Aboo Hurayrah (radiallaahu anhu) reported that the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) said:
“Whoever lives in the dessert becomes rough; whoso follows the game becomes careless; and whoso comes to the doors of the rulers falls into fitnah (trouble); and a slave does not come nearer to the ruler, except that he becomes further from Allaah.”
[Musnad Ahmad, Shaykh Ahmad Shakir said its chain of narration is Saheeh]
Ibn Abbas (radiallaahu anhu) reported that the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) said:
“Whoever lives in the desert, becomes rough; whoso follows the game, becomes careless;and whoso comes to the ruler falls into fitnah.”
[Nisaa’ee, Tirmidhee, and Aboo Dawood – See Saheeh al-Jaami’ (6296)]
Abee al-‘Awar as-Silmee (radiallaahu anhu) reported that the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) said:
“Beware of the doors of the ruler for they have indeed become a source of trouble and humiliation.”
[Saheeh ad-Dailamee, Ibn Mundah, Ibn ‘Asaakee – See as-Saheehah (1253)]
In explaining the saying of the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam): “…and whoso comes to the doors of the rulers falls into fitnah,” the writer of Tuhfatul-Ahwadhee said, with reference to the Qaadhee (judge):
“…i.e. to come to him without any necessity or need, he falls into fitnah. So if he complies with what he wants, and he leaves him (i.e. the ruler leaves the judge), then he has placed his deen in danger. And if he disagree with him, then he has put his dunya (life of this world) in danger.”
[Tuhfatul-Ahwadhee (6/533)]
The scholars of the salaf were very cautious from going to the rulers for fear of fitnah, and they have spoken much about this issue.
Imaam Ibn Rajab (rahimahullah) said:
“Many of the salaf used to forbid from going to the kings even for the one who wished to order them to do good and prohibit them from doing evil. Amongst those who forbade this were ‘Umar bin ‘Abdul-Azeez, Ibn Mubaarak, ath-Thawree, and others from amonst the Imaams. Ibn Mubaarak said: ‘In our opinion, it is not enjoining good and prohibiting evil for one to go to them and order and prohibit them, rather enjoining good and prohibiting evil is related to avoiding them.’
The reason for this is what is feared in regards to the fitnah by going to them, for when he is far from them, the soul suggests to the man that he should order and prohibit them, and be stern with him; when he is near to them, the soul inclines to them, since the love of nobility is hidden in the soul, and therefore, he flatters them, is friendly towards them, he may even be biased towards them and love them – especially if they act friendly towards him and are generous to him and he accepts that from them.”
[Jaami’ Bayaan al-‘Ilm wa Fadhlah (1/178 – 179)]
Hudhaifah (radiallaahu anhu) said:
“Beware of the places of fitnah.”
It was said:
“What are the places of fitnah, O Aboo Abdullaah?”
He said:
“The doors of the princes – one of you enters upon the prince, and he attests to him with lies, and says about him, what is not true.”
[Sifat-us-Safwah (1/614)]
Sufyaan ath-Thawree said in a letter to ‘Ibad bin ‘Ibad:
“Beware of princes, that you not become close to them or mix with them in matters, and beware that you are not deceived, for you may be asked to mediate, and you find that you turn away from the oppressed one, or seek injustice; that is indeed the deception of Iblees which has been taken by the reciters of evil as a means to progress.”
[Jaami’ Bayan al-‘Ilm (1/179) and Seer A’laam an-Nubalaa (12/586)]
And he also said:
“Whoever prepares an ink pot or sharpens a pen for them, then he has taken part with them in every blood spilt in the east and west.”
Addressing ‘Ataa al-Khurasaanee, Wahb bin Munabbah said:
“The scholars before you sufficed with their knowledge, doing without the world besides them; they used not to pay attention to the people of the dunya nor with what was in their hands. The people of the dunya used to offer them their worldly possessions desiring their knowledge, [while] today the people of knowledge have come to offer their knowledge to the people of dunya, desiring their dunya, and the people of the dunya have come to renounce their knowledge when they saw the evil sources from where it was coming. So beware, O ‘Ataa, of the doors of the rulers, for their within their doors is fitnah like that of the camel pen; you will not affect their dunya in anything except that your deen will be affected similarly.”
[Al-Bidayah wan-Nihayah (9/295)]
Ayyoob as-Sakhtiyanee said:
“Aboo Qulaabah said to me: ‘O Aboo Ayyoob, take three characteristics from me: beware of the doors of the rulers, beware of the gatherings of the people of desires, and stick with the market for affluence comes from well-being.’”
[Jaami’ Bayaan al-‘Ilm wa Fadhlah (1/164)]
Aboo Haazim, one of the foremost tabi’een (people who saw the Companions but not the Prophet) said that the scholars used to flee from the ruler whilst he sought after them, andtoday they come to the doors of the ruler, whilst the ruler flees from them. [Jaami’ Bayaan al-‘Ilm wa Fadhlah (1/164)]
May Allaah have mercy upon the scholars of the Salaf, every oppression was effaced through them, and every truthful one followed their way. Then there was the ruler who used to warn them from coming close to him, he used to hold fast to the Sharee’ah, implement it, and rule with it in the lives of the people.
Then what if they were to see the rulers of our times – those who have transgressed in the lands, created much mischief therein, exchanged the deen of the Lord of the worshippers with their limited minds, dirtied their beliefs with trivialities, and have brought the laws of the Europeans and the Romans with which to govern the Muslims in this day and age?
And what if the scholars of the Salaf saw our scholars of today (except those upon whom Allaah has shown Mercy) – who have inclined to these tyrants, beautified their actions to them, made fair their murders of the Muslims, the muwahideen (upholders of tawheed), weakening their honor by issuing fataawa (legal verdicts) after fataawa to make their thrones firm, and safeguard their kingdoms, by labeling everyone opposed to them as a rebel or khaariji (one of the extreme deviant sect of the khawaarij)? And labeling the ruler of Saudi Arabia as Ameer ul-Mu’mineen (chief believer).
They covered the deen for the people until they turned a blind eye to the tyrants; the exchangers of Allaah’s law, those who govern the slaves of Allaah with that which Allaah did not reveal– what if the scholars of the Salaf saw this group which has sold its deen for worldly gains which will disappear, makes fair seeming for them what they do, and permits the torture and murder of every truthful Muslim?
Sa’eed ibn al-Musayyib (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
“If you see a scholar frequently visiting the rulers, then beware of him, for he is a thief.”
[Al-Adab ash-Shar’iyyah (477)]
How beautiful are the words of Ibn al-Qayyim (rahimahullaah) in Al-Fawa’id, when he said:
“The scholars of evil sit at the doors of al-Jannah (paradise) calling the people to it with their speech, but calling to the fire with their actions; every time they speak their words to the people they rush forward whilst their actions suggest not to listen to them – for if what they had been calling to was true, they would have been the first to respond. Thus they are seemingly guides, but are in fact highway robbers.”
The Devil’s Deception of the Scholars: Mixing with the Leaders and Rulers
Stick With The Haq 