33. Government
٣٣۔ كتاب الإمارة
In the near future there will be Amirs and you will like their good deeds and dislike their bad deeds. One who sees through their bad deeds (and tries to prevent their repetition by his band or through his speech), is absolved from blame, but one who hates their bad deeds (in the heart of his heart, being unable to prevent their recurrence by his hand or his tongue), is (also) fafe ( so far as God's wrath is concerned). But one who approves of their bad deeds and imitates them is spiritually ruined. People asked (the Holy Prophet): Shouldn't we fight against them? He replied: No, as long as they say their prayers.
أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ سَتَكُونُ أُمَرَاءُ فَتَعْرِفُونَ وَتُنْكِرُونَ فَمَنْ عَرَفَ بَرِئَ وَمَنْ أَنْكَرَ سَلِمَ وَلَكِنْ مَنْ رَضِيَ وَتَابَعَ قَالُوا أَفَلاَ نُقَاتِلُهُمْ قَالَ لاَ مَا صَلَّوْا
Avoiding large civil upheaval as long as the leaders establish prayers regardless of the wrong they commit
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
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
Another version omits a portion at the end of the tradition-a portion which begins with man radiya wa taba and ends with the last word of the tradition.
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَذَكَرَ مِثْلَهُ إِلاَّ قَوْلَهُ وَلَكِنْ مَنْ رَضِيَ وَتَابَعَ لَمْ يَذْكُرْهُ