The Leader Who Misleads His Followers, The Tyrant and The Oppressor

Allah, the Almighty, says, “The blame is only against those who oppress men with wrongdoing and insolently transgress beyond bounds through the land, defying right and justice: for such there will be a grievous chastisement.” (AI-Shura: 42)

The Qur’an also states, {Do not think, O Prophet, that Allah is unaware of what the wrongdoers do. He only delays them until a day when their eyes will stare in horror. rushing forth, heads raised, never blinking, hearts void.} (Ibrahim: 42-43)

And, {nor did they forbid one another the iniquities which they committed: evil indeed were the deeds which they did } (AI-Ma’idah: 79).

Now, let us consider the following hadiths:

1. “He who deceives us is not of us.” (Reported by Muslim.)
2. “Oppression will be darkness on the Day of Judgment.” (Reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
3. “All of you are trustees, and each is responsible for those entrusted to his care.” (Reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
4. “Any superior who misrules his followers shall go to Hell.” (Reported by Al-Bukhari)
5. “If a person who is appointed in authority over people does not look after the people (placed under his care) with goodwill and sincerity, he will not get even the aroma of paradise.” (Reported by Muslim)
6. “Every governor will be seized on the day of Judgement in front of the Hell-Fire. An angel will hold him by the back of his head. The angel, then, raises his head before Allah (a warning for His command). Being commanded to throw him, only after forty will the governor reach the bottom of a vacuum.” (Reported by Ahmad)
7. “Woe to princes, woe to captains, woe to officers. On the Day of Judgement, some people will wish to have their forelock clung to a Pleiades in torture and that they did not take the charge before.” (Reported by Ahmad)
8. “On the Day of Judgement, the just judge is brought (to be reckoned); he will suffer to such an extent that he will hope that he would not have judged between any two people, even with regard to a date.” (Reported by Ahmad)
9. One of the Prophet’s supplications is, “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.” (Reported by Muslim)
10. “O Allah! Whoever disposes of something of Muslims’ affairs and screens himself (by adopting a porter) away from their need and poverty, Allah will screen Himself away from his need and poverty.” (Reported by Abu Dawud)
11. “There will come corrupt, tyrannical rulers: whoever confirms their lies and assists them in their oppression is not of me, nor I of him, and shall not meet me at my watering place in Paradise.” (Reported by Ahmad)
12. “Two classes of my Ummah (nation) are excluded from my intercession: a tyrant ruler and the one who is extreme in religion, who bears witness against them and clears himself from them.” (Reported by Abi’ Asim in Al-Awsat)
13. “The Oppressor ruler will suffer the severest torture on the Day of Judgement.” (Reported by At-Tabarani)
14. “O people, command the right and forbid the wrong before a day in which your supplications to Allah and seeking forgiveness from Him will be unanswered. When the Jewish doctors of law and the Christian monks gave up commanding the right and forbidding the wrong, Allah cursed them by the tongue of their prophets and then put them on the verge of a sweeping punishment.” (Reported by Ahmad, Al-Baihaqi, and Al-Bazzar)
15. “Whoever tries to introduce into this faith of ours (Islam) something that is not a part of it is to be rejected (and that person is condemned).” (Reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
16. “Whoever tries to introduce something or adopts an innovation (in religion), he entails the curse of Allah, the angels, and the whole people and will have his works not accepted.” (Reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
17. “He who shows no mercy will not be shown any.” (Reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
18. “Allah shows no mercy to whoever shows none to people.” (Reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
    “Under Allah’s shade is a just ruler when there will be no shade except Allah’s.” (Reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
19. “The just and fair people (rulers and judges) will be seated on chairs of light before Allah. Such people are those who deal justly in the matters relating to their families and other affairs entrusted to them.” (Reported by Muslim)
20. When the Messenger of Allah sent Mu’adh (may Allah be pleased with him) to Yemen, he said to him, “Do not take the best of their articles as Zakat. Fear the call of an oppressed person, because there is no barrier between the complaint of an oppressed person and Allah.” (Reported by Al-Bukhari)
21. The Prophet (peace be upon him) also said, “These are three people whom Allah will not talk to, look at, or exonerate on the Day of Judgement. He mentioned among them the lying ruler.” (Reported by Muslim)
22. “You will be anxious to lead, and this will be a source of remorse to you on the Day of Judgement.” (Reported by Al-Bukhari)
23. “By Allah, I will not appoint to a public office anybody who asks for it or expresses a longing for it.” (Reported by Al-Bukhari)
24. “O Ka’b Ibn ‘Ajarah, may Allah give refuge to you from the leadership of the naives who will come after me, but they will not follow my guidance or tradition.” (Reported by Ahmad)
25. “He who asks to be appointed as the judge of Muslims, and then he judges justly, he will enter Paradise, but if he judges unjustly, he will go to Hell.” (Abu Dawud)
26. ‘Umar said to Abu Dharr, “Tell me a hadith you have heard from Allah’s Messenger.” Abu Dharr said, “I reported the Messenger of Allah to have said, ‘On the Day of Judgement, the leader will be brought and then cast upon a bridge on fire. The bridge will be shaken so violently that all his joints will be amputated. Then, if he was obedient to Allah, he would pass; otherwise, he will fall into the Hell-Fire, and only after fifty years, he will reach the bottom.” Upon hearing that, ‘Umar asked, “O Abu Dharr, who asks for it?” He replied, “It is he who has his nose for Allah and placed his cheek on the earth.” (Reported by Al-Hithmi)

‘Amr Ibn Al-Muhajir said, ‘Umar Ibn Abdel Aziz said to me, “When you see me deviating from the right, you should grip me and ask, ‘O Umar, what are you doing?’

by Imam Shamsu ed-Deen Dhahabi