The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume II — Page 550
Seal of the Prophets - Volume II 550 injunctions, the public has been given the right to obey the Amīr in everything righteous and lawful as usual, but to refuse obedience in anything which is unlawful. As such, the Holy Prophet sa states: َ اَلسَّمْع ُ وَالطَّاعَة ُ عَلَی الْمَرْء ِ الْمُسْلِم ِ فِیْمَا اَحَب َّ وَكَرِه َ وَمَا لَم ْ یُوٴْمَر ْ بِمَعْصِیَة ٍ فَاِذَا اُمِر َ بِمَعْصِیَة ٍ فَلَا سَمْع َ وَلَا طَاعَة “It is obligatory upon every Muslim to obey his Amīr, whether he agrees with a commandment issued by him or not. However, if he issues a commandment which explicitly contradicts divine law, then it shall not be compulsory to obey such an order. ” 1 If, despite the good consultation and partial disobedience of the people, an Amīrs chain of unjust commandments continues to increase; and he openly begins to tread a path which is at odds with the divine law of government and Sharī‘at , to the extent that his leadership takes on such a harmful state that in order to ensure its dismissal, it becomes appropriate to risk the peace of the country and unity of the community, in such extreme circumstances of this nature, people have been permitted to relinquish their obedience to the Amīr , and struggle to depose him. It is related in a Ḥadīth : ِ عَن ْ عُبَادَة َ بْن ِ الصَّامِت ِ بَایَعْنَا رَسُوْل َ اللّٰه ِ صَلَّی اللّٰه ُ عَلَیْه ِ وَسَلَّم َ عَلَی السَّمْع ِ وَالطَّاعَة فِی ْ مَنْشَطِنَا وَمَكْرَھِنَا وَعُسْرِنَا وَیُسْرِنَا وَاَثَرَة ٍ عَلَیْنَا وَعَلی ٰ اَلَّا نُنَازِع َ الْاَمْر َ اَھْلَه ٗ اِلَّا اَن ْ تَرَوْا كُفْرًا بَوَاحًا عِنْدَكُم ْ مِن َ اللّٰه ِ فِیْه ِ بُرْھَان “A renowned Companion of the Holy Prophet sa named ‘ Ubādah bin Ṣāmit relates, ‘When the Messenger of Allāh sa would take an oath of allegiance from us, he would make us declare that we would always demonstrate obedience to our Amīr: in a time of hardship or ease, in a state of pleasure or displeasure, whether our rights were given to us or snatched from us; and that we would never quarrel with our Amīrs in the matter of administration. ’ However, the Holy Prophet sa said, ‘Verily, if you witness manifest disbelief in the attitude of 1 Ṣaḥīḥul-Bukhārī, Kitābul-Aḥkām, Bābus-Sam‘i Waṭṭā‘ati Lil-Imāmi Mā Lam Takun Ma‘ṣiyatan, Ḥadīth No. 7144