#243: Ruling on the Scholars going to the Gates of the Leaders
QUESTION
“Please admin is there any text (quran or hadith) that stop ulamaa from going to the ruler?”
ANSWER
Alhamdulillaah Wa as-salaatu Wa Assalaamu alaa Rasulillaah
Know o beloved one, may Allah be merciful to you, that the Din of Islam is built and founded upon the knowledge, spiritual discipline, character, honour and moral standing of the Ulamaa as the flag bearers of Islam.
For this reason, they were given all the honours and priority in the Book of Allaah and in the Sunnah of the Rasul – salallaahu alayhi wasallam.
But you should know that an Aalim is not just one who has attained a high status of Knowledge. It is one who has attained that status of knowledge and has combined it with adequate level of spiritual orientation and consciousness.
Allaah – ta’aala – said:
ﺇِﻧَّﻤَﺎ ﻳَﺨْﺸَﻰ ﺍﻟﻠَّﻪَ ﻣِﻦْ ﻋِﺒَﺎﺩِﻩِ ﺍﻟْﻌُﻠَﻤَﺎﺀُ ﺇِﻥَّ ﺍﻟﻠَّﻪَ ﻋَﺰِﻳﺰٌ ﻏَﻔُﻮﺭٌ [ ﻓﺎﻃﺮ 28: ] .
“Verily those who fear Allah among His servants are the Ulamaa. Indeed Allah is Mighty, Forgiving.”
Suratu Al-Faatir: 28
Al-Haafidh Ibn Kathir said in his Tafsir of this verse:
“Indeed those who fear Him as He should be feared are the Ulamaa that thoroughly know Him. That is because the more realisation of the greatness of the mighty and Everlasting approaches perfection and knowledge of Him approaches perfection, the fear of Him and consciousness becomes greater and more.”
Tafsiru Al-Qur’ani Al-Adhim Ibn Kathir
Imaam Al-Qurtubi – rahimahillaah – said:
“What is meant by the Ulamaa are those that fear His might and capability. Whosoever knows that He – Azza Wa Jall – is the Most Capable will earn certainty that his sins will be followed by unrelenting punishments, just as it is reported from Ibn Abbas that he said: ‘…those that know that Allah is the One who has power, capability and suzerainity over all things’
Anas said: ‘He who does not fear Allah is not an Aalim.’
Mujaahid said:
‘Indeed the Aalim is he who fears Allah Azza Wa jall’…”
Tafsiru Al-Qurtubi
If you have understood that, o Beloved one, then you will agree that for an Aalim to humiliate himself and the knowledge he bears by visiting the rulers and been found by their gateways is a humiliation of the Din.
In the Hadith, the Rasul – salallaahu alayhi wasallam – said:
ﺇﻳﺎﻛﻢ ﻭﺃﺑﻮﺍﺏ ﺍﻟﺴﻠﻄﺎﻥ، ﻓﺈﻧﻪ ﻗﺪ ﺃﺻﺒﺢ ﺻﻌﺒﺎ ﻫﺒﻮﻃﺎ
“Beware of the gates of the Rulers for it has become a place of difficulty and a place of snare.”
Transmitted and recorded by At-Tabaraani and Ad-Daylami and graded as Sahih by Al-Albaani – rahiahumullaah.
Al-Munaawi said, while explaining this Hadith:
“What is meant by ‘Sa’aban’ is difficulty and risk, and by ‘hubutan’ is ‘a place severe for whosoever oftens it, snaring him to error in the dunya and the hereafter…”
Faydu Al-Qadir
Ad -Daylami – rahimahullaah – said:
“And it is as such because whosoever goes there often will not be free of Nifaaq and will not earn anything of their dunya unless that they sap away much of his Din in quantity very more than what he gains (of the Dunya). This is a great fit ah for the Ulamaa and a cause of severe difficulty that Shaytan can exploit against them especially for one who has an appreciable, sweet words, eloquence and oratory. The Shaytan with not cease suggesting to him that ‘in your approaching their doors and admonishing them is what will dissuade them from oppression and establish the Shari’ah. Then once he enters upon them, he finds himself compromising, equivocating and hypocritical. He thereby destroys himself and others alongside..”
In another Hadith, the Rasul – salallaahu alayhi wasallam – said:
ﻣﻦ ﺃﺗﻰ ﺃﺑﻮﺍﺏ ﺍﻟﺴﻠﻄﺎﻥ ﺍﻓﺘﺘﻦ
“Whosoever goes to the gates of the rulers will experience fitnah.”
Transmitted and recorded by Imaam Ahmad and graded as Sahih by Al-Haythami, Al-Mundhiri and Nasiruddin Al-Albaani – rahimahumullaah.
Al-Mubaarakfuuri – rahimahullaah – said in ‘Tuhfatu Al-Ahwadhi’:
“What is meant is that he will fall into fitnah. That is because if he concurs and allows with him (the ruler) in what he spins out, then he has endangered his Din and if he disagrees with him then he has endangered his Dunya…”
Due to this Hadith and many other Ahaadith of its similitude, the Salary As-Saalih never encouraged Ulamaa visiting the Rulers. Rather they warned against it and asked people to beware of such Ulamaa.
It is reported that Al-Fudayl Ibn Iyyaadh – rahimahullaah – said:
“When you see an Aalim always visiting the gates of the Rulers then you should realise that he is a brigand.”
The only exception to this is if the Ruler was one who is governing by the Shari’ah of Allah – Ta’aala – and ruling in accordance with the Islamic Polity (the Khilaafatu Ar-Raashidah).
For more on this matter, refer to the book “Maa Rawaahu Al-Asaatin Fi ‘Adami Al-Maji’i Ilaa As-Salaatin.” Authored by Imaamu As-Suyuti – rahimahullaah.
Allaah knows best
Baarakallaahu feekum
Jazaakumullaahu khayran
