It is also narrated by Muslim, on the authority of Ibn ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with them), who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ declare, “Whoever casts off even a single handspan of obedience will meet Allah on the Day of Resurrection with no argument in his favor, and whoever dies without a pledge of allegiance on his neck dies a death of pre-Islamic ignorance.” That is, he dies upon the misguidance of the Age of Ignorance, whose people refused to submit to a leader, regarding such submission as a blemish and a diminution of their sovereignty. Numerous ḥadīths address this theme.

3 – By their explicit wording, these reports show that anyone who rebels against an imam around whom the Muslims have united becomes deserving of death, for he brings harm upon the people—this applies even if the imam is unjust.

4 – A separate narration restricts the general import of these ḥadīths with the clause: “so long as you do not see open unbelief (kufr bawāḥ).”

5 – It is therefore obligatory to obey the rulers and not to rise up against them, even when they display selfishness, monopolize wealth, or fall short in some duties toward their subjects; such obedience secures major benefits—safety, stability, and the preservation of life. Rebellion and the withdrawal of obedience, however, unleash great evils: corruption, chaos, the breakdown of security, and the shedding of blood. For this reason, the wise Lawgiver commanded hearing and obeying the authorities and clinging to the community, whether what they enjoin accords with your inclination and energy or contradicts them, provided you are not ordered to commit sin or confronted with manifest unbelief.