Islamic Revival

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