224. They do not have the entire hadith but it is the hadith ofWaabisah. (cont.)

This is because the Prophet (peace be upon him) stated, "The rulers are to be [from the tribe of] Quraish."3 Al-Khattaabi further states that a person may cite an impossible hypothetical case to stress the meaning of what he is stating. Al-Khattaabi gives the example of another hadith in which the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "Whoever builds a mosque for the sake of Allah like the size of a pigeon's nest or smaller, Allah will build for him a house in Paradise."4 Obviously, a mosque cannot be that. The statement is meant to stress the importance of building a mosque in the same way that the hadith here is simply emphasizing the importance of obeying the one whom the ruler puts in charge. 5 1 For more on this point, see al-Dumaiji, pp. 240-243. 2 He starts by saying this and then he moves on to emphasize the impossibility of what is stated in the hadith. For this reason, his interpretation must be considered different from the fourth interpretation mentioned later. 3 Recorded by Ahmad. According to al-Albaani, it is sahih. See al-Albaani, sahih al-Jaami, vol. 1, p. 535. 4 Recorded by ibn Maajah and Ahmad. According to al-Albaani, it is sahih. See al-Albaani, sahih al-Jaami, vol. 2, p. 1 056. However, another interpretation of this hadith is not that it is an exaggeration but it refers to building or contributing to even just a small portion of a mosque. 5 Al-Khattaabi is quoted in Muhammad al-Adheemabaadi, Aoon al-Mabood Sharh Sunan Abi Daawood (Cairo: Maktaba ibn Taimiya, 1987), vol. 12, pp. 359-360. lbn Daqeeq al-Eid (Sharh, Hadith #28: "I advise you to have taqwa . . . " This is the view favored by the following commentators: al-Teebi, 1 Adheemabaadi,2 al-Sahaaranfoori3 and al-Mubaarakfoori.4 Ibn al-Arabi states that such is the approach of "our scholars," apparently referring to the Maliki scholars, although he himself does not agree with that interpretation.5 A second approach is that of ibn al-Arabi. He says that the Prophet (peace be upon him) was referring to the time when things would not be in proper order. The affairs would become so bad that slaves would become rulers over the people. In that case, a Muslim should remain patient, listen to and obey the ruler. If one does not do so, it may lead to lots of civil strife and evil. Hence, he must remain patient until Allah changes the situation.6 Although he mentions some of the other views, this seems to be the view that ibn Rajah favors.7 A third approach is mentioned by al-Qaari. He states that no matter who the ruler is, one should listen and obey him. In other words, in this interpretation, the stress is on ignoring the rulers' lineage or class. One does not have the right to disobey the ruler simply because he is of a lower class or of a lineage that a person does not like. 8 Ibn Uthaimeen' s commentary is very close to this but may be considered a fourth interpretation. He says that the ruler must be obeyed even if he is an Abyssinian slave. This is true regardless if he be a general ruler, a ruler over a specific group of people, a ruler over a tribe or anything of that nature. He says that those people are mistaken who say the Abyssinian slave refers to any type of ruler other than the general ruler or head of state. He says that the wording applies to any sort of authority or rule. He says that no matter who Allah places in authority, he must be obeyed, otherwise there would be anarchy and civil strife.9 In this author's opinion, all of the above interpretations are plausible. It is difficult to determine which has the most credence. p. 75), al-Haitami (Fath, p. 220), al-Bugha and Mistu (pp. 201-202), Sultaan (p. 251) and Taataay (p. 246) also mention this interpretation as one of two possible meanings to the hadith. 1 Al-Teebi, vol. 2, p. 634. 2 Adheemabaadi, Aun, vol. 12, pp. 359-360. He simply quotes al-Khattaabi without making any additional comment. 3 Khaleel al-Sahaaranfoori, Bad/ al-Majhood ft Hall Abi Daawood (Beirut: Daar al-Kutub al­ Ilmiyah, n.d.), vol. 18, p. 147. He also simply quotes al-Khattaabi without making any additional comment. 4 Al-Mubaarakfoori, Tuhfah, vol. 7, p. 439. He also simply quotes al-Khattaabi without making any additional comment. 5 lbn al-Arabi, vol. 10, p. 149. 6 lbn al-Arabi, vol. 10, p. 149. lbn Daqeeq al-Eid (Sharh, p. 75), al-Haitami (Fath, p. 220), al­ Bugha and Mistu (pp. 201-202), Sultaan (p. 251) and Taataay (p. 246) mention this as one of two ಉossible meanings. lbn Rajah, Jaami, vol. 2, pp. 1 18-1 19. 8 Al-Qaari, vol. 1, p. 241. 9 lbn Uthaimeen, Sharh Riyaadh, vol. 3, pp. 331-332. Al-Baitaar (p. 169) has something similar to that. Commentary on the Forty Hadith of al-Nawawi "Certainly, the one who will lives 1 among you will see lots of differences." This is one of the miracles accorded the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).