you should collide with your flimsy words, poor understanding, scant knowledge, and feeble effort, and then set yourself up as a rival to those imams—may Allah have mercy on them?

When people begin to treat scholars lightly, each person claims, “I am the scholar, I am the expert, I am the great intellect, I am the authority, I am an ocean without shore.” Everyone starts speaking as he wishes, issuing legal opinions as he wishes, and the Sacred Law is torn apart through the antics of such fools.

The same holds for the rulers. If someone is told, for example, “The governor has ordered such-and-such,” he retorts, “He is not to be obeyed; he is neglectful in this and that.” I say: if he is indeed negligent in this or that, the sin rests on him, whereas you have been commanded to listen and obey—even if they drink wine and the like—so long as we do not witness unmistakable open disbelief (kufr bawāḥ) for which we possess clear proof from Allah. Otherwise, their obedience remains obligatory, even if they are immoral, arrogant, or unjust.

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Listen and obey, even if he lashes your back and seizes your wealth.” He also told his Companions, when the rulers fall short of their duties, “Listen and obey, for what you are responsible for is upon you, and what they are responsible for is upon them.”

As for wanting our leaders to be like Abu Bakr, ʿUmar, ʿUthmān, and ʿAlī—that is impossible. Let us first become like the Companions, and then our governors will be like the Caliphs who succeeded the Companions.