and so he tries to impose his authority on what is right and what is wrong. Accordingly, among the Muslims’ leaders who hold power—the emirs—the incidence of error is usually greater than among the scholars, except for those whom Allah protects.

Our duty of sincere counsel toward them is to refrain from broadcasting their faults, to keep them from public view, and to offer them advice to the best of our ability: directly, if we can reach them in person; in writing, if we cannot meet them; or through someone who has access to them when even writing is not feasible—for at times a person cannot write to them, and even if he does, the letter may never reach the official. In that case he should approach someone who can reach the authority and alert him, and that too counts as sound advice.

Publicizing their shortcomings is not merely a personal offense against them; it is an offense against them and against the entire ummah. When people’s hearts become filled with rancor toward their rulers, they disobey and oppose them, chaos breaks out, fear prevails, and security is lost. But when reverence for those in authority remains in people’s hearts, the rulers retain their standing, and their commands and regulations—so long as they do not contravene the sharīʿah—are respected and maintained.

In short, the phrase “leaders of the Muslims” covers both categories: the leaders of religion—the scholars—and the leaders of political power—the emirs. If you prefer, call them the leaders of exposition and the leaders of authority. The leaders of exposition are the scholars who clarify matters for the people; the leaders of authority are the rulers who enforce Allah’s law by the power of the state. Whether they are leaders of knowledge and exposition or leaders of might and authority, we must counsel them sincerely, strive to offer them advice, defend them, conceal their shortcomings, and stand with them when they err by pointing out that error to them privately—for it may be that we estimate that