✍ Written by: Imran Ayyub Lahori
The word “Imāmah” (إمامة) means leadership or caliphate. It is derived from the root أمّ (to lead or to be in front).
The term “Imām” refers to a Khalīfah (Caliph), Amīr (commander), or administrator.
[Al-Munjid, p. 44; Al-Qāmūs al-Muḥīṭ, p. 971]
Imāmah (the Caliphate) is a general leadership that succeeds the Prophet ﷺ in:
[Iklīl al-Karāmah fī Tabiyān Maqāṣid al-Imāmah by Ṣiddīq Ḥasan Khān, p. 23]
① Prophetic Hadith:
الائمة من قريش
“The leaders (imāms) shall be from Quraysh.”
[Musnad Aḥmad, 11859]
② Another Hadith:
عليكم بسنتى و سنة الخلفاء الراشدين المهديين
“Adhere to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the Rightly Guided Caliphs after me.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ Abī Dāwūd: 3851; Sunan Ibn Mājah: 42; Sunan al-Tirmidhī: 2600]
③ Another Hadith:
الخلافة بعدى ثلاثون سنة ثم تكون ملكا
“The Caliphate after me will last for thirty years, then it will turn into kingship.”
[Ibn Ḥibbān: 1943, 15/392]
Imām al-Shawkānī رحمه الله wrote:
After the Prophet ﷺ passed away, the Companions prioritized appointing a leader. They pledged allegiance to Abū Bakr رضي الله عنه, then to ʿUmar رضي الله عنه, then to ʿUthmān رضي الله عنه, and after his martyrdom to ʿAlī رضي الله عنه, followed by Ḥasan رضي الله عنه.
This practice continued across generations — every time a ruler passed away, another was chosen without dispute. This consensus of the Ummah has remained from the Prophet’s time until today.
[Al-Sayl al-Jarrār, 4/504]
The Companions and Tābi‘īn reached consensus (ijmā‘) on the obligation of Imāmah and Khilāfah.
[Al-Fiqh al-Islāmī wa Adillatuh, 8/6147]
Human society naturally faces conflicts and disputes due to personal desires and greed.
Without a ruler to organize rights and duties, society would fall into chaos and destruction.
Thus, the establishment of a Sultan (ruler) is essential for maintaining order.
[Al-Fiqh al-Islāmī wa Adillatuh, 8/6149]
Imām al-Māwardī رحمه الله said:
“The establishment of Imāmah is a Farḍ Kifāyah (collective obligation). When one qualified person fulfills it, the obligation is lifted from others.”
[Al-Aḥkām al-Sulṭāniyyah, p. 3]
Scholars’ Consensus:
Ahl al-Sunnah, Murji’ah, and Shī‘ah all agree on the obligation of establishing leadership.
[Uṣūl al-Dīn al-Baghdādī, p. 271; Al-Aḥkām al-Sulṭāniyyah, p. 3; Ḥujjatullāh al-Bālighah, 2/110]
Ibn Ḥazm رحمه الله said:
“All groups — Ahl al-Sunnah, Murji’ah, Shī‘ah, and Khawārij — agree upon the obligation of appointing a ruler who enforces Allah’s laws and governs the Ummah according to the Prophet’s ﷺ Sharī‘ah.”
[Al-Fiṣal fī al-Milal wa al-Niḥal, 4/87; Al-Muḥallā, 9/438; Marātib al-Ijmā‘, p. 124]
Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله stated:
“It must be known that governance of the people’s affairs is among the greatest obligations of the religion. The religion can only be established through it. Human welfare depends on mutual cooperation, and for every group, an Amīr (leader) is essential.”
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“When three people travel together, they should appoint one among them as Amīr.”
[Al-Siyāsah al-Shar‘iyyah, p. 161]
① Allah Almighty said:
﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَأُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنكُمْ﴾
“O you who believe! Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger, and those in authority among you.”
[Surah al-Nisā’, 4:59]
② Hadith of Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه:
ومن يطع الأمير فقد أطاعني ومن يعص الأمير فقد عصاني
“Whoever obeys the ruler has obeyed me, and whoever disobeys the ruler has disobeyed me.”
[Al-Bukhārī: 2957; Muslim: 1835; Al-Nasā’ī: 7/154; Ibn Mājah: 2859]
③ Hadith of Anas رضي الله عنه:
اسمعوا وأطيعوا، وإن استعمل عليكم عبد حبشي كأن رأسه زبيبة
“Listen and obey, even if a black slave is appointed over you as your leader, whose head is like a raisin.”
[Al-Bukhārī: 7142, Kitāb al-Aḥkām]
④ Hadith of Ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنهما:
على المرء المسلم السمع والطاعة فيما أحب أو كره إلا أن يؤمر بمعصية فإن أمر بمعصية فلا سمع ولا طاعة
“It is obligatory upon a Muslim to listen and obey whether he likes it or dislikes it, unless he is commanded to commit sin. If he is commanded with sin, then there is no listening or obedience.”
[Al-Bukhārī: 7144, Kitāb al-Aḥkām]
⑤ Hadith of ʿAlī رضي الله عنه:
لا طاعة فى المعصية إنما الطاعة فى المعروف
“There is no obedience in disobedience (to Allah); obedience is only in what is right and good.”
[Al-Bukhārī: 7257; Muslim: 1840; Abū Dāwūd: 2625]
✿ Obedience to the Rulers is Obligatory — Except in Disobedience to Allah
◈ Linguistic Explanation
The word “Imāmah” (إمامة) means leadership or caliphate. It is derived from the root أمّ (to lead or to be in front).
The term “Imām” refers to a Khalīfah (Caliph), Amīr (commander), or administrator.
[Al-Munjid, p. 44; Al-Qāmūs al-Muḥīṭ, p. 971]◈ Shar‘ī Definition
Imāmah (the Caliphate) is a general leadership that succeeds the Prophet ﷺ in:
- Reviving religious sciences,
- Establishing the pillars of Islam,
- Maintaining Jihād and organizing its armies,
- Distributing spoils (ghanīmah and fay’),
- Administering justice,
- Enforcing ḥudūd (legal punishments),
- Eliminating oppression,
- Enjoining good and forbidding evil —
all for the purpose of establishing the dīn (religion) of Allah on earth.
[Iklīl al-Karāmah fī Tabiyān Maqāṣid al-Imāmah by Ṣiddīq Ḥasan Khān, p. 23]✿ Legitimacy of Imāmah (Leadership)
① Prophetic Hadith:
الائمة من قريش
“The leaders (imāms) shall be from Quraysh.”
[Musnad Aḥmad, 11859]② Another Hadith:
عليكم بسنتى و سنة الخلفاء الراشدين المهديين
“Adhere to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the Rightly Guided Caliphs after me.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ Abī Dāwūd: 3851; Sunan Ibn Mājah: 42; Sunan al-Tirmidhī: 2600]③ Another Hadith:
الخلافة بعدى ثلاثون سنة ثم تكون ملكا
“The Caliphate after me will last for thirty years, then it will turn into kingship.”
[Ibn Ḥibbān: 1943, 15/392]✿ Consensus of the Companions and Scholars on the Necessity of Leadership
Imām al-Shawkānī رحمه الله wrote:
After the Prophet ﷺ passed away, the Companions prioritized appointing a leader. They pledged allegiance to Abū Bakr رضي الله عنه, then to ʿUmar رضي الله عنه, then to ʿUthmān رضي الله عنه, and after his martyrdom to ʿAlī رضي الله عنه, followed by Ḥasan رضي الله عنه.
This practice continued across generations — every time a ruler passed away, another was chosen without dispute. This consensus of the Ummah has remained from the Prophet’s time until today.
[Al-Sayl al-Jarrār, 4/504]The Companions and Tābi‘īn reached consensus (ijmā‘) on the obligation of Imāmah and Khilāfah.
[Al-Fiqh al-Islāmī wa Adillatuh, 8/6147]Human society naturally faces conflicts and disputes due to personal desires and greed.
Without a ruler to organize rights and duties, society would fall into chaos and destruction.
Thus, the establishment of a Sultan (ruler) is essential for maintaining order.
[Al-Fiqh al-Islāmī wa Adillatuh, 8/6149]Imām al-Māwardī رحمه الله said:
“The establishment of Imāmah is a Farḍ Kifāyah (collective obligation). When one qualified person fulfills it, the obligation is lifted from others.”
[Al-Aḥkām al-Sulṭāniyyah, p. 3]Scholars’ Consensus:
Ahl al-Sunnah, Murji’ah, and Shī‘ah all agree on the obligation of establishing leadership.
[Uṣūl al-Dīn al-Baghdādī, p. 271; Al-Aḥkām al-Sulṭāniyyah, p. 3; Ḥujjatullāh al-Bālighah, 2/110]Ibn Ḥazm رحمه الله said:
“All groups — Ahl al-Sunnah, Murji’ah, Shī‘ah, and Khawārij — agree upon the obligation of appointing a ruler who enforces Allah’s laws and governs the Ummah according to the Prophet’s ﷺ Sharī‘ah.”
[Al-Fiṣal fī al-Milal wa al-Niḥal, 4/87; Al-Muḥallā, 9/438; Marātib al-Ijmā‘, p. 124]Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله stated:
“It must be known that governance of the people’s affairs is among the greatest obligations of the religion. The religion can only be established through it. Human welfare depends on mutual cooperation, and for every group, an Amīr (leader) is essential.”
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“When three people travel together, they should appoint one among them as Amīr.”
[Al-Siyāsah al-Shar‘iyyah, p. 161]✿ Qur’anic and Prophetic Commands to Obey the Ruler
① Allah Almighty said:
﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَأُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنكُمْ﴾
“O you who believe! Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger, and those in authority among you.”
[Surah al-Nisā’, 4:59]② Hadith of Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه:
ومن يطع الأمير فقد أطاعني ومن يعص الأمير فقد عصاني
“Whoever obeys the ruler has obeyed me, and whoever disobeys the ruler has disobeyed me.”
[Al-Bukhārī: 2957; Muslim: 1835; Al-Nasā’ī: 7/154; Ibn Mājah: 2859]③ Hadith of Anas رضي الله عنه:
اسمعوا وأطيعوا، وإن استعمل عليكم عبد حبشي كأن رأسه زبيبة
“Listen and obey, even if a black slave is appointed over you as your leader, whose head is like a raisin.”
[Al-Bukhārī: 7142, Kitāb al-Aḥkām]④ Hadith of Ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنهما:
على المرء المسلم السمع والطاعة فيما أحب أو كره إلا أن يؤمر بمعصية فإن أمر بمعصية فلا سمع ولا طاعة
“It is obligatory upon a Muslim to listen and obey whether he likes it or dislikes it, unless he is commanded to commit sin. If he is commanded with sin, then there is no listening or obedience.”
[Al-Bukhārī: 7144, Kitāb al-Aḥkām]⑤ Hadith of ʿAlī رضي الله عنه:
لا طاعة فى المعصية إنما الطاعة فى المعروف
“There is no obedience in disobedience (to Allah); obedience is only in what is right and good.”
[Al-Bukhārī: 7257; Muslim: 1840; Abū Dāwūd: 2625]
Conclusion
- The establishment of leadership (Imāmah) is a collective religious obligation.
- Obedience to the ruler is wājib (compulsory) as long as it does not involve disobedience to Allah.
- Disobedience is prohibited only when the ruler commands what is contrary to Sharī‘ah.
- Unity under leadership preserves religion, justice, and order — while rebellion leads to chaos and destruction.
