Hadith+
    Beta 2
Help
 
X
GO
Browse All Books    Browse All Topics
LiteView
 
Quick Search 
Sahih al-Bukhari 4359 (Book 64, Hadith 385) #4158
Appointing Leaders Through Consensus

SUMMARY: This hadith is about the importance of appointing a leader through consensus and not by force, and how it will benefit the nation of Arabs.

Narrated Jarir: While I was at Yemen, I met two men from Yemen called Dhu Kala and Dhu 'Amr, and I started telling them about Allah's Messenger . Dhu 'Amr said to me, "If what you are saying about your friend (ie the Prophet) is true, then he has died three days ago". Then both of them accompanied me to Medina, and when we had covered some distance on the way to Medina, we saw some riders coming from Medina. We asked them and they said, "Allah's Messenger has died and Abu Bakr has been appointed as the Caliph and the people are in a good state'. Then they said, "Tell your friend (Abu Bakr) that we have come (to visit him), and if Allah will, we will come again". So they both returned to Yemen. When I told Abu Bakr their statement, he said to me, "I wish you had brought them (to me)". Afterwards I met Dhu 'Amr, and he said to me, "O Jarir! You have done a favor to me and I am going to tell you something, ie you, the nation of 'Arabs, will remain prosperous as long as you choose and appoint another chief whenever a former one is dead. But if authority is obtained by the power of the sword, then the rulers will become kings who will get angry, as kings get angry, and will be delighted as kings get delighted".
حَدَّثَنِي عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ الْعَبْسِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ إِدْرِيسَ، عَنْ إِسْمَاعِيلَ بْنِ أَبِي خَالِدٍ، عَنْ قَيْسٍ، عَنْ جَرِيرٍ، قَالَ كُنْتُ بِالْبَحْرِ فَلَقِيتُ رَجُلَيْنِ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْيَمَنِ ذَا كَلاَعٍ وَذَا عَمْرٍو، فَجَعَلْتُ أُحَدِّثُهُمْ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ فَقَالَ لَهُ ذُو عَمْرٍو لَئِنْ كَانَ الَّذِي تَذْكُرُ مِنْ أَمْرِ صَاحِبِكَ، لَقَدْ مَرَّ عَلَى أَجَلِهِ مُنْذُ ثَلاَثٍ‏.‏ وَأَقْبَلاَ مَعِي حَتَّى إِذَا كُنَّا فِي بَعْضِ الطَّرِيقِ رُفِعَ لَنَا رَكْبٌ مِنْ قِبَلِ الْمَدِينَةِ فَسَأَلْنَاهُمْ فَقَالُوا قُبِضَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ وَاسْتُخْلِفَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ وَالنَّاسُ صَالِحُونَ‏.‏ فَقَالاَ أَخْبِرْ صَاحِبَكَ أَنَّا قَدْ جِئْنَا وَلَعَلَّنَا سَنَعُودُ إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ، وَرَجَعَا إِلَى الْيَمَنِ فَأَخْبَرْتُ أَبَا بَكْرٍ بِحَدِيثِهِمْ قَالَ أَفَلاَ جِئْتَ بِهِمْ‏.‏ فَلَمَّا كَانَ بَعْدُ قَالَ لِي ذُو عَمْرٍو يَا جَرِيرُ إِنَّ بِكَ عَلَىَّ كَرَامَةً، وَإِنِّي مُخْبِرُكَ خَبَرًا، إِنَّكُمْ مَعْشَرَ الْعَرَبِ لَنْ تَزَالُوا بِخَيْرٍ مَا كُنْتُمْ إِذَا هَلَكَ أَمِيرٌ تَأَمَّرْتُمْ فِي آخَرَ، فَإِذَا كَانَتْ بِالسَّيْفِ كَانُوا مُلُوكًا يَغْضَبُونَ غَضَبَ الْمُلُوكِ وَيَرْضَوْنَ رِضَا الْمُلُوكِ‏.‏

TOPICS
appointment  *  leader  *  consensus  *  nation  *  sword  *  istinja  *  rais  *  ijma  *  qawm  *  sayf

QUICK LESSONS:
Respect others’ views ; Understand consequences before making decisions ; Be wise when choosing leaders .

EXPLANATIONS:
This hadith is narrated by Jarir ibn Abdullah al-Bajali, who was travelling in Yemen when he met two men from Yemen called Dhu Kala and Dhu 'Amr. He told them about Prophet Muhammad's death, to which they responded that if what he said was true then Prophet Muhammad must have died three days ago. The two men accompanied him to Medina where they found out that Abu Bakr had been appointed as Caliph and the people were in a good state. They asked Jarir to tell Abu Bakr that they would come back if Allah willed it. When Jarir told Abu Bakr their statement, he wished he had brought them with him. Later on, Dhu 'Amr said to Jarir that the nation of Arabs would remain prosperous as long as they chose another chief whenever a former one died but if authority was obtained by power of sword then rulers would become kings who get angry like kings do and be delighted like kings do too.

This hadith teaches us an important lesson about how leaders should be chosen for any nation or group - through consensus rather than force or power of sword - so that everyone can agree on it without any conflict or disagreement arising between them due to different opinions or views on who should lead them next after someone dies or leaves office. It also teaches us how important it is for leaders to be chosen this way so that peace can prevail among people instead of anger and hatred due to differences in opinion leading up to fights between people over who should lead them next after someone dies or leaves office.

Please use the feedback below to report any discrepancies or concerns.

Feedback           Discuss      Disclaimer     

haluk
  
Prev    Next