How do you reconcile the hadith, "The worst of your imams are those whom you curse and who curse you," with the hadith, "Do not be harsh with them..."?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : I say, O Shaykh, there are two contradictory hadiths, and we need to determine which is stronger? Or reconcile them.
The Shaykh : Which two?
The questioner : The first hadith is in Sahih Muslim and the second hadith, whose chain I graded as good in *Zilal al-Jannah*, is the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and ... its chain is good and its narrators are trustworthy, though there is some criticism of some of them that does not affect it?
The Shaykh : Where is the contradiction, may Allah guide you?
The questioner : I say, O Shaykh, the apparent contradiction is in the first one...
The Shaykh : Where is the contradiction?
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Where is the contradiction?
The questioner : Yes?
The Shaykh : Yes, in an hour I will ask three times: where is the contradiction?
The questioner : We want you to reconcile them, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh : May Allah guide you. Show me the contradiction so I can reconcile them; I do not see any contradiction in them.
The questioner : The first hadith is ... the second one is...
The Shaykh : This is the second hadith.
The questioner : You curse them and they curse you.
The Shaykh : So, if someone curses you, do you curse him back?
The questioner : No.
The Shaykh : So, where is the contradiction?
The questioner : ... so there is no contradiction between them?
The Shaykh : There is absolutely no contradiction between them.
The questioner : Okay, there is another hadith, O Shaykh, in *Sahih al-Jami'*.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The Shaykh : Which two?
The questioner : The first hadith is in Sahih Muslim
The worst of your imams are those whom you curse and who curse you
شرار أئمتكم الذين تلعنوهم ويلعنونكمDo not abuse your rulers, do not be harsh with them, do not hate them, fear Allah, and be patient, for the matter is near
لا تسبوا أمراءكم ولا تغشوهم ولا تبغضوهم واتقوا الله واصبروا فإن الأمر قريبThe Shaykh : Where is the contradiction, may Allah guide you?
The questioner : I say, O Shaykh, the apparent contradiction is in the first one...
The Shaykh : Where is the contradiction?
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Where is the contradiction?
The questioner : Yes?
The Shaykh : Yes, in an hour I will ask three times: where is the contradiction?
The questioner : We want you to reconcile them, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh : May Allah guide you. Show me the contradiction so I can reconcile them; I do not see any contradiction in them.
The questioner : The first hadith is
Do not abuse the rulers
ما تسبوا الأمراءThe Shaykh : This is the second hadith.
The questioner : You curse them and they curse you.
The Shaykh : So, if someone curses you, do you curse him back?
The questioner : No.
The Shaykh : So, where is the contradiction?
The questioner : ... so there is no contradiction between them?
The Shaykh : There is absolutely no contradiction between them.
The questioner : Okay, there is another hadith, O Shaykh, in *Sahih al-Jami'*.
The Shaykh : Yes.