What the Notables have Narrated about not Going to the Rulers

155 Pages·3.371 MB·English

by  as-Suyuti

AL-lMAM al-Hafidh jalaluddin as-Suyuti

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W T N H N
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Translated by AbdulHaq Al-Ashanti
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What The Notables Have Narrated About Not
Going To The Rulers
1st Edition © Jamiah Media 2010 C.E. / 1431 A.H.
ISBN: 978-0-9367281-0-4
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be re­
produced, photo-copied, scanned, stored or transmitted in
any other shape or form without the prior permission of the
copyright owners.
Published bv:
Jamiah Media
Email: [email protected]
Source of translation:
Abridged from Ma Rawdhu ’l-Asatin ft Adm il-Maji ilds-Saldtin [What the
Notables Have Narrated About Not Going to the Rulers] by Imam
Jalaluddln as-Suyutl, Abu ’Ali Busarih (ed.). Beirut: Dar Ibn Hazm, 1413
AH/1992 CE, pp.5-89.
Cover design & typesetting:
Ihsaan Design - www.ihsaandesign.co.uk
Edited by Abu Fatimah Azhar Majothl
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What The Notables have narrated
A N G
bout ot oing

To T R
he ulers

By Imam al-HAfidh
JALALUDDIN AS-SUYUTl (D.911 AH/1505 CE)
Studied and edited by Dr Abu 'All Taha Busanh
Introduced by Shaykh, al-Muhaddith ’AbdulQadir al-Arna’ut ^
Translated by ’AbdulHaq ibn Kofi ibn Kwesi al-Ashanti
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Contents
Translator’s Preface 7
Introduction By The Server Of The Sunnah In Damascus: ‘Abdul-Qadir
Al-Arna‘ut..........................................................................................................23
The Virtue Of Knowledge And The ‘Ulama: Their Status, Characteristics
And Important Qualities 27
A Mention Of The Views Of The ‘Ulama Regarding Entering The Courts
And Palaces Of The Rulers 41
Biography Of Imam As-Suyuti, 43
Copies Of Manuscript Texts’ Used For Editing The Book. 51
The Text [Chapter 1] 57
Chapter 2 103
Chapter 3 121
Bibliography 146
Jamiah Media Publications 153
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TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE

Indeed, all praise is due to Allah. We praise Him, we seek His aid, and we
ask for His forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evil of our actions
and from the evil consequences of our actions. Whomever Allah guides,
there is none to misguide him and whoever Allah misguides, there is none
to guide him. I bear witness that there is no god worthy of worship except
Allah and I bear witness that Muhammad is the servant and messenger of
Allah. To proceed:
This is an abridged translation of an important work by Imam Jalaluddln
as-Suyutl entitled Md Rawdhu’l-Asdtin fi Adm il-Maji ild's-Salatin [What
the Notables Have Narrated About Not Going to the Rulers]. The editor of
this work is Dr Abu ’Ali Taha Busarlh who has edited and verified a
number of books, such as:
❖ his Ph.d thesis submitted to Zaytiinah University in Tunisia in
1995, al-Manhaj al-Hadithi ’inda Ibn Hazm al-Andaliisi (Dar Ibn
Hazm, 2001), it was initially supervised by ’AbdurRahman ’Awn.
♦♦♦ Abu Muhammad ’AbdulMun’im bin Muhammad bin
’AbdurRahlm bin Muhammad al-Khazrajl al-Ghranatl (aka Ibn ul-
Faras, d.597 AH), Ahkdm ul-Quran (Beirut: Dar Ibn Hazm, 1427
AH/2006 CE).
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❖ Imam al-Hafidh Abu’l-Hasan Muhammad Ibn ul-Madhfar al-
Bazzar (d. 379AH), Ghara’ib ul-Hadtth Malik bin Anas (Dar
Gharb ul-Islaml).
❖ Abu Muhammad ’AbdulHaq al-Ishblll, al-Jam* Bayna Sahihayn
(Beirut: Dar ul-Maghrib, 2003, 4 vols.), tahqiq with Bashhar
’Awad Ma’ruf.
❖ ’AbdurRahman bin Sulayman bin Maqbul Ibn Ahdal al-Yemeni,
Ahkdm ul-Azd’im wa’r-Raqd (Beirut: Dar Ibn Hazm, 1417
AH/1997 CE).
❖ ’Abdullah bin Muhammad al-BatalyawsI, Mushkildt Muwatta’
Malik bin Anas (Beirut: Dar Ibn Hazm, 1420 AH).
❖ Imam Muhammad at-Tahir ibn ’Ashur (d.1394 AH), Kashf ul-
Mughti min al-Ma'dni wa Alfadh al-Wdqi'ah fi'l-Muwatta
(Tunisia: Dar Sahnun, 1427 AH/2006 CE).
Muhammad al-MisnawI bin al-Maliki aJ-FasI (d. 1136 AH), Nusrat
ul-Qabdh wa Radd \ala man Inkara Mashrti ’iyyatahi fi Salat il-Fard
(Beirut: Dir Ibn Hazm, 2007), tahqiq with ’AbdulLatlf bin al-
Imam Bu ’Azlzl.
The importance of this topic cannot be denied for a number of reasons,
including the SaJafs dislike of pandering to the desires of the corrupt
oppressive and transgressive rulers. Sufyan ath-Thawri & stated for example:
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“I do not fear the punishment of the rulers, rather I fear the honour
of the rulers.”1
At the same time though, the Salaf did not rebuke those pious leaders who
tried their utmost to implement Islam and in fact these leaders are praised
and held in high regard. For this reason, many scholars also authored works
wherein they extolled the virtues of the ’Ulama remaining close to the
rulers. For example, Abu’l-Hasan ’Ali bin Muhammad bin Habib al-
Mawardl (d. 450 AH) authored Nasihat ul-Mulfik\ Abu Hamid al-Ghazall
(d. 505 AH) authored at-Tibr al-Masbuk fi Nasihat ul-Muluk\ Abu Bakr
Muhammad bin al-Walid at-Tartushl (d. 520 AH) authored Sirdj ul-
Muluk\ Ibn ul-jawzl (d. 597 AH), for example authored Atful-’Ulama \'ala
Umara ival-Umara ’ala’l-’Ulama [The Scholars Connection to the Leaders
and the Leaders to the Scholars], which was written well over three hundred
years prior to as-Suyutfs book; Mula ’Ali Qarl (d. 1014 AH/1606 CE)
authored Tab'icl ul-’Ulama an Taqrib il-Umara [Distancing the Scholars
from Proximity to the Rulers]; Imam Muhammad bin Isma’ll as-San’anl (d.
1182 AH) authored Izdlat ut-Tuhmah bi Baya n ma Yajuz wa Yuhram min
Mukhdlat idh-Dhalamah [Removing the Accusation by Explaining What is
Permitted and Prohibited from Mixing with the Oppressors]. Imam
1 Reported by Abu’sh-Shaykh al-Asfahanl in Tabaqat ul-Muhadditbin bi Asbahan
(Beirut: Mu’assasat ur-Risalah, 1412 AH/1992 CE) vol.2, p.114, 219; Abu Nu’aym,
Hilyat ul-Awliya\ vol.10, p.390; adh-Dhahabl, SiyarA'ldm un-Nubala\ vol.7, p.262.
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Muhammad bin ’Ali bin Muhammad bin ’Abdullah ash-Shawkanl (d. 1250
AH) authored Raf ul-Asdtin fi Hukm il~Ittisdl bi’s-Salatin [Raising of the
Notables Regarding the Ruling of Being Connected to the Rulers].
Some scholars have stated that the ruler represents the dominion while the
scholar represents the deen hence ’Ali ibn Abl Talib 4® stated:
“The dominion (mulk) and the deen are two brothers, one is not
sufficed from the other. The deen is the foundation and the
dominion is the protector, and whatever has no foundation is
destroyed and whatever has no protector is lost.”1
This link is seen as being the complete connection between the pen and the
sword, as one scholar of the past said to a leader: “we are in the shade of
your sword” and the leader replied to the scholar: “and we are in the shade
of your pen!”2 Ibn ul-jawzl & also mentioned three types of rulers who the
’Ulama should have some kind of relationship with, and to what extent:
First: the just ruler who follows the truth, supporting him is an
obligation and frequenting him is an act of worship.
1 Ibn AbdulBarr, Bahjat ul-Majdlis, vol.l, p.332.
2 This statement was ascribed to Fakhr ar-RazI to the Sultan Shihabuddln
Muhammad bin Salim al-Ghuri, refer to Ibn Hajar al-Asqalanl, Lisan ul-Mizan,
vol.4, p.420.
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