Yet the office also carries grave peril and a heavy burden for anyone who fails to render what is due. For that reason the early generations—may Allah have mercy on them—avoided it with the utmost caution and feared its danger for themselves.
As for its legislative wisdom, what the author of al-Mughnī has cited should suffice you, for its full range of benefits and hidden subtleties cannot be enumerated. Imām Aḥmad said, “People must have a ruler—shall the rights of men simply be lost?” Were it not for the judiciary, the adjudication of disputes, the restoration of rights, and the clarification of truth, life would dissolve into chaos. It is, therefore, an indispensable necessity.
Hadith 1
ʿĀʾishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Whoever introduces into our affair something that does not belong to it, it is rejected.”
In another wording: “Whoever performs an act upon which our affair is not based, it is rejected.”
Overall meaning
This is a noble ḥadīth, a mighty foundation of the Sacred Law, and one of Islam’s greatest maxims. It makes clear that any matter not legislated by Allah Most High, and every deed unsupported by His command, is rejected and void; it counts for nothing, nor do any consequences built on it. This is part of the Prophet’s ﷺ concise, all-inclusive speech, which he set as a standard for every matter and action: whatever accords with Allah’s will and law is accepted, and whatever contradicts His command is rejected.
Lessons derived from the ḥadīth
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Al-Nawawī said, “This ḥadīth is a tremendous principle among the principles of Islam and one of the Prophet’s ﷺ concise sayings.”
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He also said, “It is explicit in refuting every innovation and invented practice.” (1)
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He further stated, “This ḥadīth is evidence for the jurists who hold that a prohibition entails invalidity.”
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He likewise said, “This ḥadīth should be memorized and applied in nullifying reprehensible acts and in spreading its use as proof.”