It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever withdraws from obedience and separates from the congregation dies the death of ignorance, and whoever takes up the sword against my Ummah, striking the righteous and the wicked alike, and does not honor the covenant of anyone who has a covenant, he is not from my Ummah. And whoever is killed under a blind banner, showing anger for tribalism, fighting for tribalism, and calling towards tribalism, if he dies, he dies the death of ignorance."
Hadith Referenceمسند اسحاق بن راهويه / كتاب الامارة / 884
Hadith Takhrij«السابق»
Explanation & Benefits
Hafiz Abdush Shakoor Tirmidhi
Benefits: ➊ ... From the aforementioned hadith, it is understood that one should not abandon obedience to Muslim rulers; rather, one should live life in obedience to them. And whoever, fleeing from the obedience of the leader like the people of ignorance, dies in such a state, then it is as if he has died a death of ignorance (jahiliyyah). In another hadith, it is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas radi Allahu anhu that the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said: “Listen and obey, even if an Abyssinian slave is appointed as your ruler, as if his head is like a raisin (i.e., as small as a grape, which seems very strange to people).” (Bukhari, Kitab al-Ahkam, Bab al-Sam‘ wa’l-Ta‘ah lil-Imam, No. 7152)
➋ ... It is understood that separating oneself from the congregation (jama‘ah) of Muslims is also a very great crime, and by congregation is meant Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jama‘ah—those whose creed is tawhid and who are followers of the Sunnah. In another hadith, it is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Dharr radi Allahu anhu that the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said: “Whoever separates himself from the congregation even by a handspan has thrown off the rope of Islam from his neck.” (Sunan Abi Dawud, No. 4758)
➌ ... It is understood that fighting under the banner of misguidance is a very great crime. This means that joining a group without investigation and fighting against another group, or a person fighting merely for his family, friendship, or his own party—if such a group is even upon the truth, still the one who dies in this way dies a death of ignorance (jahiliyyah), because his intention was not to support the truth but to support his own party. For before Islam, people used to fight for their tribes and clans, without distinguishing between right and wrong; Islam has declared such fighting to be unlawful.