Majma al-Zawaid — Hadith 10429

Sa'id bin Jumhan narrates: I came to Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abi Awfa (may Allah be pleased with him), whose eyesight had gone, and I greeted him with salam. He asked: "Who are you?" I replied: "I am Sa'id bin Jumhan." He asked: "How is your father?" I said: "The Azariqah have killed him." He said: "May Allah Almighty curse the Azariqah! May Allah Almighty curse the Azariqah!" Then he said: I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "They are the dogs of Hell." The narrator says: I asked: "Is it only the Azariqah, or are all the Khawarij like this?" He said: "Rather, all the Khawarij (are the dogs of Hell)." I said: "If the ruler of the time oppresses the people and treats them badly, (will he also be included in this?)" He stretched his hand toward me and gave me a hard nudge, then said: "O Ibn Jumhan, you must hold to the great majority (al-sawad al-a'zam). If the ruler listens to you, go to him in his house and tell him what you know. If he accepts it from you, well and good; otherwise leave him to his state, for you are not more knowledgeable than he is." (Allamah al-Haythami says:) I say: Ibn Majah recorded from this narration only the part about the Khawarij being the dogs of Hell.
Al-Tabarani and Ahmad recorded it. The narrators of Ahmad are thiqat (trustworthy). Before this, a hadith recorded by Ahmad has already passed concerning the manner of sincere counsel to rulers, in the chapter on the caliphate; it is narrated through various chains, one of which is hasan (good).