[Thread] Scholars and rulers. Scholarship in Islam is an Amanah (responsibility) and must be discharged with great care lest the community is misguided into error.

Imam Abu Hanifa once saw a boy playing in the mud and said, “O boy! Be careful not to fall in the mud!”

The boy replied to the imam, “You be careful not to fall! Because the fall of a scholar is the fall of the world!”
(Ibn Abideen, Radd al-Muhtar)

Our illustrious scholarly tradition and history shows us just how much those with 'ilm discharged their responsibilities and stayed clear of rulers, seeking to co-opt them into their malign projects or endorse their activities.

Yet the lure of power and patronage leads good people into endorsing autocratic projects and confirming betrayals.

Firstly the Sunnah is replete with severe warnings directed at the ulema.

Ibn Abbas (ra) reported that the Prophet (saw) said, “Whoever lives in the desert becomes rough (harsh), whoso follows the game (hunt) becomes careless, and whoso comes to the ruler falls into Fitna.” [Abu Dawood and Tirmidhi]

Abu Hurairah (ra) reported that Muhammad (saw) said, “Whenever a person becomes closer to a ruler he will be further away from Allah.” [Ahmad]

Abu Hurairah (ra) reported that Muhammad (saw) said, “The most hated Qarees (Quran Reciters) to Allah are those who visit the rulers.” [Ibn Majah]

Abu Hurairah (ra) reported that Muhammad (saw) said, “If you see a scholar mixing with a ruler regularly be aware that this man is a thief.” [Daylami Musnad Firdows]

“There will be rulers after me whoever believes in their lies and helps them in their injustice (oppression) and visits them regularly he is not one of me and I am not one of them (i.e. he has nothing to do with me and I have nothing to do with him) and he will never come to my…

…fountain on the day of judgement. And the one who never helped them in their own injustice and doesn’t go to their doors he is one of me and I am one of them and he will come to my fountain on the day of judgement.” [Imam Shirazi and Tirmidhi]

Imam Ali (ra) reported that Muhammad (saw) said, “The Fuqa’hah are the trustees of the Messengers as long as they did not enter or indulge in the Dunyah (materialistic matters) or follow the ruler if they do so be careful from them.” [Imam Askari]

Mu’adh ibn Jabal (ra) reported that Muhammad (saw) said to him, “Whenever a scholar goes to a ruler by his own free will he will be his partner in any form of injustice he did and he will be punished because of that with him in hellfire.” [Hakim and Daylami]

Mu’adh ibn Jabal (ra) reported that Muhammad (saw) said, “Whoever recited the Quran and studied deeply and became a Faqeeh in the Deen and he goes to the door/gate of the ruler in order to get closer to him, to compromise himself on what he sees of the ruler (i.e. doesn’t speak…

…out against his evil) all this to seek the Duniyah (e.g. money, medicine, property etc.) which is in the hands of the rulers either for himself or the people after him he will follow him step by step in hellfire.” [Imam Suyuti]

Hassan ibn Ali (ra) narrated that Muhammad (saw) said, “This Ummah will always be blessed under the hand of Almighty Allah and His shade unless its Qarees (Scholars) compromise with the rulers.” [Abu Amradaani in his Kitab-ul-Fitan]

A man from the tribe called Salim said, “Oh Messenger of Allah advise me.” Muhammad (saw) said, “Be careful from the doors of the rulers.” [Bayhaqi]

And from the Sahabah (ra), Abdullah ibn Masud (ra) said, “A man will enter the ruler with his Deen and he will walk away without his Deen.” [Bukhari’s Tareekh & Saheeh Sahabi]

Once Salamah asked his father to tell him what Muhammad (saw) advised him of and he said, “Look my son if you visit the ruler and you get anything your people will get from you (i.e. its equivalent)...

Oh my son I fear to sit with them (rulers) in a congregation (gathering) that will take me to hellfire.”

Abdullah ibn Masud (ra) said, “Whoever seeks knowledge for four reasons will go to hellfire to challenge the Ulemah and to compromise with the corrupted rulers/people (i.e. find Fatwas for them)…” [Darimi and Saheeh Sahabi]

Hudaifah (ra) said, “Be careful from any position of Fitn.” Someone asked, “Where is all the Fitn?” Hudaifah (ra) replied, “On the door of the Amir (i.e. ruler), a man will go to the Amir and believe all of his lies and he will say about him what he is not.” [Ibn Abi Sheebah]

And the practice of our great ulema. Imam Abu Hanifah (ra) said, “If you see a scholar visit the Caliph regularly accuse him in his Deen” and he himself refused to work as a judge for the Caliph of his era, because of this he was punished.

Hassan Al-Basri said, “Do not sit with innovators nor go to the rulers they will confuse (pollute) your Deen.”

Imam ibnul Munir narrates that one of the rulers of Bukhara said to Imam Bukhari bring to me the books of Jami and Tareekh so I can hear from you your knowledge (i.e. come and teach me the collections of Hadeeth).

Imam Bukhari said to the envoy of the ruler, “Tell him I will never humiliate the knowledge or the Deen. I would never go to the door of the Sultan (ruler) and if you are needy for that knowledge then know that nothing will supercede that knowledge.

You come to me, you come to the Masjid (mosque), you come to my home (if you want to learn).”

Ibn Muflih reported: Sa’id ibn al-Musayyib, may Allah have mercy on him, said, “If you see a scholar become too close the rulers, beware of him for he is a thief.” al-Ādāb al-Shar’īyah

Ibn Abdul Barr said, “It is said that the worst rulers are far from the scholars and the worst scholars are near to the rulers.” Jāmi’ Bayān al-‘Ilm