Imam Ahmad—may Allah have mercy on him—was even struck by the caliph: he was beaten, dragged behind pack-mules, lashed with whips until he lost consciousness in the markets. Yet this very Imam of Ahl al-Sunnah, may Allah be pleased with him, continued to pray for the ruler and address him as “Commander of the Believers.” On one occasion they forbade him, saying, “Do not teach the people.” He heard and obeyed; he refrained from public teaching. Instead, he would wander here and there, and when his students gathered around him he would relate hadith to them quietly.

He did all this so as not to challenge the ruler, for we have already mentioned that the Companions once asked, “Messenger of Allah, shall we not oppose them?” after he had said, “The best of your leaders are those you love and who love you, and the worst are those you hate and who hate you—you curse them and they curse you.” They asked, “Shall we not oppose them?” He replied, “No, so long as they establish the prayer among you,” repeating it twice. As long as they continue to pray, we do not rebel; rather, we listen, obey, and discharge the duty that rests upon us, while they remain accountable for what has been laid upon them.

In another hadith the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Whoever sees from his ruler something he dislikes, let him be patient,”—let him endure, bear it, neither confront him nor speak against him—“for whoever breaks away from the community dies the death of pre-Islamic ignorance.” That is, he does not die the death of Islam—Allah forbid.

This statement carries two possible meanings.

1. It may mean that he dies the death of Jāhiliyya because his heart deviates—Allah forbid—such that this act of disobedience becomes a cause for his apostasy.