Riyad as-Salihin

I was walking with Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) who was wearing a Najrani cloak with a very thick border when a bedouin happened to meet him. He took hold of the side of his cloak and drew it violently. I noticed that the violence of jerk had bruised the neck of Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). The bedouin said: "O Muhammad! Give me out of Allah's wealth that you possess." Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) turned to him and smiled and directed that he should be given something..

I can see the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) look like one of the Prophets of Allah whose people beat and made him bleed while he was wiping the blood from his face and supplicating: "O Allah, forgive my people because they know not.".

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "The strong man is not the one who wrestles, but the strong man is in fact the one who controls himself in a fit of rage.".

A man said to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ): "I have relatives with whom I try to maintain good relationship but they sever relations with me; whom I treat kindly but they treat me badly, with whom I am gentle but they are rough to me." He (ﷺ) replied, "If you are as you have said, then it is as though you are feeding them hot ashes and you will not be without a supporter against them from Allah, as long as you do so.".

A man came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said: "I join the morning Salat late because of so-and-so who leads it and prolongs it." (Abu Mas'ud said): I have never seen the Prophet (ﷺ) so angry while giving a speech as he was on that day. He (ﷺ) said, "Some of you create hatred among the people against faith. Whoever leads Salat (the prayer), should make it brief because the congregation includes old men and youngsters and those who have some urgent work to do.".

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) returned once from a journey, and saw a curtain which I had hung along a platform with some pictures on it. The colour of his face changed. He tore it up and said, "O 'Aishah, the most tormented people on the Day of Resurrection are those who contend with Allah in terms of creation.".

The Quraish were much worried about the case of a Makhzumiyah woman who had committed theft and wondered who should intercede for her with Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) (so that she would not get punished for her crime). Some said Usamah bin Zaid (May Allah be pleased with him) was his beloved and so he may dare do so. So Usamah(May Allah be pleased with him) spoke to him about that matter and the Prophet (ﷺ) said to him, "Do you intercede when one of the legal punishments ordained by Allah has been voilated?" Then he got up and addressed the people saying, "The people before you were ruined because when a noble person amongst them committed theft, they would leave him, but if a weak person amongst them committed theft, they would execute the legal punishment on him. By Allah, were Fatimah, the daughter of Muhammad, to commit the theft, I would have cut off her hand.".

The Prophet (ﷺ) noticed spittle in the mosque in the direction of the Qiblah. The signs of disgust were perceived on his face. Then, he stood up and scraped it away with his own hand and said, "When you stand in Salat, you hold communion with your Rubb and He is between you and the Qiblah. Let no one therefore cast out his spittle in that direction, but only to his left or under his foot." Then he caught hold a corner of his sheet, spat into it and folded it up and said, "Or he should do like this.".

I heard Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying, "All of you are guardians and are responsible for your wards. The ruler is a guardian and responsible for his subjects; the man is a guardian and responsible for his family; the woman is a guardian and is responsible for her husbands house and his offspring; and so all of you are guardians and are responsible for your wards.".

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Any slave whom Allah makes him in charge of subjects and he dies while he is not sincere to them, Allah will make Jannah unlawful for him.".Another narration is: Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "He who does not look after his subjects with goodwill and sincerity, will be deprived of the fragrance of Jannah."A narration in Muslim is: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "A ruler who, having control over the affairs of the Muslims, does not strive diligently for their betterment and does not serve them sincerely, will not enter Jannah with them."

I heard the the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) supplicating in my house: "O Allah! Treat harshly those who rule over my Ummah with harshness, and treat gently those who rule over my Ummah with gentleness.".

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "The Banu Isra'il were ruled by the Prophets. When one Prophet died, another succeeded him. There will be no Prophet after me. Caliphs will come after me, and they will be many." The Companions said: "O Messenger of Allah, what do you command us to do?" He said, "Fulfill the pledge of allegiance to which is sworn first (then swear allegiance to the others). Concede to them their due rights and ask Allah that which is due to you. Allah will call them to account in respect of the subjects whom He had entrusted to them.".

I visited 'Ubaidullah bin Ziyad and said to him: "Dear son, I heard Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying, 'The worst of rulers are those who treat their subjects harshly. Beware, lest you should be one of them."'.

I said to Mu'awiyah (bin Abu Sufyan) (May Allah be pleased with them): I heard Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying, "If Allah invests to someone the affairs of the Muslims and he (i.e., the ruler) ignores their rights, denies their access to him and neglects their needs, Allah will not answer his prayer or realize his hopes and will act towards him with indifference on the Day of Resurrection." So Mu'awiyah appointed a person to keep a vigil on the necessities of the people and to fulfill them..

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Seven are (the persons) whom Allah will give protection with His Shade* on the Day when there will be no shade except His Shade (i.e., on the Day of Resurrection), and they are: A just ruler; a youth who grew up with the worship of Allah; a person whose heart is attached to the mosque; two persons who love and meet each other and depart from each other for the sake of Allah; a man whom a beautiful and high ranking woman seduces (for illicit relation), but he (rejects this offer by saying): 'I fear Allah'; a person who gives a charity and conceals it (to such an extent) that the left hand might not know what the right has given; and a person who remembers Allah in solitude and his eyes well up.".* The Shade of Allah to which this Hadith refers to is the shade of His Throne.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "The just will be seated upon pulpits of light." Those who are fair with regards to their judgement and their family and those who are under them.".

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "The best of your rulers are those whom you love and who love you, and those who supplicate Allah in your favour and you supplicate Allah in their favour. The worst of your rulers are those whom you hate and who hate you; and whom you curse and who curse you." It was asked (by those who were present): "Should not we oppose them?" He said, "No, as long as they establish Salat; as long as they establish Salat in your midst.".

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "The people of Jannah will be of three kinds: A just successful ruler, a man who shows mercy to his relatives, and a pious believer who has a large family and refrains from begging.".

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "It is obligatory upon a Muslim to listen (to the ruler) and obey whether he likes it or not, except when he is ordered to do a sinful thing; in such case, there is no obligation to listen or to obey.".

Whenever we took a pledge of allegiance to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) to hear and obey, he (ﷺ) would say to us, "As far as you are capable of.".