Sharh Riyad as-Saliheen by Ibn Uthaymeen — Volume 3 (شرح رياض الصالحين) — Page 5

Arabic text · النص

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

بَابُ النَّهْيِ عَنْ سُؤَالِ الْإِمَارَةِ وَاخْتِيَارِ تَرْكِ الْوِلَايَاتِ إِذَا لَمْ يَتَعَيَّنْ عَلَيْهِ أَوْ تَدْعُ حَاجَةٌ إِلَيْهِ.

Chapter: The prohibition of asking for leadership and the preference for avoiding positions of authority if one is not specifically appointed to them or if there is no necessity for it.

قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: ﴿تِلْكَ الدَّارُ الْآخِرَةُ نَجْعَلُهَا لِلَّذِينَ لَا يُرِيدُونَ عُلُوًّا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَا فَسَادًا وَالْعَاقِبَةُ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ﴾.

That home of the Hereafter We assign to those who do not desire exaltedness upon the earth or corruption. And the [best] outcome is for the righteous.

وَعَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ سَمُرَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ، قَالَ: قَالَ لِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ: «يَا عَبْدَ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنَ سَمُرَةَ، لَا تَسْأَلِ الْإِمَارَةَ؛ فَإِنَّكَ إِنْ أُعْطِيتَهَا عَنْ غَيْرِ مَسْأَلَةٍ أُعِنْتَ عَلَيْهَا، وَإِنْ أُعْطِيتَهَا عَنْ مَسْأَلَةٍ وُكِلْتَ إِلَيْهَا، وَإِذَا حَلَفْتَ عَلَى يَمِينٍ، فَرَأَيْتَ غَيْرَهَا خَيْرًا مِنْهَا، فَأْتِ الَّذِي هُوَ خَيْرٌ وَكَفِّرْ عَنْ يَمِينِكَ».

On the authority of Abu Sa'id Abd al-Rahman ibn Samurah, may Allah be pleased with him, he said: The Messenger of Allah said to me: 'O Abd al-Rahman ibn Samurah, do not ask for leadership, for if you are given it without asking, you will be helped in it, but if you are given it because you asked for it, you will be left to yourself. And if you swear an oath and then see that something else is better than it, do that which is better and make expiation for your oath.'

الشَّرْحُ: قَالَ الْمُؤَلِّفُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ فِي كِتَابِهِ رِيَاضُ الصَّالِحِينَ: «بَابُ النَّهْيِ عَنْ سُؤَالِ الْإِمَارَةِ وَاخْتِيَارِ تَرْكِ الْوِلَايَاتِ إِذَا لَمْ يَتَعَيَّنْ عَلَيْهِ، أَوْ تَدْعُ حَاجَةٌ إِلَيْهِ».

Explanation: The author, may Allah have mercy on him, said in his book Riyadh al-Salihin: 'Chapter: The prohibition of asking for leadership and the preference for avoiding positions of authority if one is not specifically appointed to them, or if there is no necessity for it.'

الْإِمَارَةُ مَعْنَاهَا: التَّأَمُّرُ عَلَى النَّاسِ وَالِاسْتِيلَاءُ عَلَيْهِمْ.

Leadership means: having authority over people and taking charge of them.

وَهِيَ كُبْرَى وَصُغْرَى.

It is of two types: major and minor.

أَمَّا الْكُبْرَى فَهِيَ الَّتِي تَكُونُ إِمَارَةً عَامَّةً عَلَى كُلِّ الْمُسْلِمِينَ؛ كَإِمَارَةِ أَبِي بَكْرٍ الصِّدِّيقِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ، وَهُوَ خَلِيفَةُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ، وَكَإِمَارَةِ أَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ، وَعُثْمَانَ بْنِ عَفَّانَ، وَعَلِيِّ بْنِ أَبِي طَالِبٍ، وَغَيْرِهِمْ مِنَ الْخُلَفَاءِ، هَذِهِ إِمَارَةٌ عَامَّةٌ وَسُلْطَةٌ عَامَّةٌ.

As for the major one, it is the general leadership over all Muslims, such as the leadership of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, who was the Caliph of the Messenger of Allah, and the leadership of the Commander of the Faithful Umar ibn al-Khattab, Uthman ibn Affan, Ali ibn Abi Talib, and others among the Caliphs; this is a general leadership and general authority.

Vocabulary · المفردات (19 verbs · 33 nouns)

• سَأَلَ — to ask
• اخْتَارَ — to choose
• تَرَكَ — to leave
• تَعَيَّنَ — to be incumbent
• دَعَا — to necessitate
• قَالَ — to say
• جَعَلَ — to make
• أَرَادَ — to want
• رَضِيَ — to be pleased
• أَعْطَى — to give
• أَعَانَ — to help
• وَكَلَ — to entrust
• حَلَفَ — to swear
• رَأَى — to see
• أَتَى — to do
• كَفَّرَ — to expiate
• تَأَمَّرَ — to command
• اسْتَوْلَى — to seize
• كَانَ — to be
• بَابٌ — chapter
• نَهْيٌ — prohibition
• سُؤَالٌ — asking
• إِمَارَةٌ — leadership
• اخْتِيَارٌ — choice
• تَرْكٌ — leaving
• وِلَايَةٌ — governance
• حَاجَةٌ — need
• دَارٌ — abode
• آخِرَةٌ — hereafter
• عُلُوٌّ — arrogance
• أَرْضٌ — earth
• فَسَادٌ — corruption
• عَاقِبَةٌ — outcome
• مُتَّقِيٌ — pious
• رَسُولٌ — messenger
• مَسْأَلَةٌ — request
• يَمِينٌ — oath
• خَيْرٌ — good
• شَرْحٌ — explanation
• مُؤَلِّفٌ — author
• كِتَابٌ — book
• رِيَاضٌ — gardens
• صَالِحٌ — righteous person
• تَأَمُّرٌ — commanding
• نَاسٌ — people
• اسْتِيلَاءٌ — seizure
• كُبْرَى — major
• صُغْرَى — minor
• عَامٌّ — general
• مُسْلِمٌ — Muslim
• خَلِيفَةٌ — caliph
• سُلْطَةٌ — authority