Tajdeed

Concealed Hadiths about obeying the disobedient Rulers

Whoever innovates something in this matter of ours, that is not from it, then it is rejected.

It is a well-known Sahih Hadith recorded by Al-Bukhari, Muslim and Abu Dawud. – Abdullah bin Mas’ud related that the Prophet (saw) said:

“Your affairs after me will be governed by men who extinguish the Sunnah, act by the Bid’ah (innovation) and delay the Salah (prayer) from its set timings”. I asked: “O Messenger of Allah, if I live to see them, what should I do?” He replied: “You are asking me O Ibn Umm ‘Abd, what you should do?! There is no obedience to the one who has disobeyed Allah”.

The above is the wording recorded by Ibn Majah and it was also related by Ahmad, At-Tabarani in his “Al-Kabir” and by Al-Baihaqi in his “As-Sunan Al-Kubra”

As for the wording recorded by Ahmad, it is:

[“Your affair after me will be governed by men who extinguish the Sunnah, innovating the Bid’ah (innovation) and delaying the Salah (prayer) from its set timings”. Ibn Mas’ud asked: “O Messenger of Allah, how should I be if I live to see them?” He said: “O Ibn Umm ‘Abd, there is no obedience to the one who has disobeyed Allah”. He said it three times].

The Isnad of Ahmad is Jayyid (good) by itself and Hasan in itself. The Hadith is definitely Hasan Sahih with its paths, supportive evidences and corroborative information. Al-Hujjah (evidence/proof) is certainly established by it, and Allah knows best.

The Isnad (chain of transmission) of At-Tabarani is also Jayyid (good), Hasan in itself, and suitable to be used as evidence, by Allah’s permission, and Allah knows best.

Al-Albani said in his “Sisilah As-Sahiha”: [Its Isnad is Jayyid upon the conditionality of (Imam) Muslim]. The greater scholar Ahmad

Shakir and Sheikh Nasiruddin Al-Albani authenticated it as Sahih and consequently it is definitely Sahih and Thabit (soundly established chain).

As for the statement of the Messenger of Allah (saw) in this Hadith related by Ibn Mas’ud:

“There is no obedience to the one who disobeys Allah”

If it had not been for the definite texts which exempt the people of minor sins, from other than those who are flagrant, from being taken to account for that, and which promise them forgiveness and the expiation of their sins, as long as they avoid the major sins, if it hadn’t been for these, it would have been obligatory to apply this ruling (i.e. of non-obedience) to compel the people of any act of disobedience with no difference between the minor and major sins.

That is in addition to the texts that indicate the acceptance of the repentance of those who repent and their consequent returning to a status of being trusted, their testimonies being accepted and the permissibility of them assuming positions of leadership and governorship. That is after they had previously been characterised with Fisq (wilful disobedience) and indeed even with Kufr (disbelief)!

The text is therefore definite in meaning in respect to indicating the cancelling of obedience to every Fasiq (wilfully disobedient person), which means by necessity, the voiding of his Wilayah (governorship).

Obedience to him is not restricted to the Ma’ruf (i.e. what complies with the Sharee’ah) in accordance to what has come for example in his (saw) statement:

The Ta’ah (obedience) is only in respect to the Ma’ruf (that which complies to the Sharee’ah.

Or for example, in his statement:

There is no obedience to the created in disobedience to the creator.

That is because these Sahih Ahadeeth and those similar to them, which are Mutawatir, and some of which we will address soon, prohibit the obedience to any command to undertake an act of disobedience (Ma’siyah) (i.e. the Haram action) or to abandon a Wajib (obligation).

That is regardless of the status or condition of the one who is commanding; whether he is a just or unjust Imam, a god-fearing or Fasiq leader, or any other consideration.

Rather, it is valid and obligatory to implement in relation to the parents, the husband and similar to them, those who possess the right of being obeyed.

It is prohibited to obey any of these in respect to any specific command they issue that is contrary to the “Ma’ruf” (i.e. the Sharee’ah).

-Reference: Kitab al-Hakimiyya by Dr Muhammad al-Mass’ari

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