Tribute, Spoils, and Rulership (Kitab Al-Kharaj, Wal-Fai' Wal-Imarah)

‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Umar reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: ‘Listen: each of you is a shepherd, and each of you is responsible for his flock. The ruler over the people is a shepherd and is responsible for them; a man is a shepherd over his household and is responsible for them; a woman is a shepherd over her husband’s household and children and is responsible for them; and a servant is a shepherd over his master’s property and is responsible for it. So each of you is a shepherd, and each of you is responsible for his flock.’

The Prophet ﷺ said to ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Samurah: ‘Do not ask for authority. If you are given it because you asked, you will be left to manage it on your own; but if you are given it without asking, you will be helped in it.’

Abu Musa said: ‘I went with two men to the Prophet ﷺ. One of them recited the testimony of faith and then said, “We have come so that you might appoint us to a position under your authority.” The other said the same as his companion. He replied, “The least trustworthy of you in our eyes is the one who seeks it.”’ Abu Musa apologized to the Prophet ﷺ, saying, ‘I did not know that this was why they had come.’ He did not appoint either of them to any post until he died.

Anas reported that the Prophet ﷺ appointed Ibn Umm Maktum to govern Medina in his absence on two occasions.

‘A’ishah reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: ‘When Allah wills good for a ruler, He gives him a truthful adviser who reminds him if he forgets and assists him if he remembers. When He wills otherwise for him, He gives him a bad adviser who does not remind him if he forgets and does not assist him if he remembers.’

Al-Miqdam ibn Ma‘dikarib reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ patted him on the shoulder and said: ‘You will prosper, Qudaym, if you die without having been a ruler, a scribe, or an ‘arif (a local chief).’

A man reported from his father, from his grandfather: ‘We were living at one of the watering places. When Islam reached us, the man in charge of the water promised his people one hundred camels if they embraced Islam. They did so, and he distributed the camels among them. Later he thought to take the camels back. He sent his son to the Prophet ﷺ, saying, “Go to the Prophet and tell him: My father sends you greetings. He promised his people one hundred camels if they embraced Islam; they did so, and he distributed the camels among them. Now he is thinking of taking them back. Is he or are they more entitled to them? Whatever answer he gives, tell him that my father is an old man, the ‘arif of the people at the watering place, and he asks you to appoint me ‘arif after him.”’ The son went to the Prophet ﷺ and conveyed his father’s greeting. He replied, “Peace be upon you and your father.” The son repeated the question. The Prophet ﷺ said, “If he wishes to let them keep the camels, let him do so; but if he wishes to take them back, he is more entitled to them than they are. If they embrace Islam, their Islam is theirs; if they do not, they will be fought until they embrace Islam.”’ The son then repeated his father’s request. The Prophet ﷺ replied, ‘The office of ‘arif is a real responsibility; people must have ‘urafa’, but the ‘urafa’ are in the Fire.’

Ibn ‘Abbas said: ‘Al-Sijill was a scribe who served the Prophet ﷺ.’

Rafi‘ ibn Khadij said: ‘I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: “The person who collects charity justly is like one who fights in the path of Allah until he returns home.”’

‘Uqbah ibn ‘Amir said: ‘I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: “The one who imposes an unjust levy will not enter Paradise.”’

Ibn Ishaq explained that the person who exacts ‘ushr from people is meant—that is, the collector of makṣ.

Ibn ‘Umar reported that ‘Umar said: ‘If I do not appoint a successor, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ did not appoint one; and if I do appoint one, Abu Bakr did appoint one.’ Ibn ‘Umar said: ‘By Allah, when he mentioned the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and Abu Bakr, I realized that he would not regard anyone as equal to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and that he would not appoint a successor.’

Ibn ‘Umar said: ‘We used to pledge allegiance to the Prophet ﷺ to hear and obey, and he would prompt us to add: “To the extent that you are able.”’

‘Urwah reported that ‘A’ishah informed him about the Messenger of Allah’s ﷺ pledge with women. She said: ‘The Messenger of Allah ﷺ never touched the hand of a woman. He would take their pledge, and when a woman had given it, he would say: “Go; I have accepted your pledge.”’

‘Abd Allah ibn Hisham, who had met the Prophet ﷺ, said: ‘His mother Zaynab bint Humayd took him to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and said, “Messenger of Allah, accept his pledge of allegiance.” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “He is still a child,” and stroked his head.’

The Prophet ﷺ said: ‘If we appoint someone to a position and provide him with a stipend, whatever he takes beyond that is misappropriation.’

Ibn al-Sa‘idi said: ‘“Umar appointed me to collect the zakat. When I had finished, he assigned me a payment. I said, ‘I only did the work for Allah’s sake.’ He replied, ‘Take what you have been given. I held an office in the time of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and he paid me for it.’”

Al-Mustawrid ibn Shaddad said: ‘I heard the Prophet ﷺ say: “Whoever works for us should acquire a wife. If he has no servant, he should acquire one; and if he has no dwelling, he should acquire one.”’ Abu Bakr added: ‘I was informed that the Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever takes anything beyond that is a misappropriator or a thief.”’

Abu Humayd al-Sa‘idi reported that the Prophet ﷺ appointed a man from the Azd, called Ibn al-Lutbiyyah (Ibn al-‘Ut b iyyah in Ibn al-Sarh’s wording), to collect charity. When he returned, he said, ‘This is for you, and this was given to me as a gift.’ The Prophet ﷺ stood on the pulpit, praised and glorified Allah, and said: ‘What is the matter with an agent whom we send out, then he returns and says, “This is for you, and this was given to me as a gift”? Why did he not stay in his mother’s or father’s house and see whether a gift would be given to him there? Whoever takes any of it will bring it on the Day of Resurrection: if it is a camel, it will groan; if a cow, it will bellow; and if a sheep, it will bleat.’ Then he raised his hands until we could see the whiteness beneath his arms and said twice, ‘O Allah, have I conveyed the message?’