The commander of a raiding party who orders disobedience, and those who said: he is not to be obeyed

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 an expedition and appointed a man of the Ansar as their commander, and he ordered the people to listen to him and obey him. The commander became angry with the men of the army over some matter. He ordered: "Gather firewood," and they gathered firewood for him. He ordered: "Light a fire," and they lit the fire. He asked them: "Were you not ordered to listen to me and obey me?" They said: "Of course." The commander ordered: "Then enter the fire." The narrator said: Some of them looked at one another and said: "We fled to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) from the Fire itself." The narrator said: While they were in this state, his anger cooled and the fire died out. He said: Then when they returned to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), they mentioned this incident to him (peace and blessings be upon him). He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "If they had entered that fire, they would not have come out of it. Obedience to the commander is only in what is good."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Listening and obeying is binding on the Muslim in what he likes and what he dislikes, so long as he is not ordered to commit a sin; and whoever orders a sin, there is no listening to him and no obedience."

Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent Sayyiduna Alqamah (may Allah be pleased with him) as commander of an expedition, and I was also in that army. When he reached Ra's Uranah, or was somewhere on the way, a group from the army asked his permission. He gave them permission and appointed Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Hudhafah al-Sahmi (may Allah be pleased with him) as their commander, and I was among those who fought alongside him. While they were on the way, the people lit a fire to warm themselves or to cook something on it. Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) was given to joking. He said: "Is it not binding on you to obey me?" The people said: "Of course." He (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "If I order you to do something, will you carry it out?" The people said: "Yes." He said: "I have resolved concerning you that you leap into this fire." Some people stood up and got ready to leap. When he was certain that they would leap into it, he said: "Hold yourselves back; I was only joking with you." Then when we returned and this was mentioned before the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever orders you to do a sinful thing, do not obey him."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Obedience to a creature (a human being) is not permissible in disobedience to Allah."

Something similar is reported from Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him).

Suwayd bin Ghafalah said: Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said to me: "O Abu Umayyah, I do not know whether I will meet you again after this year. Obey your commander, even if a slave from Abyssinia with a cut ear is your commander. If he beats you, be patient; if he deprives you of something, be patient; and if he intends something that would diminish your religion, say to him: 'Listening and obeying it is, but my blood is sacrificed for my religion.' And do not separate from the community."

Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "The Quraysh are the leaders of the Arabs. The righteous among them are the leaders of the righteous of the Arabs, and the wicked among them are the leaders of the wicked of the Arabs. Every person has a right, so keep giving every person his right until one of you is given a choice between Islam and death. And if one of you is given a choice between Islam and having his neck struck, then let him put his neck forward. May his mother lose him, for after his Islam there is neither this world nor the Hereafter for him."

Utris bin Urqub or Mi'dad (al-A'mash was unsure which) said: "I do not care whether I obey a person in disobedience to Allah or prostrate to this tree."

Umarah said: Mi'dad stopped near a tree and said: "I do not care whether I obey a person in disobedience to Allah or prostrate to this tree instead of Allah."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Imran bin Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Obedience to a creature is not permissible in disobedience to Allah."

Ibn Sirin said: Whenever Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) appointed someone as governor, he would write concerning him: "Obey him as long as he acts justly among you." When he appointed Sayyiduna Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) as governor, he wrote concerning him: "Obey him, and give him whatever he asks of you." Sayyiduna Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) arrived at al-Mada'in riding on a donkey, with a piece of bread and some meat in his hand.

Waki' said: Malik reported from Talhah: He was letting both his legs hang down on one side.

Sallam said: When he read out his letter of appointment to them, they said: "Ask of us." He said: "I ask you for food to eat and fodder for this donkey of mine." He stayed among them as long as Allah willed. Then Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) wrote to him to come back, so he set out. When news of his arrival reached Sayyiduna Umar, he hid himself in a place from where he could see him. When he saw him in the same condition in which he had left him, Sayyiduna Umar came to him, embraced him and said: "You are my brother and I am your brother."

Al-Hasan (may Allah have mercy on him) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Obedience to a creature is not permissible in disobedience to the Creator."