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Bismillahi Al-Rahmani Al-Rahim
What is Dar Al-Harb (3) Salam `alaykum, [...] Do you know the following narration: "Every epoch has a king whom Allah sends in the semblance (`ala nahw) of the hearts of its people. If He desires their reform He sends them a reformer, and if He desires their destruction He sends them one who shall cause their perdition." Al-Fattani said in Tadhkira al-Mawdu`at (#182): "`Umar said: 'People follow the religion of their kings.' I do not know it as a Prophetic hadith, but ... it is supported by what al-Tabarani narrates [and al-Bayhaqi from Ka`b, as stated in Kashf al-Khafa (2:166)] raised [to the Prophet, Allah bless and greet him]: "Every epoch has a king... etc." Al-Tabarani narrated that al-Hasan [al-Basri] heard a man supplicating against al-Hajjaj whereupon he said to him: "Do not do that! Truly you are all the same and were treated accordingly. The only thing we fear, if al-Hajjaj were to be put away or die, is that apes and pigs shall be made rulers over you. It has been narrated: "Your deeds are your workers (a`malukum `ummalukum) and as you are, so will your leaders be." ... Ibn Hajar [al-Haytami] said [in al-Fatawa al-Hadithiyya]: "Al-Najm said that Ibn Abi Shayba narrated from Mansur ibn Abi al-Aswad that the latter asked al-A`mash about Allah Almighty's saying: {Thus We let some of the wrong-doers have power over others because of what they are wont to earn} (6:129) to which he replied: 'I heard them say about it [that it means] that the most evil of people are made to rule over them.'" ... Al-Bayhaqi also narrated from al-Hasan that the Israelites asked Musa - upon him peace - saying: "Ask your Lord to show us how we can tell He is pleased with us and how we can tell He is displeased." He asked Him and He said: "Tell them: My good pleasure with them is [seen in] the fact that I make their best govern them, and that my displeasure with them is [seen in] the fact that I make their most evil ones govern them." ... Al-Sakhawi said in al-Maqasid: "We have narrated from al-Fudayl [ibn `Iyad] that he said: 'If I had one supplication that is answered, I would consider the Sultan more deserving of it. For in his uprightness lies the uprightness of those who are governed by him, and in his corruption lies their corruption.'" This is supported by what al-Tabarani narrated in al-Kabir and al-Awsat from Abu Umama, raised [to the Prophet, Allah bless and greet him]: "Do not curse the governors but supplicate that they be upright. For their uprightness is best for you." ... Similarly al-Qasim ibn Mukhaynara's saying: "The epoch in which you live is nothing other than your governor. If your governor is upright then your epoch is upright and if your governor is corrupt then your epoch is corrupt." I mentioned all the narrations in this section in my July 1999 internet post titled "Ape Rule." Was-Salam Hajj Gibril |