On Visiting the Company of Rulers

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On Visiting the Company of Rulers
chachi
05/16/01 at 17:17:18
The section below is taken from "Ihya-Ulum-Id-Din by Imam Ghazzali (r.a.) Revival of Religious Learnings- English Translation by Fazlul Karim  Publisher Darul-Ishaat Karachi Pakistan"

found at the website
http://www.as-sidq.org

FREQENT VISIT TO  RULERS

Three conditions arise in frequenting the rulers (1) evil effects of frequenting them, (2) the manner to be observed, (3) and to keep aloof from them.

(1)  First conditions : It is not commendable to frequent the rulers and administrators according to Shariat. A great deal of warnings to this effect was given by the pious and learned men of the religion.
 

Rasulullah (sallallaho alaihe wasallam) mentioned about the tyrant rulers and said : He who keeps away from them will get salvation. He who keeps separate from them will be safe or near safety. He who falls with them in their worldly passions will belong to them.
Rasulullah (sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said : There will be false and oppressive rulers after me. He who supports their falsehood as true and helps their tyranny does not belong to my followers and I am also not of him. He will not be able to take drink from my Fountain.
Rasulullah (sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said . The learned man who frequent the rulers is an object of hatred near Allah. He said : The rulers who frequent the learned are good and the learned men who frequent the rulers are bad.
Rasulullah (sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said : So long as the learned men do not mix with the rulers. they become guardians of trust of the Prophet for the servants of, Allah ; when they mix with them, they commit treachery with the Prophet .So be careful of them and keep away from them.
Wise sayings :Sayyidna Huzaifa said : Be careful of ruinous places. He was questioned : What are those places ? He said : The Offices of the rulers.
Sayyidna Abu Zarr said to Salma : Don't frequent the office of the rulers, as the harms of religion will be greater than the benefits you get from them.
Sayyidna Sufiyan said : There is a valley in Hell. The learned men who frequent the rulers will live in it. Sayyidna Obadah-b-Swamet said : if a pious learned man loves the rulers, he commits hypocrisy and if he loves the rich he commits show.
Sayyidna Omar-b-Abdul Aziz appointed an officer. He was then informed that the was an officer of tyrant. Hajjaj.  He dismissed him on this ground. The wiseman  Fuzail said :The nearer a man goes to the rulers, the distant he becomes from Allah.

From the above tradition and wise saying, it appears that many dangers and difficulties arise out of mixing with the rulers and frequenting their offices. He who frequents them faces sin, as by his actions, silence, words and invocations, he commits disobedience to Allah. If he bends his head to a tyrant ruler, or kisses his hand and does actions like that he commits sin. If he sees actions in the Offices of the ruler which are unlawful, he commit sin by his silence as it is his duty then to protest against such illegal actions. If one praises him and supports his illegal actions, he commits sin.

If he invokes Allah for the long life of a tyrant, it is illegal.Rasulullah (sallallaho alaihe wasallam): He who prays for long life of a tyrant loves sins.

Rasulullah (sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said :When any man praises a transgressor, Allah him???   He said : When a man honours transgressor, Allah hates him. He said. When a man honours a transgressor, he helps the destruction of Islam.

A pious man  Sayeed-b-Musayyeb was asked by Caliph Abdul Malek to swear allegiance to his two sons Walid and Solaiman. he said : I will not take allegiance to them till night and day turn as the Prophet prohibited allegiance to two persons. As a result, he was flogged and made to wear dress of disgrace.

(2) Second condition: Salute a tyrant ruler and stand up in his honour as in the contrary case, disturbance may occur among the subjects. After interview, give him sound advice and inform him of the injunctions and prohibitions of Shariat. Once Caliph Muhammad-b-Solaiman went to the a pious man  Mammad-b-Salam who had then before him a mat for sitting, one copy of the Quran, one bag for keeping books and a pot for ablution; The Caliph said : Whenever I see you my mind is filled up with fear. What is the reason ? Hammad  said: The cause is this  tradition of Rasulullah (sallallaho alaihe wasallam). Everything fears a man who seeks Allah's pleasure by his learning. The Caliph then placed before him forty thousand dirhams as a gift which he refused to accept.

(3) Third condition. The learned men should not frequent the offices of the rulers. If anybody remembers their rewards and presents, he should recall to his mind the sayings of the sage Hatem Asem. He said : There is the difference of only one day between me and the rulers . They did not get the joys of yesterday and they and myself have got the fear of tomorrow. Only to-day remains. What is possible to occur by to-day?

Once Caliph Hesham-b-Abdul Malek went to Mecca for pilgrimage. When he entered the sanctuary of the Ka'ba he called for a pious man  Taus Yemeni. When he came to him, he took off his shoes and kept them by the side of the royal carpet. He said : O Hisham, peace be on you. He then sat by the side of the Caliph and asked him: O Hesham, how are you ? At this conduct of the sage, he was about to kill him but as he was in the sanctuary, he was not killed. The Caliph asked Taus :Why have you treated me like this ? (l)you have placed your shoes by my carpet (2) you have not kissed my hand, (3) you have not addressed me 'O Commander of the Faithful, (4) you have taken your seat by me without my permission, (5) you have asked me by my name : How are you ? The sage Taus replied : Regarding the placing of my shoes by your carpet, I put off my shoes daily five times when go to my Lord for prayer. He does not punish me for it. Regarding the kissing of your hand. I heard Sayyidna Ali say : Let nobody kiss the hand of anyone except his kissing his wife's hand out of passion and his kissing of his parents hand out of reverence, Regarding addressing you as Commander of the Faithful, the people are not satisfied with your rule and I don't wish to tell lies. Regarding my addressing you by your name, Allah even addressed His dear friends and Prophets by their names. Regarding my sitting by your side, I heard Sayyidna Ali say : If you wish to see anyone of the in mates of Hell, look to one who keeps himself seated with the people standing around him. Then Taus went away from him.


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