The Rights and Obligations of the Ruler

The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta

Machine translationRead the Arabic original

The second question of Fatwa No. ( 17627 )
Q2: What are the rights and obligations of the ruler?
A2: The right of the legitimate ruler is obedience and compliance with him in what is right, in hardship and ease, in what is pleasant and what is disliked, even if he favors himself over the subjects. His right is also to be advised, to have his back strengthened, and to be helped in doing good. In the two Sahihs, from the hadith of Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

The Muslim must hear and obey whether he likes it or not, unless he is commanded to commit an act of disobedience. If he is commanded to commit an act of disobedience, then he is not required to hear and obey.

على المرء المسلم السمع والطاعة فيما أحب وكره إلا أن يؤمر بمعصية، فإذا أمر بمعصية فلا سمع ولا طاعة

Sunan an-Nasa'i 4206Sahih (Darussalam)

. And from Anas (may Allah be pleased with him), he said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

Listen and obey, even if the one appointed over you is an Ethiopian slave with a head like a raisin.

اسمعوا وأطيعوا وإن استعمل عليكم عبد حبشي كأن رأسه زبيبة

Sunan Ibn Majah 2860Sahih (Darussalam)

It was narrated by al-Bukhari, and from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), he said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

It is obligatory for you to listen to the ruler and obey him in adversity and prosperity, in pleasure and displeasure, and even when another person is given (rather undue) preference over you.

عليك السمع والطاعة في عسرك ويسرك ومنشطك ومكرهك وأثرة عليك

Sahih Muslim 1836

It was narrated by Muslim . The meaning of his saying (peace and blessings be upon him):

and favoring yourself over you

وأثرة عليك

: is from favoring oneself, meaning: you must obey even if the rulers take the worldly benefits for themselves and do not give you your right of what is with them. And from Abu Ruqayyah Tamim ibn Aws al-Dari (may Allah be pleased with him), the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

"The Religion is sincerity." We said, "To whom?" He said "To Allah, to His Book, To His Messenger, and to the leaders of the Muslims and their masses."

الدين النصيحة قلنا: لمن؟ قال: لله ولكتابه ولرسوله ولأئمة المسلمين وعامتهم

Sahih Muslim 55a

It was narrated by Muslim .
As for the obligations of the ruler, they are to act according to the Shari'ah of Allah the Exalted, to enforce His ruling, and to advise the subjects. In (the two Sahihs), from Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), he said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say:

Every one of you is a shepherd, and every one of you is responsible for his flock. The imam is a shepherd and is responsible for his flock, and the man is a shepherd in his household and is responsible for his flock, and the woman is a shepherdess in her husband's house and is responsible for her flock, and the slave is a shepherd in his master's wealth and is responsible for his flock, and every one of you is a shepherd and is responsible for his flock

كلكم راع وكلكم مسؤول عن رعيته، الإمام راع ومسؤول عن رعيته، والرجل راع في أهله ومسؤول عن رعيته، والمرأة راعية في بيت زوجها ومسؤولة عن رعيتها، والخادم راع في مال سيده ومسؤول عن رعيته، وكلكم راع ومسؤول عن رعيته

. It is forbidden to rebel against the legitimate imam, even if he is an open sinner, as long as it is not open disbelief. So from Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), he said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say:

He who throws off obedience will meet God on the day of resurrection without possessing any plea, and he who dies without having taken an oath of allegiance will die like a pagan.

من خلع يدًا من طاعة لقي الله يوم القيامة ولا حجة له، ومن مات وليس في عنقه بيعة مات ميتة جاهلية

Mishkat al-Masabih 3674

It was narrated by Muslim, and in a narration from him:

And whoever dies while he is separated from the community, he dies a death of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance

ومن مات وهو مفارق للجماعة فإنه يموت ميتة جاهلية

And the meaning of:

withdraws his band from obedience

خلع يدًا من طاعة

Sahih Muslim 1851a

: is: he exited from it by rebelling against the imam and not submitting to him in other than disobedience. And the meaning of:

dies the death of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance.

مات ميتة جاهلية

: is: he died upon misguidance just as the people of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance die upon it, for they used not to enter under the obedience of a ruler. And from Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

Whoever disapproves of something done by his ruler then he should be patient, for whoever disobeys the ruler even a little (little = a span) will die as those who died in the Pre-lslamic Period of Ignorance.

من كره من أميره شيئًا فليصبر، فإنه من خرج من السلطان شبرًا مات ميتة جاهلية

Sahih al-Bukhari 7053

Agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim . And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad and his family and his Companions

Source www.alifta.gov.sa

The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.

Similar fatwas