Ibn ‘Umar told that when they swore allegiance to God’s Messenger to hear and obey he was saying to them, “In what you are able.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)
The Offices of Commander and Qadi - Mishkat al-Masabih 3667
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. This narration from the esteemed companion Abdullah ibn 'Umar, found in the authentic collections of Bukhari and Muslim, addresses the fundamental principles of political and judicial authority in Islam.
Context and Meaning
The pledge of allegiance (bay'ah) to God's Messenger included the commitment to "hear and obey," yet the Prophet wisely qualified this with "in what you are able." This qualification establishes a crucial Islamic legal principle: obedience to rulers and judges is conditional upon their commands being within one's physical, moral, and religious capacity.
Scholarly Commentary
Imam al-Nawawi explains that this hadith demonstrates obedience to rulers is not absolute but restricted to matters that do not involve disobedience to Allah. If a commander orders something sinful, there is no obedience to creation in disobedience to the Creator.
Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani elaborates that "in what you are able" encompasses both physical capability and religious permissibility. A subject cannot be compelled to perform what is beyond their strength or what violates Islamic law.
This principle protects both the rights of rulers to legitimate authority and the rights of subjects to refuse unlawful commands, thus maintaining the balance essential for proper governance.
Legal Implications
For judges (qadis), this means their rulings must be implementable and within the shari'ah framework. For military commanders and political leaders, it means their orders must consider the practical and moral limits of their subordinates.
The classical scholars unanimously agree that this qualification prevents tyranny and preserves individual religious integrity while maintaining necessary social order and political stability.