yet he deceives them, offers them no sincere counsel, and shows them no compassion—Allah will make Paradise forbidden to him.”

He further said: “Whoever is placed in charge of the affairs of the Muslims and does not guard them as carefully as he guards the members of his own household has already taken his seat in the Fire.”

He likewise said: “Two men of my community will be deprived of my intercession: a tyrannical king and an innovator who goes to extremes in religion and oversteps its bounds.”

He said: “The person who will face the most severe punishment on the Day of Resurrection is the oppressive ruler.”

He also said: “Five people have incurred Allah’s wrath—if He so wills He will carry it through—and their home is the Fire: (1) a leader whose people obey him, yet he extracts his rights from them without granting them theirs and does not lift oppression from them; (2) a chief whose people obey him, yet he shows no equality between the strong and the weak and rules with bias and favoritism; (3) a man who never commands his family and children to obey Allah, does not teach them the matters of religion, and is unconcerned about the source of the food he provides them; (4) a man who hires a laborer, the laborer completes the work, and then he withholds the wages; and (5) a man who wrongs his wife concerning her dowry.”

It is narrated that ʿUmar ibn al-Khattāb, may Allah be pleased with him, once followed a funeral procession. A man stepped forward and performed the funeral prayer. After the burial, the man placed his hand on the grave and said, “O Allah, if You punish him, it is by Your right, for he disobeyed You; but if You show him mercy, he is in need of Your mercy. Glad tidings to you, O deceased, if you were neither a ruler, nor a district official, nor a scribe, nor a constable, nor a tax collector.” When he had uttered these words, he vanished from the people’s sight. ʿUmar ordered that he be sought, but he was not found, whereupon ʿUmar said, “That was al-Khidr, peace be upon him.”

The Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, said: “Woe to the princes, woe to the ward leaders, and woe to the bailiffs, for on the Day of Resurrection they will be suspended from the sky by the forelocks of their hair and dragged on their faces toward the Fire, wishing they had never taken on any position at all.”

He also said: “No man who has been given authority over ten people will be brought on the Day of Resurrection except with his hands shackled to his neck. If his deeds were righteous, the shackle will be removed; if his deeds were evil, another shackle will be added.”

ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “Woe to the judge on earth when he meets the Judge in Heaven—unless he has been just, ruled by the truth, was not swayed by desire, did not lean toward his relatives, and did not alter a judgment out of fear or greed. Rather, he makes the Book of Allah his mirror and keeps it before his eyes, and he rules according to what it contains.”

The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, also said: “The governors will be brought on the Day of Resurrection…”