It has been narrated on the authority of Umm Salamah that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: In the near future there will be Amirs and you will like their good deeds and dislike their bad deeds. One who sees through their bad deeds (and tries to prevent their repetition by his band or through his speech), is absolved from blame, but one who hates their bad deeds (in the heart of his heart, being unable to prevent their recurrence by his hand or his tongue), is (also) fafe ( so far as God's wrath is concerned). But one who approves of their bad deeds and imitates them is spiritually ruined. People asked (the Holy Prophet): Shouldn't we fight against them? He replied: No, as long as they say their prayers.
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It has been narrated (through a different chain of tmnamitters) on the authority of Umm Salamah (wife of the Holy Prophet) that he said: Amirs will be appointed over you, and you will find them doing good as well as bad deeds. One who hates their bad deeds is absolved from blame. One who disapproves of their bad deeds is (also) safe (so far as Divine wrath is concerned). But one who approves of their bad deeds and imitates them (is doomed). People asked: Messenger of Allah, shouldn't we fight against them? He replied: No, as long as they say their prayer. (" Hating and disapproving" refers to liking and disliking from the heart.)
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Another version of the tradition narrated on the same authority attributes the same words to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) except that it replaces kariha with ankhara and vice versa.
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Another version omits a portion at the end of the tradition-a portion which begins with man radiya wa taba and ends with the last word of the tradition.
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Related hadith on this topic
Explanation & Benefits
Shaykh Dr. Abdur Rahman Freywai
Explanation:
1:
If the rejection of the evil (munkar) is done verbally, then such a person is free from hypocrisy.
And the one who dislikes it in his heart will remain safe from the evil and consequences of that munkar.
But whoever approves of it and is pleased with it, then he is with those who commit the evil,
meaning, he will also be deserving of the same punishment that they are deserving of.
If the perpetrators of evil are rulers but they are regular in performing prayer (salah),
then fighting against them has been prohibited so that people may remain safe from tribulation (fitnah),
and so that the Ummah does not fall into discord and division.
However, the one who abandons the regular performance of prayer is a disbeliever (kafir),
therefore, fighting against him is permissible.
Source: Sunan al-Tirmidhi – Majlis ‘Ilmi Dar al-Da‘wah, New Delhi Edition, Page: 2265
Shaykh Umar Farooq Saeedi
Benefits and Issues:
➊ Prayer (salah) is such an act that its observance becomes a barrier for a person against even the gravest of sins, including killing and fighting, except in the case where one commits the well-known prescribed limits (hudud).
➋ And it is not permissible to revolt (khuruj) against such rulers (umara) who perform the prayer. If they abandon the prayer, then the issue is a matter of scholarly disagreement.
➌ If a person is not able to change the legally prohibited acts (shar‘i munkarat) and oppression upon the subjects with force, then it is obligatory to denounce and recognize them as evil at least with the tongue, or at the very least in the heart; otherwise, there is no faith (iman).
➍ Being pleased with the oppression of the oppressors and becoming their helper is a cause of destruction in this world and the Hereafter.
Source: Sunan Abu Dawood – Commentary by Shaykh Umar Farooq Saeedi, Page: 4760