Brief Comments on Riyaadh al-Saaliheen #26

The responsibilities of those in authority (the rulers, scholars, teachers etc.) in building up a nation:

بـسـم الله والحـمـد لله والـصلاة والـسـلام عــلى رسـول الله، وبـعـد

[Sharh Riyaadh al-Saaliheen, pg. 2/397]

On the authority of Tameem Al-Daaree رضي الله عنه that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: “Al-Deen (Religion) is sincerity”. We said: “To whom?” He صلى الله عليه وسلم said: “To Allaah and His Book, and His Messenger, and to the Imaams of the Muslims and their common folk”. [Saheeh Muslim (85)]

The Shaikh رحمه الله said:

(In this Hadeeth) the Imaams have been given precedence over the general people; this is because if the Imaams are good, the general people will also be good. So, when the leaders (rulers) are good, the general people will be good; and when the scholars are good, the general people will be reformed. That is why it was begun with them.

And one should know that by “Imaams of the Muslims” here does not mean only the great Imaams (of the past); but rather its meaning is general. So whoever has authority, even (a principal or a teacher) in a school, will be considered as one of the leaders of the Muslims. When they are sincere and good, those below them (the students) will also be upright.

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*And here we are in an age where the teachers are themselves corrupted. (No need to go into the details as every now and then it’s in the news about the way some of teachers behave with some of their students).

Narrated `Abdullaah bin `Umar رضي الله عنه: I heard Allaah’s Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم saying: “All of you are guardians and responsible for your wards and the things under your care. The Imaam (i.e. ruler) is the guardian of his subjects and is responsible for them and a man is the guardian of his family and is responsible for them. A woman is the guardian of her husband’s house and is responsible for it. A servant is the guardian of his master’s belongings and is responsible for them.” I thought that he also said: “A man is the guardian of his father’s property and is responsible for it. All of you are guardians and responsible for your wards and the things under your care.” [Saheeh al-Bukhaaree (893, 2409, 2554, 2558, 2751, 5188, 5200, 7138) and Saheeh Muslim (3414)]