Authority And Responsibility

Authority And Responsibility

(111) On the authority of Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Every one of you is a protector and guardian of his immediate charge and is responsible for the actions of those people who are committed to his charge. A ruler is also a steward and is accountable for those who are put under his charge. A man is a steward in respect to the family members of his house. A woman is a steward in respect to her husband's house and his children. In short every one of you is a steward and is accountable for those who are placed under your care."

(Bukhari and Muslim)

Note: To be a "steward" means to be responsible for.

(112) On the authority of Abu Saeed (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "The best jihad is when a person speaks the truth before a tyrant ruler."

(Abu Daoud)

Note: "Jihad" means striving for Allah's cause. This could mean many things; such as, going to battle for your country, defending your faith, or doing missionary work. Jihad also refers to resisting temptation.

(113) On the authority of Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:

I submitted to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) Why do you not appoint me as an administrator of some place?' He patted me on my shoulder and said: "Abu Dharr, you are weak, and an office is a trust, and this may be the cause of humiliation and sorrow on the Day of Judgement. Only in the case of a person who takes up an office with justification and fulfills his obligation will he be spared from humiliation and sorrow!"

(114) On the authority of Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said "The time is coming when you will aspire for public offices and authority, but beware, it will be a matter of humiliation and repentance on the Day of Judgement."

(Bukhari)

Note 1: This Hadith means that the Prophet ---- predicted that people would try to become rulers and presidents because of greed, power, and glory. If a person holds an office because he is greedy, it is a sin. If a person holds an office because he cares for the good of the people, it is a virtue.

Note 2: "It will be a matter of humiliation and repentance on the Day of Judgement" because God will ask presidents and rulers many exact questions about the people they are responsible for. For example, a Mayor will be asked about the homeless people in his town. Having the authority over other people is a very big responsibility.

Note 3: Another reason why this Hadith was written was to warn against people overthrowing the government and taking power, because this often causes a lot of bloodshed. This has happened throughout history. Even today in non-democratic countries, especially in the Third World, overthrowing the government and seizing power is often accompanied by violence and bloodshed.

(115) On the authority of Abu Maryam Al-Azdi (may Allah be pleased with him), who reported that:

He said to Amir Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him),

'I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) saying: "If Allah appoints a person in authority over the Muslims, and he fails to redress their grievances and remove their poverty, Allah will not fulfil his needs and will not remove his poverty on the Day of Judgement."

Thereafter, Amir Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him), appointed a man to look after the needs of people.

(Abu Daoud and Tirmizi)

(116) On the authority of Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), who said:

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah upon him) said: "O Allah! when a person who is placed in authority over my Ummah (people) is strict with them, be Thou also strict with him, and when such a person is kind to them, be Thou also kind to him."

(Muslim)