3/655 – ʿĀʾishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say in this very house of mine, “O Allah, whoever assumes charge of any affair of my ummah and treats them with gentleness, then treat him with gentleness.” Reported by Muslim.

4/656 – Abū Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “The Children of Israel were governed by their prophets; whenever a prophet died another prophet succeeded him. There will be no prophet after me, but there will be caliphs—and they will be many.” They asked, “O Messenger of Allah, what do you command us to do?” He replied, “Fulfil your pledge of allegiance to the first of them and then the next; give them the rights that are due to them, and ask Allah for the rights that are yours. For Allah will question them about the trust He placed with them.” Agreed upon.

[Explanation]
The author, al-Ḥāfiẓ al-Nawawī, in Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn, in the chapter on the obligation upon those in authority to show gentleness and leniency and to safeguard the interests of those whom Allah has placed under their care, cites—among other traditions—the narration transmitted from ʿĀʾishah (may Allah be pleased with her): “I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in this very house of mine say, ‘O Allah, whoever assumes authority over any affair of my ummah and is gentle with them, then be gentle with him; and whoever assumes authority over any affair of my ummah and is harsh with them, then be harsh with him.’ ”

This is a supplication from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) concerning anyone who takes charge of the Muslims’ affairs, whether broadly or narrowly—even a man who runs his own household, or a school principal who is responsible for