاهُ فَقَالَ فِيمَا أَخَذَ عَلَيْنَا أَنْ بَايَعَنَا عَلَى السَّمْعِ وَالطَّاعَةِ فِي مَنْشَطِنَا وَمَكْرَهِنَا وَعُسْرِنَا وَيُسْرِنَا وَأَثَرَةٍ عَلَيْنَا وَأَنْ لاَ نُنَازِعَ الأَمْرَ أَهْلَهُ إِلاَّ أَنْ تَرَوْا كُفْرًا بَوَاحًا عِنْدَكُمْ مِنَ اللَّهِ فِيهِ بُرْهَانٌ