Holding to the community, obeying the rulers, and the prohibition of fighting them

Sayyiduna Ubadah bin al-Samit (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates this saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "Whoever worships Allah Almighty, associates no partner with Him, establishes the prayer, pays the zakah, and listens and obeys, Allah Almighty will admit him through whichever gate of Paradise he wishes, and Paradise has eight gates. And whoever worships Allah Almighty, associates no partner with Him, establishes the prayer and pays the zakah, but disobeys, Allah Almighty will have the choice regarding him: if He wills He will have mercy on him, and if He wills He will punish him."
Ahmad and al-Tabarani recorded it. The narrators of Ahmad are thiqat (trustworthy).

A man narrates: We had loaded up some goods for Sayyiduna Abu Dharr al-Ghifari (may Allah be pleased with him), intending to give them to him. When we came to al-Rabadhah and asked about him, we did not find him, and we were told that he had gone for Hajj. So we came to the town, that is, Mina. Once, while we were with him, he was told: "Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) has prayed four rak'ahs." He expressed strong displeasure at this and said harsh words about it, and he stated: "I prayed behind the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed two rak'ahs; and I prayed behind Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) (and they too prayed only two rak'ahs)." Then Sayyiduna Abu Dharr al-Ghifari (may Allah be pleased with him) stood up and prayed four rak'ahs. It was said to him: "You objected to the Commander of the Believers about this earlier, and then you did the same thing yourself?" He said: "Disagreeing (with the ruler of the time) is more serious. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) addressed us and said: 'After me there will be rulers; do not humiliate them. Whoever intends to humiliate them has removed the collar of Islam from his neck. The repentance of such a person will not be accepted until he fills the breach he has made, and he will not be able to do so, and then he comes back and joins those who support that ruler.' The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded us that we should not be overpowered in three things: that we enjoin what is right, forbid what is wrong, and teach the people the Sunnahs."
Ahmad recorded it. Its chain contains a narrator who is not named. The remaining narrators of this report are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever works for Allah Almighty while remaining within the community (jama'ah) and does what is right, Allah Almighty will accept his deed; and if he errs, He will forgive him. Whoever does something to create division (among the Muslims), even if the deed is right, Allah Almighty will still not accept it; and if he errs, let him prepare to take his seat in Hell."
Al-Tabarani recorded it. Its chain contains Muhammad bin Khulayd al-Hanafi, who is da'if (weak).
Al-Bazzar recorded it with a da'if (weak) chain.

Sayyiduna Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates this saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "The one who listens and obeys, there will be no argument against him; and the one who listens and disobeys, there will be no argument in his favour."
Al-Tabarani recorded it, and Ahmad recorded it within a long hadith. Abdullah says: My father drew a line through this addition, and I do not know whether he read it to me or not. The narrators of both reports are the narrators of the Sahih, except Jablah bin Atiyyah, who is thiqah (trustworthy).

A man from among the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) narrates (I think he was Sayyiduna Abu Malik al-Ash'ari (may Allah be pleased with him)); he narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I command you with five things: I command you to listen and obey, to stay with the community (jama'ah), to emigrate, and to strive in the path of Allah. Whoever leaves the community by a hand-span has removed the collar of Islam from his head; and whoever calls with the call of the Age of Ignorance (jahiliyyah) will go to Hell." The people said: "O Messenger of Allah, even if he fasts and prays?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Even if he fasts and prays. Rather, call yourselves by the name that Allah Almighty has given you: He has named you the servants of Allah, the Muslims, the believers."
Ahmad recorded it, and its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy), the narrators of the Sahih, except Ali bin Ishaq al-Sulami, who is thiqah (trustworthy).
Al-Tabarani recorded it in abridged form, but he recorded these words: "Whoever separates from the community by the length of a bow, no prayer or fast of his will be accepted, and these are the ones who will be the fuel of the Fire."

Sayyiduna Umar bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I command you with three things and I forbid you from three things. I command you not to associate anything with Allah, to hold fast all together to obedience until the command of Allah comes to you while you are in that state, and to be sincere towards the rulers, those who command you according to the command of Allah. And I forbid you from gossip ('it was said' and 'he said'), from asking many (needless) questions, and from wasting wealth."
Al-Tabarani recorded it from his teacher Bakr bin Sahl al-Dimyati. Al-Dhahabi says: "He is muqarib al-hal (passable)." Al-Nasa'i (may Allah have mercy on him) declared him da'if (weak). The hadith of the remaining narrators of this report is hasan (good).

A man narrates: I came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) while he was saying: "O people, you must hold to the community (jama'ah), and you must beware of division." He (peace and blessings be upon him) said this three times.
Ahmad recorded it. Its chain mentions that Zakariyya bin Sallam narrated it from his father, and I do not know either of them.

Sayyiduna al-Nu'man bin Bashir (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said on these planks of wood (the narrator is unsure; perhaps the words are: on this pulpit): "Whoever does not give thanks for a little does not give thanks for much. Whoever does not thank people does not give thanks to Allah Almighty. Speaking of the blessings of Allah Almighty is gratitude, and abandoning it (that is, abandoning showing and acknowledging the blessing) is ingratitude (kufr). The community (jama'ah) is a mercy and division is a punishment." The narrator says: Then Sayyiduna Abu Umamah al-Bahili (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "You must stay with the great majority (al-sawad al-a'zam)." A man asked: "What is meant by the great majority?" So Sayyiduna Abu Umamah (may Allah be pleased with him) recited aloud this verse which is in Surah al-Nur: "But if they turn away, then upon him (the Messenger) is only what he has been charged with, and upon you is what you have been charged with."
Abdullah bin Ahmad, al-Bazzar and al-Tabarani recorded it, and the narrators of both are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Soon there will be rulers over you with whom your hearts will be at ease and for whom your skins will soften. Then there will be rulers with whom your hearts will be uneasy and from whom your skins will shudder." A man said: "O Messenger of Allah, shall we fight them?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "No, as long as they establish the prayer (do not fight them)."
Ahmad and Abu Ya'la recorded it. Its chain contains al-Walid, the companion of Abdullah al-Bahi, and I do not know him. The remaining narrators of this report are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Abu Dharr al-Ghifari (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates this saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "Two are better than one, three are better than two, and four are better than three. So you must stay with the community (jama'ah), for Allah Almighty will gather my Ummah only upon guidance."
Ahmad recorded it. Its chain contains al-Bakhtari bin Ubayd, who is da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): (He (peace and blessings be upon him) said:) "My Ummah will not gather upon misguidance. You must stay with the community (jama'ah); indeed, the hand of Allah Almighty's mercy is over the community."
Al-Tabarani recorded it with two chains. The narrators of one of them are thiqat (trustworthy), the narrators of the Sahih, except Marzuq, the freed slave of the family of Talhah, who is thiqah (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Usamah bin Sharik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The hand of Allah Almighty's mercy is over the community (jama'ah). When one of them strays off alone, Satan snatches him, just as a wolf snatches the sheep that strays from the flock."
Al-Tabarani recorded it. Its chain contains Abd al-A'la bin Abi al-Musawir, who is da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever dies without a ruler (that is, dies in a state in which he does not follow any ruler) dies the death of the Age of Ignorance (jahiliyyah)."

In one narration the wording is: "Whoever dies in a state in which there is no pledge of allegiance (bay'ah) on his neck dies the death of the Age of Ignorance (jahiliyyah)."
Al-Tabarani recorded it, and the chains of both are da'if (weak).

Abu Ishaq narrates: I saw Sayyiduna Hujr bin Adi (may Allah be pleased with him) when Sayyiduna Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) seized him, saying: "This is my pledge of allegiance; I am neither revoking it nor asking to be released from it, and Allah Almighty hears this and the people hear it too."
Al-Tabarani recorded it, and its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates this saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "Soon after me some people will become your rulers. The righteous one will rule over you with his righteousness and the sinful one with his sin. So obey them in everything that accords with the truth, and pray behind them. If they do well, you will be rewarded for it and they too will be rewarded for it; and if they do wrong, you will receive your reward and the burden will be upon them."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat. Its chain contains Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Yahya bin Urwah, who is extremely da'if (weak).

Yusayr bin Amr narrates: When Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) was martyred, Sayyiduna Abu Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) secluded himself in his house. I came to him and asked him about the state of the people. He said: "You must stay with the community (jama'ah), for Allah Almighty will not gather the Ummah of Sayyiduna Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) upon misguidance. Be patient until the righteous person finds rest, or rest is found from the wicked person."

In one narration it is reported from Yusayr that he said: When Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) was martyred, I met Sayyiduna Abu Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him). I followed him and asked him; I said: "I ask you by Allah, what did you hear from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about the trials (fitan)?" He said: "We will not conceal anything. You must hold to the fear of Allah Almighty (taqwa) and stay with the community (jama'ah), and you must beware of division, for it is misguidance. Allah Almighty will not gather the Ummah of Sayyiduna Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) upon misguidance."
Al-Tabarani recorded all of these narrations, and the narrators of this second chain are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates this saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "Satan is the wolf of man, like the wolf of the sheep: it seizes the sheep that strays far off and keeps to the side. So beware of the mountain passes, and you must stay with the community (jama'ah), with the general body of people, and with the mosque."
Ahmad and al-Tabarani recorded it. The narrators of Ahmad are thiqat (trustworthy), except that it has been said about al-Ala' bin Ziyad that he did not hear from Sayyiduna Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him).

Sayyiduna Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Indeed, Paradise is not lawful for a sinner. Whoever comes before Allah Almighty having broken his pledge of allegiance will come before Allah Almighty afflicted with leprosy. Whoever leaves the community (jama'ah) by a hand-span, doing so deliberately, has removed the collar of Islam from his neck. And whoever dies in a state in which he does not follow a ruler who is the ruler of the community (that is, the community of the Muslims), such a person dies the death of the Age of Ignorance (jahiliyyah)."
Al-Tabarani recorded it. Its chain contains Amr bin Waqid, who is matruk (abandoned).

Sayyiduna Abu al-Darda' (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stood among us and said: "Beware, Paradise is not lawful for a sinner. Whoever comes before Allah Almighty having broken his pledge of allegiance, when he comes before Allah on the Day of Resurrection he will be afflicted with leprosy. Whoever leaves obedience by a hand-span has removed the collar of Islam from his neck. Whoever reaches the morning in a state in which he owes no obedience to the ruler of the (Muslim) community, when Allah Almighty raises him on the Day of Resurrection, He will raise him as one who died the death of the Age of Ignorance (jahiliyyah), and on the Day of Resurrection his banner of treachery will be at his back."
Al-Tabarani recorded it. Its chain contains Umar bin Ruwaybah, who is matruk (abandoned).

Bishr bin Harb narrates: Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) came to Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: "O Abu Sa'id, I have been told that you pledged allegiance to two rulers before the people had gathered upon a single ruler." He said: "Yes. I first pledged allegiance to Ibn al-Zubayr; then the people of Syria came and drove me to Hubaysh bin Dulajah, so I pledged allegiance to him as well." Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: "This is what I feared, this is what I feared." (Hammad raised his voice when narrating it the second time.) Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "O Abu Abd al-Rahman, have you not heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: 'Whoever is able not to sleep during the day, nor reach the morning or the evening, except with a ruler over him (let him do so)'?" Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) replied: "Yes, but I dislike pledging allegiance to two rulers before the people have gathered upon a single ruler."
Ahmad recorded it. The narrator Bishr bin Harb is da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna al-Miqdam bin Ma'dikarib (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates this saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "Obey your rulers, whoever they may be. If they command you with something that I have brought to you, they will be rewarded for it and you will be rewarded for obeying them. And if they command you with something that I have not brought to you, its burden will be upon them and you will be free of it. That is because when you come before Allah Almighty, you will say: 'Our Lord, there is no injustice.' They will say: 'There is no injustice.' Then you will say: 'Our Lord, You sent messengers to us, and we obeyed them by Your leave; then You appointed successors over us, and we obeyed them by Your leave; then You appointed rulers over us, and we obeyed them by Your leave.' Then the Lord will say: 'You have spoken the truth. Its burden is upon them and you are free of it.'"
Al-Tabarani recorded it. Its chain contains Ishaq bin Ibrahim bin Zibriq, whom Abu Hatim declared thiqah (trustworthy) and al-Nasa'i (may Allah have mercy on him) declared da'if (weak). The remaining narrators of this report are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna al-Miqdam bin Ma'dikarib (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna Abu Umamah al-Bahili (may Allah be pleased with him) narrate: A man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: "O Messenger of Allah, if this matter (that is, rule) is to remain among your people, then instruct them regarding us." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I urge you to fear Allah regarding my Ummah; do not transgress against my Ummah after me." Then he said to the people: "Soon after me there will be rulers; render to them the obedience due to them, for the ruler is like a shield by which one is protected. If they set your affairs right with good, you will be rewarded and they will be rewarded too; and if they do wrong in what they command you, its burden will be upon them and you will be free of it." After this the narrator mentioned the full hadith.
Al-Tabarani recorded it. Its chain contains Muhammad bin Isma'il bin Ayyash, who is da'if (weak).

It is reported about Sayyiduna Yazid bin Salamah al-Ju'fi (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: "O Messenger of Allah, what is your view: if after you rulers are set over us who take from us the right that is due from us, but withhold from us the right that Allah Almighty has made ours, shall we fight those rulers and disobey them?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The burden of what they have done will be upon them, and the responsibility for what you have done will be upon you."
Al-Tabarani recorded it. Its chain contains Ubayd bin Ubaydah, and I do not know him. The remaining narrators of this report are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Abu Layla al-Ash'ari (may Allah be pleased with him), a Companion of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), narrates from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: "Hold firmly to obedience to your rulers and do not oppose them, for obedience to them is obedience to Allah Almighty, and disobedience to them is disobedience to Allah Almighty. Indeed, Allah Almighty has sent me to call to His path with wisdom and good admonition. Whoever succeeds me after me will be my ally; and whoever is put in charge of any of your affairs and acts otherwise, upon him is the curse of Allah Almighty, the angels and all mankind. Soon there will be rulers who, if mercy is sought from them, will not show mercy; if the right is asked of them, will not give it; and if they are commanded to do good, will refuse. Soon you will fear them, and your unity will be scattered, until, whenever they bind you to something, you will have to do it willingly or unwillingly. The more fitting course is that you do not take a stipend from them and do not attend their gatherings."
Al-Tabarani recorded it. Its chain contains a group of narrators whom I do not know.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: I saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gesturing like this with his blessed hand as he said: "Whoever separates from the community of the Muslims by a hand-span has removed the collar of Islam from his neck. And those who oppose with their banners will hold those banners on their backs on the Day of Resurrection." After this the narrator mentioned the full hadith, part of which is mentioned in the Sahih.
Al-Tabarani recorded it. Its chain contains Husayn bin Qays, who is da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Sa'd bin Junadah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever separates from the community (jama'ah) will go into Hell on his face. Allah Almighty says: 'Who answers the distressed one when he calls upon Him and removes the harm, and makes you successors on the earth?' So the caliphate is from Allah Almighty. If he (the ruler) is good, he will take it (its reward) away, and if he is bad, he will be held to account for it. You must obey in what Allah Almighty has commanded you."
Al-Tabarani recorded it. Its chain contains a group of narrators whom I do not know.

Sayyiduna Fadalah bin Ubayd (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates this saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "There are three kinds of people who will not be asked about: a man who separates from the community (jama'ah), disobeys his ruler and dies in a state of disobedience; a male or female slave who runs away from his master; and a woman whose husband is absent, having provided her with all her worldly needs, and after him she displays her adornment. These will not be asked about."
Al-Tabarani recorded it, and its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna al-Zibriqan bin Badr (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that he came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and mentioned some things. Sayyiduna al-Zibriqan (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "O Messenger of Allah, we bear witness." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "No, O Zibriqan, listen to Allah and His Messenger and obey." He said: "Hearing and obedience to Allah and His Messenger."
(Allamah al-Haythami says:) I found it like this in the original, heard copy.
Al-Tabarani recorded it.

Sayyiduna Amr al-Bikali (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saying: "When there are rulers over you who command you to pray, to wage jihad and to give zakah, then reviling them is forbidden to you, and praying behind them is lawful for you."
This narration has been recorded by Imam al-Tabarani.

In one of his narrations the wording is: Abu Tamimah narrates: I came to Syria seeking the obligatory share, and there was a man there around whom people were circling. I asked: "Who is this man?" The people said: "This is Sayyiduna Amr al-Bikali (may Allah be pleased with him), whose hand was lost in the Battle of Yarmuk." That was on the occasion when the Romans were driven out of Syria. The narrator says: I heard him narrating that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: after this the narrator mentioned the narration as before. The chain of this narration contains one narrator, Mujja'ah bin al-Zubayr al-Ataki, whom Imam Ahmad declared thiqah (trustworthy), while others declared him da'if (weak); the remaining narrators of this narration are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Adi bin Hatim (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: We said: "O Messenger of Allah! We are not asking you about obeying one who is God-fearing and acts righteously, but about one who does such and such" (he mentioned evil) (what are we to do about him?). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Fear Allah Almighty, and listen and obey."
This narration has been recorded by Imam al-Tabarani. Its chain contains one narrator, Uthman bin Qays, and he is da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Arfajah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saying: "The hand of Allah Almighty's mercy is with the Jama'ah (the united community), and Satan is with the one who separates from them, and he kicks him along."
This narration has been recorded by Imam al-Tabarani, and its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).

Zirr bin Hubaysh narrates: When the people objected to the conduct of al-Walid bin Uqbah bin Abi Mu'ayt, they hurried in alarm to Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him). Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Be patient, for your ruler's oppression for fifty years is better than a single month of killing and turmoil. The reason is that I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saying: 'People must have a ruler, whether he is righteous or sinful. If he is righteous, does justice in distribution and divides your fay' (spoils) among you equally, then well and good; and if he is sinful, then the believer will be put to trial under his rule. And bad rule is better than harj.' It was asked: 'O Messenger of Allah! What is meant by harj?' He said: 'Killing and lying.'"
This narration has been recorded by Imam al-Tabarani. Its chain contains one narrator, Wahbullah bin Rizq, and I do not know him; the remaining narrators of this narration are thiqat (trustworthy).

It is reported about Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) that once he was among some Companions when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came to them. He said: "Do you not know that I am the Messenger of Allah to you?" We said: "Yes, you are the Messenger of Allah." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Do you not know that whoever obeys me has obeyed Allah Almighty, for obeying me is part of obeying Allah Almighty?" The people said: "Yes, we bear witness that whoever obeys Allah Almighty will obey you as well, and obeying you is part of obeying Allah Almighty." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Part of obeying Allah Almighty is that you obey me, and part of obeying me is that you obey your commanders (umara'). Obey your commanders; if they pray sitting, then you too should pray sitting."
This narration has been recorded by Imam Abu Ya'la. Imam Ahmad recorded a similar narration in abridged form; however, he narrated the word "a'immah" (leaders) in place of the word "umara'" (commanders).

It is reported about Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: "O people, it is incumbent on you to hold to obedience and to stay with the Jama'ah (the united community), for it is the rope of Allah Almighty which Allah Almighty has commanded. What you dislike in the Jama'ah is better than what you like in separation."
This narration has been mentioned by Imam al-Tabarani within a long hadith which will come later in the Book of Trials (Fitan), if Allah wills. Its chain contains one narrator, Thabit bin Qutbah, whom I do not know; the remaining narrators of this narration are thiqat (trustworthy).

Al-Harith bin Qays narrates: Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said to me: "O Harith bin Qays! Would it not please you to live in the middle of Paradise?" Harith replied: "Yes." So Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Then stay with the Jama'ah (the united body) of the people."
This narration has been recorded by Imam al-Tabarani, and its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).