and obedience—that is, obedience to the one in authority—“even if an Abyssinian slave is put in charge of you,” whether his authority is general, such as the supreme head of state, or restricted, such as the governor of a town, the leader of a tribe, and the like. Anyone who imagines that the phrase “even if an Abyssinian slave is put in charge of you” refers only to officials subordinate to the supreme ruler—whom the jurists call the Grand Imam—has erred, for the term imārah (leadership) in the Sacred Law embraces the highest imāmah, namely the caliphate, as well as all lesser offices: the governorship of provinces, districts, tribes, and similar jurisdictions.

The proof is that, from the day ‘Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, may Allah be pleased with him, assumed power, Muslims have called the caliph “Amir al-Mu’minin” (Commander of the Believers), thereby classing him among the amirs. This is beyond dispute. He is also called an imām, because he is the supreme sovereign, and he is called a sultan, yet the title on which the Companions settled for him is “Commander of the Believers.”

His words “even if an Abyssinian slave is put in charge of you” mean: even if the ruler is not an Arab—suppose he is from Abyssinia—and Allah grants him authority, then listening to him and obeying him are obligatory, for he has become an amir. Were we to deny him that obedience, society would descend into chaos; people would violate one another’s rights, and everyone’s entitlements would be lost.

The phrase “listening and obeying,” however, is unrestricted only in appearance; it is in fact bounded by the Prophet’s ﷺ clarification: “Obedience is required only in what is right,” which he repeated three times. In other words, obedience is due only in matters approved by the Sacred Law. As for what the Law condemns, no one may be obeyed in it—even if it were one’s father or