n37 24 The Major Sins Series- Oppressive Ruler

The Major Sins Series - Oppressive Ruler

Speaker: Abu Usamah

Opening

(بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ - bismillahir-rahmanir-rahim)

In the name of Allah, the most gracious, the most merciful.

Introduction to the Thirteenth Major Sin

We are now, insha'Allah, on the Kabira number 13, from the book, Kitab al-Kabaira of Shaykh al-Islam al-Imam al-Dhahabi, rahimahu Allahu ta'ala. And today's chapter is a chapter that's dealing with the fitna that we're living in, in the dunya today.

As it relates to terrorism, and as it relates to other than that, from what has fallen upon this ummah. And that is the chapter of the major crime and the major sin of being the imam, or an imam, or the leader, or a leader of the Muslims. But you are a cheater, you are ghash to your ra'iya.

You're the imam and you're the responsible person for the Muslim, or a Muslim nation, and one of the responsible people from the fuqan, or from the imam. And you are cheating the Muslims as it relates to your responsibility. They are your flock, and you're responsible for them, but you're cheating them.

And it's concerning the leader of the Muslims who is a zalim, or he is a jabbar. He's an oppressive leader. This chapter is the longest chapter in the book of Kitab al-Kabaira.

There's not another chapter that is longer than this chapter by itself. And this chapter has other branches that are connected to it as well, which make it even longer and vaster. And that goes to show that Imam al-Dahabi rahimahullahu ta'ala was a nasih to the imam, the leaders of al-Islam.

And he gave nasihah to them in the correct way. He didn't give nasihah to them by getting on the minbar and causing the hearts of the Muslims to turn against them and to hate them even more. He didn't give them nasihah by trying to undermine their leadership so that he or his group can become people who are in their place.

But he gave them the nasihah by writing books like this in the hopes that other imams from the imam of the deen would teach the people about the religion. The huqoob of the imam over the people who he's in charge of.

So this is the longest chapter in Kitab al-Kabaira.

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The Importance of Balance and Justice

And ikhwani, I have to say that we have to be people who are on the sirat al-mustaqeem in all of our affairs, in our love and our hate. As we were mentioning, ikhwani, concerning al-i'tidal, al-insaf, wal-al-adl. Being fair, balanced, and just in all of our affairs.

This is something that is matloob, it is desired in the deen. And we read surah al-fatihah 17 times every single day. And we ask Allah azza wa jalla to guide us to the middle course of sirat al-mustaqeem.

So we have to be balanced in these issues. Like the issue of terrorism and other than that. As it relates to the issue of terrorism, it is an obligation on every sane Muslim and every leader of the Muslim to take the opportunity to denounce terrorism and to make it clear that this is not from our deen.

But it would be oppressive to have leaders like we have today, who are apologetic about the religion of Al-Islam. And they want to apologize and bend the rules about our religion out of fear. That the munafiqeen from our community or those who hate our religion, out of fear of making them upset.

So we want to come the leaders and change the deen. And say that women don't have to wear hijab. Wallahi they don't represent us.

They don't want to give the other side of the story that even though we denounce terrorism very clearly and concisely without being apologetic. But at the same time we say that the kufar should recognize that they more than the Muslims are responsible for creating people who do that. So they should take responsibility for what they do as well.

So we have imams who, wallahi wala al-imam al-dhahabi mentioned today is applicable to them. They are ghash to the ra'iya. They are cheating us as it relates to giving us instruction and giving us direction.

So we want the balanced side of the story. We don't want it to be too far to the right or too far to the left. So al-imam al-dhahabi did an excellent job in this chapter and other than this chapter of warning any man or woman who takes responsibility of the affairs of the Muslims.

Just two people from the Muslims as you're going to see. And the severity and the seriousness of that if you're not the man for the job.

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Quranic Evidence

Ayah:

So the first ayahs that he bring are the two statements of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala:

The Story of Abu Dharr

The prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam to Abu Dharr al-Ghaffari. Abu Dharr was an individual, ikhwani, who people today would describe him as being anti-sociable. He wasn't an individual who would sit and laugh and play around.

He wasn't like that. He used to make inqar on the people and the people didn't like sitting with Abu Dharr because they would take things lighthearted and there were issues that they had a right to be lighthearted and Abu Dharr wouldn't smile and he wouldn't laugh. He would make inqar and he would tell them about the hellfire.

Tell them about the sacrifices of the companions and how you people are playing around. To the point where even the companions began to complain about Abu Dharr. So Umar radiyallahu anhu took Abu Dharr and told him, Abu Dharr, you have to live outside of Medina by yourself.

Because the people can't tolerate this level that you're on. He was serious. He made inqar on Muawiyah when Muawiyah was the governor of Hisham.

Abu Dharr was with Muawiyah and Abu Dharr at every opportunity would tell Muawiyah, what are you doing? This is not permissible. You people making too much money. You're living an opulent life.

They complained, Ya Umar, you have to do something with Abu Dharr. Umar called to him, Abu Dharr, what's the problem? Abu Dharr gave him all of his complaints and criticisms. Umar radiyallahu anhu didn't say I'm against you Abu Dharr, but he put him to live outside of Medina from the money of the bait to the man.

The people can't handle you Abu Dharr. Despite that the prophet told Abu Dharr radiyallahu anhu:

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1826)

Ya Abu Dharr, verily I see you as a weak person. You're weak.

So I advise you, don't be the emir over two people. If you're traveling and you're two people, the third, you have to have three. You have to choose an emir.

Abu Dharr, you don't allow those two to choose you as the emir, because you're weak. And don't be the one who's responsible for the money of the orphan, Abu Dharr. That's Abu Dharr.

So what about us? So the one who's responsible for ten people, five people, seven people, he has a great responsibility. In another narration of that hadith of Abu Dharr, he told him the problem with being responsible for people, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. And he said about it:

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1825)

It's an amanah to be responsible for people.

In the trip that you're traveling from here to London, it is a responsibility. Being the imam is a responsibility. Talking in front of the Muslims is a responsibility.

Young people are listening to you, and they are barely growing their beards. Their fingernails are barely growing in Islam. And they're listening to you, and they want to make Toba.

And you fill their heads up with nonsense, that the boy goes to kill someone unjustly. And to destroy the lives of innocent Muslims across the nation. It's an amanah.

And it's khizyun in the dunya and the akhirah.

So if you don't find that you have the ability or the knowledge, then no one says that it's your responsibility to be over the people in any shape, form or fashion. The secretary of this masjid is not like the regular man who comes to pray.

The president of this jamiah is not like the regular man who comes to pray. When you take responsibility of the affairs of the Muslims, it means that at times like this and other than this, you're going to be held accountable for your vision and your positions. And what did you do for the Muslims or against the Muslims? For Islam or against Islam?

Hadith:

And the imam al-dhahabi rahimahullahu ta'ala, brought the next statement of Rasulullah صلى الله عليه وسلم which is a dua that Rasulullah used to make.

And he used to say sallallahu alayhi wa sallam:

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1828)

O Allah, anyone who takes responsibility for any of the affairs of the Muslims and he's gentle and shows kindness and mercy towards my ummah, then you O Allah have mercy upon him. And anyone who takes responsibility for the affairs of the Muslims and he's rough and tough with them, and he makes it difficult for them, then you make it difficult for them in the dunya and hereafter.

As they did, O Allah give them the reward for what they had put forth. And then he brought a number of hadith that show that concept.

Hadith:

He said, sallallahu alayhi wa ala alihi wa sallam:

(Sunan al-Nasa'i, Hadith 4207; Jami' al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2259)

He said, verily they are going to be in the end of time from the Muslims. They are going to be leaders from the Muslims who are fasaqah, jawrah. They are people of fisk and they are oppressive. They are bad people in their behavior, in the way that they are, the way they behave, and also they are oppressive.

Whoever believes them in the lies that they tell, and whoever helps them in their zulm, the oppression against the people, then that person is not from me and I'm not from him. And that individual will not be able to drink from my fountain, Yawm al-Qiyamah. So, the reward will be based upon the action.

الْجَزَاءُ مِنْ جِنْسِ الْعَمَلِ

As you do, it will be done to you.

كَمَا تَدِينُ تُدَانُ

That's the meaning of that particular hadith. Now the question, Ikhwani, for those who are always coming to ask, what is the ruling of Islam, my son joining the non-Muslim army? The American non-Muslim army.

What is the ruling of my Muslim son joining the police force? Rasulullah here, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, is talking about the imams, the leaders of the Muslims who are fasaqah, jawrah. Whoever helps them and believes in them, then he will make a dua. That individual will not drink from his water.

Now if it's from the non-Muslim army, it's from the non-Muslim police force, then from the Babylonia, it makes more sense that it's a worse crime. And the punishment is worse. So, it's not permissible.

It's not permissible to help them on their oppression. It's not permissible. So, that's a job that if a man is working in that job, he should get out of that job as soon as possible.

Do I say that he should go AWOL and then get in trouble? No, I don't say that. But he should look for another job. Just like the man who works in a bank, should look for another job.

Should he just stop his job? If he has the ability to do that without making more fit on himself, then yes. But I'm not going to say that's what he has to do. So, the ruling of working for the kuffar in the armed forces, where they are oppressing people, is in this hadith.

Unfortunately, as I mentioned, ikhwani, we have our leaders who want to integrate. And what we want to integrate in, it is without any conditions. We're here, so let's become like the people.

No, Islam doesn't allow you to become like the people. We have our own set of morals, our own set of rules. No one can come to change that.

Islam's Flexibility Within Its Framework

Islam is a religion that has flexibility. And it allows us to coexist. You can live on Mars and practice Islam.

You can live under the Atlantic Ocean, and practice Islam. You can go out of the stratosphere, in that space shuttle, and practice this religion, with the five pillars of Islam. But you cannot bend the rules in Islam, because you're living under the Atlantic Ocean.

You can't bend the rules. You still have to wear hijab, under the Atlantic Ocean. The person says, but there are the fish, the fish can't see me.

But that's what Allah legislated. And no matter what people come to try to make it okay, it's not okay. And that's kufr.

So our morals are different, Ikhwani, and we cannot allow those people, who have put themselves up as our leaders, and they're not qualified or competent, to be the ones who are going to give us direction. And they're using other than the Quran and the Sunnah, for our directions. It's not permissible.

Hadith:

He says:

(Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith 4338; Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 4009)

There is not, and there will not be a group of people, who are more numerous and who are more powerful. And the good ones from amongst them, have more numbers.

But the good ones from amongst them, do not stop them and change what they're doing, except that Allah جَلَّ وَعَزَّ will cause all of them to be punished. Except that Allah will cause all of them to be punished.

Our mother Umm Salimah رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهَا asked Rasulullah صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ when he told the companions about some of the signs of the hour, and how the Muslims were going to be destroyed, a group of Muslims by the Ya'juj and the Ma'juj.

And she asked, Ya Rasulullah, will we be destroyed and with us there will be righteous people? There are going to be righteous people with the Muslims. He said, yes:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 3346; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2880)

All of you will be destroyed, if the evil becomes rampant.

Because the responsibility of the religious ones from amongst you is to make dua, to leave the people, to leave the evil. The responsibility of the Ulama, the religious ones from amongst you is to stop the people and to grab them by their hands. Not to remain silent, but to say something, to give the nasiha in the way that it should be given.

So if there's a lot of evil, then yes, it's just not the ones who are doing the evil who are going to suffer.

Ayah:

Quran 8:25

You people should fear and be aware that fitna, the punishment, that it doesn't just hit the people who are responsible for doing the evil.

I'm going to skip the next hadith. It's not an authentic hadith and it's pretty long. We're going to skip it because of the time. And Imam Al-Zahiri brought the next hadith that has some kalam in it, but because of the many train of narrations, it is authentic.

Hadith:

He said:

Reference: Al-Mu'jam al-Awsat by al-Tabarani

There are three from my ummah who will not receive my shafa'a on the Day of Resurrection.

The people are going to die and they're going to be in need of the shafa'at al-kubra. Rasulullah's ability (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) to have intercession for us. The people of the Kaaba, people will be in the hellfire.

And Rasulullah will come (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) and no other prophet or nabi will be able to do it. He'll be the only one who will get the people out of the hellfire. But there are a group of people, two groups, who will not receive my shafa'a on the Day of Resurrection.

The first one is the imam who is extremely oppressive and he's a cheat. He steals the money. And again, ikhwani, we have to be balanced.

The dawah of the Qur'an and the sunnah, according to the way the companions understood the Qur'an and the sunnah, it is a dawah of al-i'tidal and being in the middle. We've given some people the concept and the idea that our dawah is a dawah in which we are in love with the oppressive hukam and we are against only. We're only against the Muslims who are doing evil, even if it's the ones who are against the hukam and what is not acceptable.

No, we can't make it appear like the hukam in Islam are angels and they're not doing any wrong. There's a distinction and a difference between getting on the minbar and talking bad about a particular hakim. It's not permissible.

It's not permissible whether it's from the minbar or whether it's from this place for a person to sit and say, King so-and-so did that and he did that and he did... Whether you're in his country or you're not in his country, it's not permissible. But to make it appear as if those leaders are angels, that's also not fair and that's not just. People took our dawah and said, this is the dawah that the kuffar support, this dawah.

This is the dawah in which these people are getting paid by those leaders. No, we have to be fair and just. This is the longest chapter in the book.

Why? It's the longest chapter in the book even though it's not the most severest of the qadayim because the islah and the salah of the hukam is going to have an impact upon the whole ummah. It's going to have an impact on the way we do business in the marketplace. It's going to have an impact on the economics of the dunya.

The islah and the deen of the taqwa of the hukam is going to impact the whole dunya. And in contrast, the evil of the hukam, the evil of the muslim leaders is also going to have an impact. So there's a distinction.

Getting on the minbar is one thing, cursing them is one thing, making takfir of them is another thing, but recognizing that everyone is falling short of the mark, there's nothing in our religion that says something is wrong with that. So two people from his ummah won't get his shafa'ah. Number one, the leader who is oppressive and he's a cheat.

Number two, the one who is ghalim fi deen. The one who has ghulu in the religion. He goes overboard and his ghulu.

He has ghulu in a particular shaykh. He has ghulu in a particular concept. He loves jihad so much that everything is jihad.

He doesn't know anything about jihad. He doesn't know the real reason why jihad was legislated. He doesn't know about the rules and regulations of jihad, but he's an extremist and he goes overboard.

Warning Against Extremism

So everything is about killing other people, justly or unjustly. That's ghulu. Ghulu in the deen.

Hadith:

Reference: Sunan al-Nasa'i, Hadith 3057; Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 3029

Beware and be careful of being extreme in your religion. For barely those people came before you, they were destroyed because of their extremities in their religion. They didn't want to get married to women.

They wanted to pray all day. They started raising up men to the position of Allah ibn Allah. Stay away from the ghulu in the deen.

Hadith:

Reference: Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith 4843

If you want to know how you can respect Allah and glorify Allah, from respecting and glorifying Allah is honoring the elder Muslim, the one who's from our religion, and he has white in his beard and his head, and you honor him. When you honor him, you honor Allah, you respect Allah. And also, if you want to respect and honor Allah, then do so with the one who memorized the Quran.

But he described the one who memorized the Quran, the one who deserves our respect. He said:

غَيْرِ الْغَالِي فِيهِ

The one who doesn't go overboard in the Quran. What does it mean to go overboard in the Quran? To read it and to apply the ayats and the verses of the Quran, in ways that Allah didn't want them to be applied.

Ayah:

People have taken that ayat of the Quran. And whoever oppresses you, then oppress them back, similar to what they oppressed you with. They oppressed our brothers in Iraq, and they oppressed our brothers in Palestine, and they oppressed our brothers in Afghanistan, and they oppressed our brothers all across the globe.

They continue to oppress our brothers right now in Gujarat, in India. They oppress our brothers in Kashmir, all over the world. They oppress our brothers.

So the Muslim comes and he says, Allah said in the Quran, Whatever they oppress you with, oppress them back similar to what they oppressed you with, so blow them up in the subway. That's ghulub. That's an extreme understanding of the Quran.

Would anyone in his right mind sit in here, take that ayat and say, that the Muslim woman who was raped by a non-Muslim, now he has the right to go and he can rape that non-Muslim man's mother or sister. Would anyone say that? Al-ghulub in the religion of al-Islam is not permissible. So al-i'tidam, being balanced in all of our affairs.

Additional Teachings on Leadership

Al-Imam al-Zahiri rahimahullahu ta'ala, Ikhwani, he went on to say, that the message of Allah (صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said:

Reference: Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1830

Verily, the one who will get the worst and the most grievous punishment يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ will be the oppressive Iman.

Hadith:

Reference: Jami' al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 3057; Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith 4341

Take care of yourselves. You are responsible for yourselves. Correct what is upon yourselves. And prevent from each other doing evil.

Before the time comes when you people will make dua to Allah جَلَّ وَعَزَّ and Allah will not answer your dua because you don't do these things. And you will seek the forgiveness of Allah for your evil and your crimes and your mistakes. But Allah will not forgive you because you didn't order with the ma'ruf and prevent the munkar.

Hadith:

Verily, the monks and the priests from the Yahud and the Nasara, they left alone ordering each other with the ma'ruf and preventing each other from the munkar to the point that they were cursed by their prophets before them. And the fitna and the trials befell all of them. And then he brought the hadith that's well known.

And this is from the fiqh of Al-Imam Ad-Dhahabi.

Hadith:

Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 2697; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1718

Whoever invents something and introduces something in our religion that's not from it, it will be rejected. And then the other hadith that has to be understood with this:

Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 1870; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1370

Whoever introduces innovation or gives shelter to an innovator, then the curse of Allah, the curse of the angels, and the curse of all the people upon that individual.

And Allah won't accept from him any of his deeds whether they are from the wajibat or the nawafil. Ikhwani, Al-Imam Ad-Dahabi brought these two hadith, ikhwani, as it relates to the imam. Because usually if the imam is

doing his job, like Umar (رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ - raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu) and other than Umar, when they were the leaders of the Muslims, they used to repel the people of innovation.

And they would not give the people of innovation an opportunity to allow their innovations to spread. There was a young man, as you all know the story, his name is Sabir. And he used to go after those ayat of the Qur'an, those verses of the Qur'an, that were hard to understand especially for the common folk.

And he would go to the regular people and ask the regular people about these issues. What does this mean? What does that mean? Thus causing the people to become confused in the religion. Umar (رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ - raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu) summoned the man to his court.

When they brought him, he tied him up and he whipped the man. And he whipped him seriously until the man came back to his senses. As for the forgiveness of Umar (رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ - raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu)

After that Umar (رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ - raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu) just didn't forgive the man. He expelled him and said, you have to get out of Medina for one year. And no one should do business with you, no one should marry you, no one should talk to you for one year.

And then that's when we're going to see whether or not you really made tawbah. And Imam Umar (رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ - raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu) used to be like that with the people of innovation, the leader. So he brings these two hadith of Rasulullah (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam)

Because if the Imam is doing his job, you won't have the people who are corrupting the religion and the ideas and concepts of the people. You won't have them be given the free reign to teach the people what is not from the deen. The Imam would take the responsibility to put the right person there for the job.

So innovation in the religion is usually supported by the leader. Innovation in the religion is usually supported by the leader.

Having Mercy Upon People

He brought a number of hadith about having rahmah upon those who are in the earth.

Hadith:

Like the statement:

Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 7376; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2319

Whoever doesn't have mercy upon the people, mercy will not be shown upon him. He brought a number of those hadith that are basically saying the same thing. If you don't have mercy on those who are in the earth, the

There is not an individual who takes responsibility of the affairs of the Muslims, and then he doesn't struggle for them, and to give them advice, except that he will not enter into the paradise when they enter into the paradise. He'll go into the paradise, inshaAllah, if he dies with (لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ - la ilaha illallah) and he didn't make istihla, he didn't make halal, he'll go into the jannah, but he won't go into the jannah along with the Muslims according to this particular hadith.

And then that individual puts a hijab or barrier between him and the Muslim who was in need. He's responsible but the one who was in need cannot contact him. Or he puts a barrier between himself and the one who is a poor person and he needs the financial assistance, but he can't get it because there's a barrier between him and the leader.

Allah will put a barrier between him, Allah, and between that particular leader or imam. يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 660; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1031)

The fair and the just imam, Allah will provide him shade يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ

So from the benefits now, is encouraging the one who's responsible for the Muslims and he's telling us about the rewards now, for being a person who takes care of your job.

The first hadith in the ayah, we're dealing with the tarheed. Being a person who's doing a bad job. Now he brings some of the adillah to show the reward of doing a good job.

The fair and the just imam will be from the seven people, who will get the shade of Allah, shade under his throne يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ. For his justice and his fairness. From those seven people, the very first person that Rasulullah

mentioned was, the imam who is just.

And then the young man who spent his time in the ibadah of Allah. The one who's 25, 17, 20, 25, 30, 35. He's a young man, he's one of the seven people. He's the second one, because normally he's not going to be religious, or he's going to find time to waste because of his youth. So the first one is the imam, because when he's just, the khair and the good is going to spread in the dunya. And the second one is the imam, or the young man, who's connected to make an ibadah.

The third one is the man who, his heart is connected to the masjid. He comes to one salah, and he leaves, and he can't wait for the next salah to come back. He stays between maghrib and isha.

He knows, whoever makes the isha in the jamaat, in the masjid, it is as if he pray half of the qiyam al-layn in the night time. Whoever prays al-isha in the fajr, in the masjid, it is as if he spent the whole night in qiyam, because he pray those two prayers in the jamaat, in al-islam. So he's the third one.

The fourth one, the two men who love each other, and they only love each other for Allah azwajal. They only love each other for Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Those two men.

And then number six, the man who, he has the fitna of the nisa, the woman who was beautiful, the woman who's a fitna. He may be making zina with her right now, but he wants to get out of it. He's on the way to making zina with her.

But he says, I'm not going to do it anymore. I'm not going to continue on this road because I fear Allah. Number six, is the one who when he was by himself, his eyes shed tears from the fear of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

The seventh individual will be protected in the shade of Allah, from the sun and the heat, will be the individual who gave sadaqa. But he gave sadaqa, ikhwan, with ikhlas. He gave sadaqa to the degree that his left hand didn't know what his right hand gave.

Not like what we have today. The one who gives the most sadaqa, he calls the shots in our masajid. The family who's well known for giving the sadaqa, and they read their name over the radio in Ramadan, they're the ones who call the shots, because their family gave the sadaqa.

The one who gave the most sadaqa with us, he's the one if the relative dies in another country, they will make salatul ghaib for him. But the one who we don't know that he's given sadaqa, when his relative dies, we don't make salatul ghaib over him, or for him. So it's hypocrisy in our community.

So al-ikhlas, those are the seven people. The imam is the first one.

From the rewards of being a just and a fair imam, is that the prophet told us, Verily those people who are fair and just, in the way that they judge, they're fair and just, in the way that they judge, they judge with justice, as it relates to their families, and as it relates to those who they've been put in charge over, they will be on minbars made out of nub, yawmul qiyamah.

In another narration of this hadith, the hadith said that they will be on the right side of Ar-Rahman, and both of Allah's hands are right hands:

وَكِلْتَا يَدَيْهِ يَمِينٌ

They will be on the right side of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, and both of his hands are right hands. So that's from the reward of being a fair and a just imam.

From the narrations of this particular hadith, Rasulullah says, salallahu alayhi wa sallam, that the anbiya have ghiqsa, or al-hasad, that's permissible. The prophets of Allah azwajal, they will be jealous, they will be envious, of the people who will get this reward, yawmul qiyamah, and the anbiya that will be their reward as well.

Showing the significance and the high level of that particular form of ibadah.

The Best and Worst Leaders

Hadith:

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1855)

The best imams, leaders are those who you love them and they love you. And you make dua for them, and they make dua for you.

Al-imam al-dhahabi brought the second half. I don't know why he didn't bring the first half, especially since he was dealing with a hadith that are talking about the virtues of being a good imam. The first half of the hadith, the best imams, leaders are those who you love them and they love you. And you make dua for them, and they make dua for you.

This hadith, ikhwani, has been rejected even though it's in Sahih Muslim, by some of the people who wanna make takfir of the leaders today. In the chain of narration, there is a man by the name of Muslim, ibn al-Qarada, and they said that he was majhool al-hal, he's not known.

But al-imam Muslim brought this hadith and put it in the middle of his book, in the asal of his book, which goes to show it's the tawfiq. Al-imam Muslim saying the man is okay. Al-imam al-bazzar, the sahib of the musnad, he said, that Muslim hadha majhool, the man is well known.

Al-imam al-zahabi in his book al-kashf, said the man is thiqa. But these brothers who we have today, because there's some kalam in this narrator, they reject the hadith. Why? Because they have another understanding of the

hadith.

The hadith said, and the worst imams are the ones who you make dua against them, and they make dua against you. So they say, this is a proof that, we can make dua against the leaders on the minbar, or other than that. We can make dua against any particular leader.

We say that's not from the religion of Islam. You can't make dua against people, specific people like that. You have to generalize, and you can't make dua against specific people.

So the hadith is sahih Muslim, and it is authentic. But the other extreme of these people, the other extreme is wherever you go, it doesn't make a difference what country it is in, whoever does it. And that is the practice that the imam does, in which he makes dua for the imam all the time, the way that they're doing it.

This is not something that the companions used to do. No matter where it is done. Our religion is what Rasulullah صلى الله عليه وسلم and what the companions did.

So you go to certain places, and every Friday, they give us a dua for the leader by his name, and his brothers and his family every week. That's not from the sunnah. Like it who like it, hate it who hate it.

That's not what the companions were upon, and that's not what Rasulullah صلى الله عليه وسلم was upon. So we're going to stop there, Ikhwanim, even though there are a lot of other hadith to go in this particular chapter. But I want to translate the last part of the chapter, this particular hadith.

The worst imams are those people who they make dua against you, you make dua against them. They hate you and you hate them. You curse them, they curse you.

The companions say, Ya Rasulullah, shall we not fight them? Shall we not break the bay'ah, the pledge of allegiance that we gave to them? Shall we not deal with them? He said, no. As long as they establish the salat, which goes to show Ikhwanim the importance of the ruqn or the pillar of the salat in Al-Islam. And it also goes to show the impermissibility of making khuruj against the leader in Al-Islam.

If you gave the man the bay'ah, or the man has been put in charge of the country, even though you didn't give him the bay'ah, he's in charge of the country, he's responsible for the country. Wallahi, it's our responsibility to hear and to obey in that which is from the deen, and we don't listen in those things that are not from the deen if we're ordered to do what is wrong. We give them their rights, and when they don't give us our rights, we ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for our rights.

If they take our money and they strike our backs, the religion of Al-Islam said to be patient with them. Why? Because if you're not patient with them, and you make khuruj against them, and you fight against them, and the leader of the Muslims is taken away, then the fitna of his absence is going to be greater than the fitna that you think you didn't like when he was there. So, one, one night without a leader, as the imams used to say, Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak and other than him, one night, one night without the leader in Al-Islam.

One thousand years with an oppressive leader is better than that one night without one leader at all. One thousand years, and we're under the yoke of an oppressive leader who's taking the money, striking our backs, putting us in prison. He's doing all of the crimes.

One thousand years under his leadership is better than one night without a leader at all. Because when there's a leader, there's going to be some respect for the system. He's going to establish some of the hudud, the people's lives and properties for the most part are going to be protected.

But when there's no leader, Iraq is the laboratory during our time in which we saw the wisdom of what Rasulullah was talking about. You ask any Iraqi, what do you prefer? A Saddam? Saddam or what's going on right now? They're going to say ten times what Saddam was upon. We prefer that than what's going on right now.

Ten times, ten portions of what he used to be. Why? Because there's no safety right now. There's no safety.

There's not a leader, a recognized leader. So we're going to stop here inshallah. There are quite a few more hadith, all of which are authentic.

But we don't have time for dealing with all of them. And we ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to bring back to the Muslims our rushd and the measure of our religion. And he makes us those people who are balanced in our religion.

He gives us the strength to be people who stand up for justice for his religion. And we ask him to protect inshallah ta'ala the deen of Islam and the Muslims who are under this religion. That he makes correct for us ourselves and all of the leaders in Islam.

He protect us from the plan of those who plan. Verily Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is the blessed, best of plan.

Questions and Answers Session

We have two questions inshallah. If you brothers have any questions today, concerning this lesson today. And that would be it. Now, brother, this and that.

Question: If you don't cheat and cheat, you know the right, and you will kill the right person. But if you know the right person, you did ijtihad, and you did mistake. Did that consider to be cheating?

Answer: That's an excellent question, Ikhwani. As it relates to the leader, who does ijtihad. He does everything within his power and his ability to arrive and to deduce a hukum. A particular ruling of Islam.

And then as a result of doing his ijtihad, he makes a mistake. Can we say that that particular leader is cheating? No, he's not cheating. Nor is that scholar cheating.

And we like that question because that question is a question that is in defense of the scholars of Islam. And it's also a question that protects us from being extreme. Because those people who don't like what a particular scholar says, for an example, they'll pronounce takfir upon him because he said, yes, it's permissible to do this or to do that.

To use the kuffar. It's permissible to use the kuffar. Out of compulsion, we can use that.

So that person says, he's a non-Muslim because he's taken the kuffar as a helper. So the Prophet ﷺ told us:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 7352; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1716)

If the judge or leader makes an effort, they make ijtihad, and they get it right, they get two rewards. And if they get it wrong, they get one reward. And it can even be a riba. It can even be a riba.

Abdullah ibn Abbas رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ said, that riba al-nasee was permissible, and it's not haram. And it's haram. It's haram.

But he said that that type of riba is permissible. We don't have time to go into what it is. But it's a type of riba.

He said this is not riba. But it is riba. But he gets one reward.

It can be something that the scholar made ijtihad in, and it cost people their lives. Ali ibn Abi Talib and Muawiyah ibn Abi Sufyan رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُمَا when those two groups clash, and people lost their lives, like Ammar ibn Yasif and other than him. They will get rewarded for that war that took place.

Why? Because they were mujtahidun. So if the scholar or the leader makes ijtihad to the best of their ability, and they get it wrong, we don't say that that's cheating. Unless he wasn't qualified.

To say that the lady can take her hijab off, because she thinks there's going to be a problem, that's cheating. And that's not ijtihad. To say that the woman, if she feared that there will be verbal abuse, then that's not ijtihad.

That's cheating. No one in his right mind will say something like that, except the person who is out of his right mind, or he wants to integrate at all costs. Allahu akbar.

Question: Namahim. The question is, Imam Ibn Taymiyyah and the Qatars, although they are Muslims, but the point was that the Qatars, they were ruling according to Yaseer, which is the book of Chandashan. And they were not ruling according to Qur'an and Sunnah, that's why Imam Ibn Taymiyyah, he made takfir upon them, he made ijtihad against them. So are these current rulers, not all, I mean some, are they worse than the Qatars?

Answer: No, I don't think there is any ruler from the Muslims on the face of the earth, who is worse than the Qatars. Anyone who knows the history of the Qatars and the murder of the Qatars, and he is fair and he is just,

he is not going to make that comparisons. Worse than comparing apples with oranges.

It's worse. As it relates to the Muslim rulers and those who are ruling over the Muslims today, the issue of takfir, it is a hole, it's a deep hole, and it's a dangerous hole that has thorns in it, and fire, and burning oil. So everyone should avoid delving into the affair, because Allah Azawajal didn't make you responsible to be the one who figures this out.

Listen to what the ulema of Islam have to say, people of knowledge, as it relates to pronouncing takfir on that leader or that leader, and that's it, you'll be okay. I don't understand, what is the problem with some people that we feel there is a responsibility that makes me uneasy, and I'm not taking care of my responsibility, that I'm not giving a ruling for each and every ruler over the Muslims today, in the Muslim world today. If we die not knowing who's a kafir from amongst them, wallahi, it's not going to hurt you, insha'Allah.

If you die, there are some things that are fardu'een upon you, that are taking more precedence over you knowing who are the Muslims from them, and who are not the Muslims. And we're not giving our time and consideration to knowing about those things, and taking care of those things. As it relates to our personal lives, and our ra'iyah, those people we're responsible for.

And then we become preoccupied with fulan and ilan from the leaders. And Allah is not going to ask you about him. No one is going to ask him about you, you're going to die, there's no connection between you and him.

So, in my opinion, the tatars are not remotely similar to what the people are doing today. We don't pronounce takfir over people unless we have scholars who preceded us to that issue.

Closing

And peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.