There is no obedience in disobedience to Allah

Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: Sayyiduna Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "O Messenger of Allah! What is your view: if there come over us rulers who do not follow your Sunnah and do not adopt your command, then what do you command us regarding them?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever does not obey Allah is not to be obeyed."
This narration has been recorded by Imam Ahmad and Imam Abu Ya'la. Its chain contains one narrator, Amr bin Zaynab, and I do not know him; and the narrators of this narration are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin al-Samit (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: Ziyad wanted to appoint Sayyiduna Imran bin Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) as governor of Khurasan, but he refused. His companions said: "Have you given up becoming governor of Khurasan?" He said: "By Allah! It does not please me that its heat should fall on me while its coolness goes to the people. I fear that when I am facing the enemy, a letter will come from Ziyad; if I carry on, I will be destroyed, and if I come back, my neck will be struck off." The narrator says: Then Ziyad offered the post of governor to Sayyiduna al-Hakam bin Amr al-Ghifari (may Allah be pleased with him), and he accepted it. The narrator says: Sayyiduna Imran (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Will someone not call al-Hakam to me?" The messenger went. Sayyiduna al-Hakam (may Allah be pleased with him) came to Sayyiduna Imran (may Allah be pleased with him), and when he came in to him, Sayyiduna Imran (may Allah be pleased with him) said to Sayyiduna al-Hakam (may Allah be pleased with him): "Did you hear the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saying: 'There is no obedience to anyone in disobedience to Allah Almighty'?" He replied: "Yes!" Sayyiduna Imran (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "All praise belongs to Allah Almighty" (the narrator is in doubt; perhaps the words were:) "Allah Almighty is the Greatest."

In one narration the wording is: It is reported from al-Hasan that Ziyad appointed Sayyiduna al-Hakam al-Ghifari (may Allah be pleased with him) as commander of an army. Sayyiduna Imran bin Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) came to him, met him among the people and said: "Do you know why I have come to you?" He asked: "Why have you come?" Sayyiduna Imran (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Do you remember the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to the man whose commander had told him: 'Enter the fire!' But then that man was caught hold of and was not allowed to enter it. (When later) the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was informed of this, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'If he had entered the fire, both of them (that is, the commander and that man) would have entered the Fire, for there is no obedience (to any creature) in disobedience to Allah Almighty.'" Sayyiduna al-Hakam al-Ghifari (may Allah be pleased with him) replied: "Yes!" Sayyiduna Imran (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "I came intending only to remind you of this hadith."
This narration has been recorded by Imam Ahmad with various wordings, and by Imam al-Tabarani in abridged form. In some of its routes the wording is: "There is no obedience to the creature in disobedience to the Creator." The narrators of Imam Ahmad are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Imran (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna al-Hakam bin Amr al-Ghifari (may Allah be pleased with him) report that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "There is no obedience to anyone in disobedience to Allah Almighty."
This narration has been recorded by Imam al-Bazzar, and by Imam al-Tabarani in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir and al-Mu'jam al-Awsat; the narrators of Imam al-Bazzar are the narrators of the Sahih.

This narration is reported from Isma'il bin Ubayd al-Ansari: after mentioning the complete hadith he reported the following: Sayyiduna Ubadah (may Allah be pleased with him) said to Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him): "O Abu Hurayrah! You were not with us when we gave our pledge of allegiance to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). We pledged that we would listen and obey whether energetic or sluggish (that is, in every state), that we would spend in prosperity and hardship (in every state), that we would command what is right and forbid what is wrong, that we would speak according to the command of Allah Almighty and not fear the blame of any blamer concerning Him, and that when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came to us in Yathrib we would help him and protect him from everything from which we protect ourselves, our sons and our wives, and in return we would have Paradise. This was the pledge taken by the Messenger of Allah which we gave. Whoever breaks it, the breaking of it will go against himself, and whoever fulfils the covenant he made with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), Allah Almighty will give him the full reward of the pledge he made with His Prophet (peace be upon him)." Sayyiduna Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) wrote a letter to Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) saying that Sayyiduna Ubadah bin al-Samit (may Allah be pleased with him) was turning Syria and the people of Syria against him: "So either you restrain Sayyiduna Ubadah (may Allah be pleased with him) from me, or else I will no longer stand between him and the people of Syria." Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) wrote to him in reply: "Arrange a mount for Ubadah and send him back to his house in Madinah!" Sayyiduna Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) sent Sayyiduna Ubadah (may Allah be pleased with him) off until he arrived in Madinah. He went in to Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) at his house; at that time there was no one in the house except one man from the forerunners (or, from the Tabi'in) who had met those people. Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) was suddenly aware of Sayyiduna Ubadah (may Allah be pleased with him) sitting in a corner of the house; he turned towards him and said: "O Ubadah! What is the matter between us and you?" Then Sayyiduna Ubadah bin al-Samit (may Allah be pleased with him) stood up among the people and said: I heard Abu al-Qasim Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), the Messenger of Allah, saying: "Soon after me, men will take charge of your affairs who will present to you as right what you regard as wrong, and will present to you as wrong what you regard as right. There is no obedience to one who disobeys Allah Almighty, so do not fall into any error regarding your Lord."
This narration has been recorded by Imam Ahmad in full; he did not say that it is from Isma'il, from his father.
It has also been recorded by Abdullah, the son of Imam Ahmad, and he added in it the words "from his father" (from Isma'il's father); Imam al-Tabarani recorded it likewise. The narrators of both of them are thiqat (trustworthy), except that Isma'il bin Ayyash narrated it from the people of the Hijaz, and his narrations from them are da'if (weak).

Bilal bin Buqtur narrates: One of the Companions of the Prophet was appointed governor of Sijistan. Another Companion of the Prophet met him and said: "Do you remember about the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) that he (peace and blessings be upon him) appointed a man as commander of an army? A fire was lit near that commander, and he said to one of his companions: 'Get up and enter it!' When the Prophet was informed of this, he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'If that man had entered it, both of them would have entered Hell, for there is no obedience to anyone in disobedience to Allah Almighty.'" Then that (other) Companion said (to the Companion who was governor): "I wanted to remind you of this."

In one narration the wording is: "Get up and go into it." That man refused, so the commander insisted on it.

In one narration the wording is: "There is no obedience to anyone in disobedience to Allah Almighty." The Companion who had become commander (that is, governor) replied: "Yes!"
This narration has been recorded by Imam Ahmad in this way as a mursal narration. Its chain contains one narrator, Ata' bin al-Sa'ib, who had suffered from confusion (ikhtilat).

It is reported about Sayyiduna Ubadah bin al-Samit (may Allah be pleased with him) that once some donkeys loaded with wine passed by him; Sayyiduna Ubadah (may Allah be pleased with him) was in Syria at that time. He took a blade from the market, went up to the wine-skins and slit them open. Then he said: We pledged allegiance to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that we would listen and obey whether energetic or sluggish, in hardship or in prosperity (that is, in every state), that we would command what is right and forbid what is wrong, that we would speak according to the command of Allah Almighty and the blame of no blamer would seize us concerning Allah Almighty, and that we would (the narrator says: I think he said) help the oppressed and protect him from everything from which we protect ourselves and our children. After this the narrator reported the complete hadith.
This narration has been recorded by Imam al-Bazzar. Its chain contains one narrator, Yusuf bin Khalid al-Samti, and he is da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Sa'd bin Ubadah (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Sa'd! It is incumbent on you to listen and obey, in your hardship and your prosperity, in what you like and what you are compelled to (in every state). And you must not dispute with those in authority, except in the case when they call you to something contrary to what is in the Book of Allah; if they call you to something contrary to what is in the Book of Allah, then follow the Book of Allah."
This narration has been recorded by Imam al-Bazzar. Its chain contains one narrator, Husayn bin Umar, and he is extremely da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Abu Utbah al-Khawlani (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet said: "Do not put my Ummah into hardship." He (peace and blessings be upon him) said this three times and then said: "O Allah! Whoever gives my Ummah a command which You have not given them, they will be free of him (so that they need not obey that command of his)."
This narration has been recorded by Imam al-Bazzar. Its chain contains one narrator, Ibrahim bin Muhammad bin Ziyad, and I do not know him; the remaining narrators of this narration are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Ubadah bin al-Samit (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Soon after me there will be rulers who will command you to do things that you regard as right, while they themselves will do things that you regard as wrong; they will not be your leaders."
This narration has been recorded by Imam al-Tabarani. Its chain contains one narrator, al-A'sha bin Abd al-Rahman, and I do not know him; the remaining narrators of this narration are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saying: "Accept the state stipends as long as they remain stipends; when they become a bribe concerning the religion, then do not accept them. But you will not give them up, because they keep you from poverty and need. Beware! The millstone of Islam is turning, so turn with the rulings of the Book wherever it turns. Beware! The Book and the ruler will soon part from each other, so do not separate from the Book. Beware! Soon there will be rulers over you who will give judgements for themselves which they will not give in your favour; if you disobey them they will kill you, and if you obey them they will lead you astray." The people said: "O Messenger of Allah! Then what should we do?" The Prophet said: "Do as the companions of Sayyiduna Isa bin Maryam (peace be upon him) did: they were sawn apart with saws and crucified on wood (that is, they embraced death), for dying while obeying Allah Almighty is better than living in disobedience to Allah Almighty."
This narration has been recorded by Imam al-Tabarani. The narrator named Yazid bin Marthad did not hear from Sayyiduna Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him); al-Wadin bin Ata' was declared thiqah (trustworthy) by Ibn Hibban and others, while a group declared him da'if (weak); the remaining narrators of this narration are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Abu Sulalah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Soon there will be rulers over you who will control your provision. When they speak to you they will lie, and when they act they will do evil. They will not be pleased with you until you declare their ugly deeds good and confirm them in their lies. Give them what is due to them as long as they are content with what is due; and when they go beyond that, then whoever is killed in such a situation will be counted a martyr."
This narration has been recorded by Imam al-Tabarani. Its chain contains one narrator, Asim bin Ubaydullah, and he is da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Abu Hisham al-Sulami (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Soon there will be rulers over you who will be masters of your necks. When they speak to you they will lie, and when they act they will do evil. They will not be pleased with you until you declare their ugly deeds fine and confirm their lies. But give them what is due to them as long as they are content with that (due)."
This narration has been recorded by Imam al-Tabarani. Its chain contains one narrator, Asim bin Ubaydullah, and he is da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "After me there will be rulers who will do both good and evil. Whoever casts them off will be saved; whoever keeps away from them will remain safe; and whoever mingles with them will be destroyed."
This narration has been recorded by Imam al-Tabarani. Its chain contains one narrator, Hayyaj bin Bistam, and he is da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Thawban (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Remain upright towards Quraysh as long as they remain upright towards you. When they do not do so, place your swords upon your shoulders and destroy their great ones (that is, their rulers). If you do not do so, then in that case become (like) wretched farmers and eat from the toil of your own hands."
This narration has been recorded by Imam al-Tabarani in al-Mu'jam al-Saghir and al-Mu'jam al-Awsat; the narrators of al-Mu'jam al-Saghir are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna al-Nu'man bin Bashir (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saying: "Remain upright towards Quraysh as long as they remain upright towards you. If they do not remain upright towards you, place your swords upon your shoulders and destroy their great ones (that is, their rulers)."
This narration has been recorded by Imam al-Tabarani, and its chain contains a narrator whom I do not know.

Sayyiduna Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "What I fear most for my Ummah are three: a man who reads the Book of Allah until its radiance can be seen upon him, and the cloak of Islam which Allah Almighty has granted him is upon him; then that man will draw his sword, attack his neighbour with it and accuse him of shirk (associating partners with Allah)." It was asked: "O Messenger of Allah! Is the one who strikes (or accuses) more deserving of it (that is, of shirk), or the one who is struck (that is, accused)?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The one who strikes (or accuses) is more deserving (of that shirk). And a man to whom Allah Almighty grants authority, and he then says: 'Whoever obeys me has obeyed Allah, and whoever disobeys me has disobeyed Allah,' while that statement of his is a lie; no caliph has the right to be a shield in front of the Creator. And a man who treats narrating hadith lightly: whenever one story of his ends, he begins narrating a longer one than it; he will reach the Dajjal and follow him."
This narration has been recorded by Imam al-Tabarani in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir, and something similar in al-Mu'jam al-Saghir. Its chain contains one narrator, Shahr bin Hawshab, and he is da'if (weak), though his hadith is written down.

Maghra' narrates: When Ibn Amir came to Syria, as many of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) as Allah willed, along with other people, came to him; only Sayyiduna Abu al-Darda' (may Allah be pleased with him) did not come to him. So he said: "Why is it that Sayyiduna Abu al-Darda' (may Allah be pleased with him) has not come to me? I will certainly go to him and fulfil his right." Then he came to Sayyiduna Abu al-Darda' (may Allah be pleased with him), greeted him with salam and said: "Your companions came to me, but you did not come to me, so I preferred to come to you and fulfil your right." Sayyiduna Abu al-Darda' said: "You have never been smaller in the sight of Allah Almighty, nor in my sight, than you are today, for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded us that when you (that is, the rulers) change, we too should change towards you."
This narration has been recorded by Imam al-Tabarani. Its chain contains one narrator, Layth bin Abi Sulaym, and he is a mudallis; the remaining narrators of this narration are thiqat (trustworthy).