—Muslim.

8/670—ʿAbd Allah ibn Masʿūd (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “After I am gone there will appear favoritism and affairs you will find objectionable.” They asked, “O Messenger of Allah, what do you command those of us who witness that?” He replied, “Fulfil the duties that are upon you, and ask Allah for the rights that are yours.” Agreed upon.

10/672—And Ibn ʿAbbās (may Allah be pleased with them both) related that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Whoever dislikes something in his ruler should remain patient, for whoever withdraws from the authority even a handspan dies the death of pre-Islamic ignorance.” Agreed upon.

[Commentary]

These hadiths, which the author includes in his Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn under the chapter “Obedience to the Ruler,” prove several matters:

First: The hadith of Wāʾil ibn Ḥujr shows that the Prophet ﷺ was asked about rulers who demand the rights due to them yet withhold the rights they owe to others. He was asked: What should we do with such rulers? The term “rulers” here covers governors who are beneath the supreme sovereign as well as the supreme sovereign himself, for he too is a ruler, and every ruler in turn has another authority over him until