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Hadith 12117
اُردوEn
وَعَنْهُ عَنْ عَلِيٍّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ بَعَثَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ سَرِيَّةً وَاسْتَعْمَلَ عَلَيْهِمْ رَجُلًا مِنَ الْأَنْصَارِ قَالَ فَلَمَّا خَرَجُوا قَالَ وَجَدَ عَلَيْهِمْ فِي شَيْءٍ فَقَالَ لَهُمْ أَلَيْسَ قَدْ أَمَرَكُمْ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنْ تُطِيعُونِي قَالَ قَالُوا بَلَى قَالَ فَقَالَ اجْمَعُوا حَطَبًا ثُمَّ دَعَا بِنَارٍ فَأَضْرَمَهَا فِيهِ ثُمَّ قَالَ عَزَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ لَتَدْخُلُنَّهَا قَالَ فَهَمَّ الْقَوْمُ أَنْ يَدْخُلُوهَا قَالَ فَقَالَ لَهُمْ شَابٌّ مِنْهُمْ إِنَّمَا فَرَرْتُمْ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ مِنَ النَّارِ فَلَا تَعْجَلُوا حَتَّى تَلْقَوُا النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَإِنْ أَمَرَكُمْ أَنْ تَدْخُلُوهَا فَادْخُلُوا قَالَ فَرَجَعُوا إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَأَخْبَرُوهُ فَقَالَ لَهُمْ ”لَوْ دَخَلْتُمُوهَا مَا خَرَجْتُمْ مِنْهَا أَبَدًا إِنَّمَا الطَّاعَةُ فِي الْمَعْرُوفِ“
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) sent out a military expedition and appointed a Christian as their commander. He became angry with his army over some matter and said to them: "Did not the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) command you to obey me?" The companions replied: "Yes, he did." Then he said: "Gather firewood." Then he had a fire lit and said: "I give you a strict order to jump into this fire." Some people actually intended to enter the fire, but then a young man among them said: "You came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) to save yourselves from the fire, so do not be hasty. First, meet the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). If he commands you to enter the fire, then do so." So when they returned to the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and related the whole incident to him, he (peace and blessings be upon him) said to them: "If you had entered the fire, you would never have come out of it. Obedience is only in what is permissible."
Brief Explanation
Benefits: … Whether someone is of high or low status, a ruler or a subject, if anyone’s statement is contrary to the Qur’an and Hadith, there is no obedience to be given to it.
Imam al-Albani rahimahullah writes: This blessed hadith contains many benefits; one of them is: No one can be obeyed in disobedience to Allah, whether they are rulers and governors or scholars and shaykhs. It is thus clear that the following three groups are misguided:
(The first group) … Some Sufi-inclined people imitate their pirs and shaykhs, even if they command them to clear acts of disobedience. Their argument is that, in reality, it is not disobedience, because the shaykh’s level of knowledge and gnosis is far above that of the disciple, and what the shaykh sees, the disciple cannot see.
I know of such a shaykh who considers himself a spiritual guide. One day, he was narrating a story to his disciples in the mosque, the summary of which is as follows:
A Sufi shaykh, one night, ordered his disciple to go and kill his father, who at that time was lying on the bed with his wife. So the disciple killed his father and was pleased that he had fulfilled his shaykh’s command. When the shaykh looked at him, he asked: Do you think you have killed your real father? No, no. That was your mother’s lover; your father was not even at home.
After narrating this story, he tried to deduce a legal ruling from it, saying: When a shaykh gives his disciple such a command that is contrary to the Shari‘ah, the disciple should still comply with it. Do you not see that this shaykh demanded from his disciple that he kill his father? In reality, he was commanding him to kill the one committing adultery with his mother, and such a person is, according to the Shari‘ah, deserving of death.
Dear readers! Reflect that there are several reasons why this story is false, for example:
(First) … The implementation of the prescribed punishment (hadd) is not the right of the shaykh, no matter how great he may be; it is the right of the amir or governor.
(Second) … If this shaykh had the right to implement the hadd, then why did he not apply the hadd to the woman? Because both were equally guilty in this evil and equally deserving of punishment.
(Third) … The hadd for a married adulterer is stoning (rajm), not just killing.
It is thus clear that the shaykh opposed the Shari‘ah in several ways, and the same is the case with this spiritual guide who, based on this story, declares imitation of the shaykh to be obligatory, even though this story is contrary to the Shari‘ah.
During his false statement, this spiritual guide also said to his disciples that if you see a cross around your shaykh’s neck, you have no justification to object to it.
Although this statement is clearly false and contrary to both the Shari‘ah and reason, nevertheless, its spell works on some people, including some trustworthy youth.
I once had a debate with a disciple of this kind on the subject of this story. He had heard the entire incident and its deduction from his spiritual guide. In his view, this was a karamah (miraculous sign) of the shaykh, and he had complete trust in the authenticity of the story. He said to me: You people deny karamat (miracles). But when I said to him: If your shaykh commands you to kill your parents, will you obey him? He replied: I have not yet reached that level.
Woe to such leadership, which deprives people of their intellect, and they are seen as so subservient to shaykhs who are themselves mired in misguidance and error.
(The second group) … The group of blind followers (muqallidun), who give preference to the statement of their imam over the hadith of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. For example, when a muqallid is told not to perform the Sunnah prayers of Fajr after the iqamah has been called, because the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam forbade it, he will not obey this hadith, but will say: In our madhhab, it is permissible. Similarly, when (Hanafi) muqallids are told that a halalah marriage is invalid, because the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam cursed the one who does it, they will reply: No, no. Rather, according to such-and-such madhhab, it is permissible. There are hundreds of such issues.
Most of the investigating scholars and jurists believe that this type of blind follower is included in the meaning of Allah’s statement: {اِتَّخَذُوْا أَحْبَارَھُمْ وَ رُہْبَانَہُمْ اَرْبَابًا مِّنْ دُوْنِ اللّٰہِ} (Surah al-Tawbah: 31) … They have taken their scholars and monks as lords besides Allah. Fakhr al-Razi has explained this well in his tafsir.
(The third group) … Those who follow the laws and regulations made by their rulers that are contrary to the Shari‘ah, such as communism and similar systems. And worse than them are those who try to prove these Shari‘ah-opposing matters from the Shari‘ah itself. This is a calamity that has surrounded the claimants of knowledge and reform in the present age, and the public has been greatly deceived by them. It is correct that these followers, along with their leaders, fall under the meaning of this verse: {اِتَّخَذُوْا أَحْبَارَھُمْ وَ رُہْبَانَہُمْ اَرْبَابًا مِّنْ دُوْنِ اللّٰہِ} (Surah al-Tawbah: 31) … They have taken their scholars and monks as lords besides Allah. We ask Allah for support, protection, and safety. (Sahihah: 181)
Imam al-Albani rahimahullah writes: This blessed hadith contains many benefits; one of them is: No one can be obeyed in disobedience to Allah, whether they are rulers and governors or scholars and shaykhs. It is thus clear that the following three groups are misguided:
(The first group) … Some Sufi-inclined people imitate their pirs and shaykhs, even if they command them to clear acts of disobedience. Their argument is that, in reality, it is not disobedience, because the shaykh’s level of knowledge and gnosis is far above that of the disciple, and what the shaykh sees, the disciple cannot see.
I know of such a shaykh who considers himself a spiritual guide. One day, he was narrating a story to his disciples in the mosque, the summary of which is as follows:
A Sufi shaykh, one night, ordered his disciple to go and kill his father, who at that time was lying on the bed with his wife. So the disciple killed his father and was pleased that he had fulfilled his shaykh’s command. When the shaykh looked at him, he asked: Do you think you have killed your real father? No, no. That was your mother’s lover; your father was not even at home.
After narrating this story, he tried to deduce a legal ruling from it, saying: When a shaykh gives his disciple such a command that is contrary to the Shari‘ah, the disciple should still comply with it. Do you not see that this shaykh demanded from his disciple that he kill his father? In reality, he was commanding him to kill the one committing adultery with his mother, and such a person is, according to the Shari‘ah, deserving of death.
Dear readers! Reflect that there are several reasons why this story is false, for example:
(First) … The implementation of the prescribed punishment (hadd) is not the right of the shaykh, no matter how great he may be; it is the right of the amir or governor.
(Second) … If this shaykh had the right to implement the hadd, then why did he not apply the hadd to the woman? Because both were equally guilty in this evil and equally deserving of punishment.
(Third) … The hadd for a married adulterer is stoning (rajm), not just killing.
It is thus clear that the shaykh opposed the Shari‘ah in several ways, and the same is the case with this spiritual guide who, based on this story, declares imitation of the shaykh to be obligatory, even though this story is contrary to the Shari‘ah.
During his false statement, this spiritual guide also said to his disciples that if you see a cross around your shaykh’s neck, you have no justification to object to it.
Although this statement is clearly false and contrary to both the Shari‘ah and reason, nevertheless, its spell works on some people, including some trustworthy youth.
I once had a debate with a disciple of this kind on the subject of this story. He had heard the entire incident and its deduction from his spiritual guide. In his view, this was a karamah (miraculous sign) of the shaykh, and he had complete trust in the authenticity of the story. He said to me: You people deny karamat (miracles). But when I said to him: If your shaykh commands you to kill your parents, will you obey him? He replied: I have not yet reached that level.
Woe to such leadership, which deprives people of their intellect, and they are seen as so subservient to shaykhs who are themselves mired in misguidance and error.
(The second group) … The group of blind followers (muqallidun), who give preference to the statement of their imam over the hadith of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. For example, when a muqallid is told not to perform the Sunnah prayers of Fajr after the iqamah has been called, because the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam forbade it, he will not obey this hadith, but will say: In our madhhab, it is permissible. Similarly, when (Hanafi) muqallids are told that a halalah marriage is invalid, because the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam cursed the one who does it, they will reply: No, no. Rather, according to such-and-such madhhab, it is permissible. There are hundreds of such issues.
Most of the investigating scholars and jurists believe that this type of blind follower is included in the meaning of Allah’s statement: {اِتَّخَذُوْا أَحْبَارَھُمْ وَ رُہْبَانَہُمْ اَرْبَابًا مِّنْ دُوْنِ اللّٰہِ} (Surah al-Tawbah: 31) … They have taken their scholars and monks as lords besides Allah. Fakhr al-Razi has explained this well in his tafsir.
(The third group) … Those who follow the laws and regulations made by their rulers that are contrary to the Shari‘ah, such as communism and similar systems. And worse than them are those who try to prove these Shari‘ah-opposing matters from the Shari‘ah itself. This is a calamity that has surrounded the claimants of knowledge and reform in the present age, and the public has been greatly deceived by them. It is correct that these followers, along with their leaders, fall under the meaning of this verse: {اِتَّخَذُوْا أَحْبَارَھُمْ وَ رُہْبَانَہُمْ اَرْبَابًا مِّنْ دُوْنِ اللّٰہِ} (Surah al-Tawbah: 31) … They have taken their scholars and monks as lords besides Allah. We ask Allah for support, protection, and safety. (Sahihah: 181)
