The Book on Government
كتاب الإمارة
Chapter 16: The obligation to denounce rulers for that in which they go against Shari'ah, but they should not be fought so long as they pray regularly, etc
Another version omits a portion at the end of the tradition-a portion which begins with man radiya wa taba and ends with the last word of the tradition.
Chapter 17: The best and worst of rulers
The best of your rulers are those whom you love and who love you, who invoke God's blessings upon you and you invoke His blessings upon them. And the worst of your rulers are those whom you hate and who hate you and whom you curse and who curse you. It was asked (by those present): Shouldn't we overthrow them with the help of the sword? He said: No, as long as they establish prayer among you. If you then find anything detestable in them. You should hate their administration, but do not withdraw yourselves from their obedience.
The best of your rulers are those whom you love and who love you, upon whom you invoke God's blessings and who invoke His blessing upon you. And the worst of your rulers are those whom you hate and who hate you, who curse you and whom you curse. (Those present) said: Shouldn't we overthrow them at this? He said: No, as long as they establish prayer among you. No, as long as they establish prayer among you. Mind you! One who has a governor appointed over him and he finds that the governor indulges in an act of disobedience to God, he should condemn the governor's act, in disobedience to God, but should not withdraw himself from his obedience. Ibn Jabir said: Ruzaiq narrated to me this hadith. I asked him: Abu Miqdam, have you heard it from Muslim b. Qaraza or did he describe it to you and he heard it from 'Auf (b. Malik) and he transmitted this tradition of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)? Upon this Ruzaiq sat upon his knees and facing the Qibla said: By Allah, besides Whom there is no other God, I heard it from Muslim b. Qaraza and he said that te had heard it from Auf (b. Malik) and he said that he had heard it from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).
The above hadith has been narrated through addtional chains of transmitters.
Chapter 18: It is recommended for the army to swear allegiance to the ruler when intending to fight, and an account of Bay'at Ar-Ridwan beneath the tree
We were one thousand and four hundred on the Day of Hudaibiya. We swore fealty to hiin (the Holy Prophet) and 'Umar was holding the latter's hand (when he was sitting) under the tree (called) Samura (to administer the oath to the Companions). The narrator added: We took oath to the effect that we would not flee (from the battlefield if there was an encounter with the Meccans), but we did not take oath to fight to death.
While swearing fealty to the Prophet (ﷺ) we did not take the oath to death but that we would not run away (from the battlefield).
We were fourteen hundred. We swore fealty to him, and Umar was holding his hand while he was sitting under the tree (to administer the oath). The tree was a samura (a wild tree found in deserts). All of as took the oath of fealty at his hands except Jadd b. Qais al-Ansari who hid himself under the belly of his camel.
No! But he offered his prayers at that place, and he administered the oath of fealty nowhere except near the tree in (the plain oo Hudaibiya. Ibn Juraij said that he was informed by Abu Zabair who heard Jabir b. Abdullah say: The Prophet (ﷺ) prayed over the well at Hudaibiya (as a result of which its scanty water rose up and increased so as to be sufficient for the 1400 or 1500 men who had encamped at the place).
We were one thousand and four hundred on the Day of Hudaibiya when the Prophet (ﷺ) said to us: Today you are the best people on the earth. And Jabir said: If I had the eyesight, I could show you the place of the tree.
I asked Jabir b. 'Abdullah about the number of the Companions (of the Prophet who took the oath of fealty under) the tree. He said: If we were a hundred thousand, it (i. e. the water in the well at Hudaibiya) would have sufficed us, but actually we were one thousand and five hundred.
If we had been a hundred thousand in number, it (the water) would have sufficed us, but actually we were fifteen hundred.
I asked Jabir: How many were you on the Day of Hudaibiya? He said: One thousand and four hundred.
The Companions of the Tree (i e. those who swore fealty under the tree) were one thousand and three hundred, and the people of Aslam tribe were one-eighth of the Muhajirs.
The same tradition has been handed down through a different chain of transmitters.
I remember being present on the Day of the Tree, and the Prophet (ﷺ) was taking the oath of the people and I was holding a twig of the tree over his head. We were fourteen hundred (in number). We did not take oath to the death, but to the effect that we would not run away from the battlefield.
This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Yunus with the same chain of transmitters.
My father was one of those who swore fealty to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) near the tree. When we passed that way next year intending to perform the Hajj, the place of the tree was hidden to us. If you could point out clearly, you would (certainly) be knowing better. It has also been narrated on the authority of Sa'id b. Musayyib who learnt from his father that they were with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) in the year of the Tree (i. e. in the year of the fealty of God's pleasure sworn under the tree at Hudaibiya), but next year they forgot the spot of the tree.
I had seen the tree. When I came to the spot afterwards, I could not recognise it.
1 asked Salama as to what effect he had sworn fealty to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) on the Day of Hudaibiya. He said: To the effect that we will die fighting.
The above tradition has also been handed down through a different chain of transmitters.