‘As you are, rulers will be appointed over you’

Question: The hadith, 'As you are, rulers will be appointed over you”, is this hadith daif (weak). What is the authenticity of it?

Answer:

Ad-Daleemi in the musnad al-Firdaws reported this hadith on the authority of Abu Bakra with a marfoo’ isnaad (attributed to the prophet). Bayhaqi reported in Sha’b al-Imaan on the authority of Abu Ishaq as-Sabee’I with a mursal isnaad.

As-Sayooti said about the Hadith: It is Da’eef (weak).

As-Sakhaawi said the isnaad of the hadith is via Yahyah b. Hashim>Yunus b. Ishaq>his father>grandfather>Abu Bakra with a marfoo’ isnad. As-Sakhaawi said about the hadith that the narration of Yahaya is one of those fabricated via Yahayh b. Hisham>Yunus b. Ishaq (>Abu Ishaq) ‘Umar b. ‘Abdullah (as-sabee’I) with a mursal isnaad. He then said this hadith is munqati’ (has a break in the chain) and its transmitter is Yahya b. Hisham is weak (da’eef).

In the tazkirat al-Mawdu’aat of Imaam al-Fatani:

‘As you are, rulers will be appointed over you’ in the sanad there is a break (inqitaa’) and the waadi’ is Yahya b. Hisham and he has a line of transmission which contains majhools (ie unknown people in the isnaad).

Therefore, the above hadith is judged to be weak.

However, despite its weakness the hadith does not indicate that we should be silent over the oppression of the rulers and their suspension of Allah’s Sharia. Imaam al-Manawi said in the Fayd al-Qadeer the Sharh of al-Jami al-Kabeer volume 5: he mentioned what as-Sakhaawi had said about the weakness of the hadith then he commented on the hadith that its meaning is: ‘If you had Taqwah of Allah and feared His punishment then rulers will be appointed over you who will fear Him and vice versa.’ So can we have Taqwa of Allah and fear His punishment if we do not enjoin the good and forbid the evil? Can there be a better enjoining of the good and forbidding of the evil then ordering the ruler to do good and forbidding him from the evil and changing him if he suspends the law of Allah? Those who cite the hadith as an evidence for not restraining the hand of the tyrant and working to resume the Islamic way of life, they do not discuss this seeking the hukm sha’I so that they can have Taqwah of Allah and fear His punishment. Rather they say this as a justification for their abandonment of one of the greatest fards. Such people in addition to the sin of neglecting an obligation they add to this another sin which is their insolence towards the Deen of Allah when they misinterpret the texts.

They do this despite knowing that the work to resume the Islamic way of life, enjoining the good and forbidding the evil, restraining the hand of the tyrants, rejecting them and changing them because they have suspended the Sharee’ah of Allah; all of these have many detailed evidences. And they are the incontrovertible proof against such people. May Allah guide us all to His obedience and Good Pleasure. May He give us the ability to follow His Messenger in carrying the Da’wah and establishing the state so that we attain success in the two abodes (the abode of this dunyah and the Hereafter).

"And give glad tidings to the believers…" [TMQ 61:13]