The English translation of the Arabic book 'Saheefa-tul Madinah' by Professor Muhammad al-Massar i is now available to download for free from: The Prophetic Constitution of Madinah This much needed detailed Ijtihad expounds the topic and dispels various commonly held assumptions and myths about the constitution of the first Islamic State established by the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. The following is from its Contents page: Contents Chapter One: The Origin of the Sahifah (Document) Section: The circumstances surrounding the writing of the Sahifah (document) of Al-Madinah Imam Ibn Kathir (May Allah’s mercy be upon him) attempted to summarize some of this Section: Examples of the harm and abuse undertaken by the Jews and the polytheists and the acts of Ka’b bin Al-Ashraf Section: The joining together as brothers “Al-Mu’akhaah) between the Muhajirin and the Ansar Narrations revealing the strength of this “Mu’akhaah” (forming of brotherhood) and its depth, the like of which the his
Question Many people quote this narration, which is found in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, upon the authority of Ḥudhayfah that he said the Prophet peace be upon him said: ‘ You will listen to the Amir and carry out his orders; even if your back is flogged and your wealth is snatched, you should listen and obey .’ Is this correct? Many use it as evidence to justify passive acceptance before the present rulers. Answer The narration is not Ṣaḥīḥ (authentic beyond reasonable doubt). The channel is broken and it is mursal . Utilising inauthentic traditions to justify acquiescence to the status quo of unjust, corrupt tyrannical rulers is not acceptable. It is not from the tradition of Islam, nor is it acceptable to repeat this as a justification or a prop to political authorities who are not founded upon the Deen of Islam, nor do they rule by it. In fact, many openly ally with the enemies of Islam. In general, as we have previously detailed , by its very nature, the mursal ḥadith is consid