– “pledged allegiance to a leader”: what is meant is the supreme leader, the caliph.
– “then if he gives him”: the prefixed fa is explanatory, making clear that his pledge to the leader was motivated purely by worldly gain.

Takeaways from the ḥadīth

1. The ḥadīth conveys a severe threat and an unequivocal warning: on the Day of Resurrection Allah will not speak to these three categories of people in a manner they would wish, will not look at them with mercy, will not cleanse them of their sins, and will not elevate them through forgiveness.

The three categories are:

First: A man who camps in a barren wilderness where no water exists except the water he controls, and he prevents people from accessing it—not out of personal necessity, but in order to reserve the surrounding pasture exclusively for himself. Al-Bukhārī (2227) and Muslim (1566) narrate from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet ﷺ said: “Do not withhold surplus water, thereby preventing others from the pasture.”

Second: The seller who promotes his goods by means of a solemn, false oath—swearing by Allah after the ʿAṣr prayer, a time when oaths are especially grave—that he bought the item for such-and-such a price while he is lying. His aim is to deceive and cheat the buyer so the latter pays more than the item’s true value. The buyer believes him and pays the amount he swore to, or even more. This person combines several sins: lying, swearing falsely by Allah, swearing during a virtuous time, deceiving the buyer, and consuming wealth wrongfully.

Third: The one who pledges allegiance to a leader invested with public authority, yet not for the true objectives of leadership—upholding Allah’s rites, enforcing His legal limits, supporting Islam, and advising the subjects—but out of worldly greed, hoping to receive a share of the spoils. If he receives the gifts he seeks, he is pleased and keeps his pledge; if he is denied them, he breaks it, paying no regard to the sanctity of the office or to his obligation to hear and obey.