Encyclopedia of Prophetic Hadiths

"Every one of you is a guardian and responsible for his subjects. The leader in charge of the people is a guardian and is responsible for them; the man is a guardian over his household and is responsible for them; the woman is a guardian over her husband's house and his children and is responsible for them; the slave is a guardian over his master's property and is responsible for it. Verily, each of you is a guardian, and each of you is responsible for his subjects."

We pledged allegiance to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) to listen and obey at times of hardship and ease, energy and reluctance, and to endure if prejudice is held against us, and not to fight those in authority for power, and to say the truth wherever we are, without fearing anyone's reproach for the sake of Allah.

"Religion is sincerity." We said: "To whom?" He said: "To Allah, to His Book, to His Messenger, to the Muslim leaders and their common folk."

"I advise you to fear Allah, and to listen and obey even if a slave is appointed as your leader. Whosoever among you shall live after me will see much discord. So hold fast to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the Rightly-Guided Caliphs, and cling to them firmly. Beware of new things (in religion) because every religious innovation is a misguidance."

"Religion is sincerity." We said: "To whom?" He said: "To Allah, to His Book, to His Messenger, to the Muslim leaders and their common folk."

"There is no one whom Allah puts in a position of authority, and he dies on the day he dies while cheating those under his authority except that Allah will forbid Paradise for him."

The Prophet (ﷺ) sent out a detachment and appointed a man from the Ansār as their leader, instructing them to obey him. He became angry and said: Did not the Prophet (ﷺ) command you to obey me? They replied: Yes. He said: Then gather some firewood for me. So they gathered it. He then said: Light a fire, and they did. Then he said: Enter it. They were about to do so, but some held back the others, saying: We fled to the Prophet (ﷺ) to escape from the Fire. They remained like that until the fire went out and his anger subsided. When the Prophet (ﷺ) was informed of this, he said: "Had they entered it, they would never have come out of it until the Day of Judgment. Obedience is only in what is right."

"There will be selfishness and other matters that you will disapprove of after me." They asked: What do you order us to do (in such circumstances), O Messenger of Allah? He said: '"Fulfill your duty (towards the ruler), and ask Allah for your rights."