88/2. Chapter:
Sahih Bukhari 6923 — Seeking Office and Judgment
Al-Murtad and Al-Murtaddah
وَقَالَ ابْنُ عُمَرَ وَالزُّهْرِيُّ وَإِبْرَاهِيمُ تُقْتَلُ الْمُرْتَدَّةُ وَاسْتِتَابَتِهِمْ. وَقَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: {كَيْفَ يَهْدِي اللَّهُ قَوْمًا كَفَرُوا بَعْدَ إِيمَانِهِمْ وَشَهِدُوا أَنَّ الرَّسُولَ حَقٌّ وَجَاءَهُمُ الْبَيِّنَاتُ وَاللَّهُ لاَ يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الظَّالِمِينَ أُولَئِكَ جَزَاؤُهُمْ أَنَّ عَلَيْهِمْ لَعْنَةَ اللَّهِ وَالْمَلاَئِكَةِ وَالنَّاسِ أَجْمَعِينَ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا لاَ يُخَفَّفُ عَنْهُمُ الْعَذَابُ وَلاَ هُمْ يُنْظَرُونَ إِلاَّ الَّذِينَ تَابُوا مِنْ بَعْدِ ذَلِكَ وَأَصْلَحُوا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بَعْدَ إِيمَانِهِمْ ثُمَّ ازْدَادُوا كُفْرًا لَنْ تُقْبَلَ تَوْبَتُهُمْ وَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الضَّالُّونَ}. وَقَالَ: {يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِنْ تُطِيعُوا فَرِيقًا مِنَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ يَرُدُّوكُمْ بَعْدَ إِيمَانِكُمْ كَافِرِينَ}. وَقَالَ: {إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا ثُمَّ كَفَرُوا ثُمَّ آمَنُوا ثُمَّ كَفَرُوا ثُمَّ ازْدَادُوا كُفْرًا لَمْ يَكُنِ اللَّهُ لِيَغْفِرَ لَهُمْ وَلاَ لِيَهْدِيَهُمْ سَبِيلاً}. وَقَالَ: {مَنْ يَرْتَدَّ مِنْكُمْ عَنْ دِينِهِ فَسَوْفَ يَأْتِي اللَّهُ بِقَوْمٍ يُحِبُّهُمْ وَيُحِبُّونَهُ أَذِلَّةٍ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَعِزَّةٍ عَلَى الْكَافِرِينَ} وَقَالَ: {وَلَكِنْ مَنْ شَرَحَ بِالْكُفْرِ صَدْرًا فَعَلَيْهِمْ غَضَبٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمُ اسْتَحَبُّوا الْحَيَاةَ الدُّنْيَا عَلَى الآخِرَةِ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ لاَ يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الْكَافِرِينَ أُولَئِكَ الَّذِينَ طَبَعَ اللَّهُ عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ وَسَمْعِهِمْ وَأَبْصَارِهِمْ وَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْغَافِلُونَ لاَ جَرَمَ} يَقُولُ حَقًّا {أَنَّهُمْ فِي الآخِرَةِ هُمُ الْخَاسِرُونَ} إِلَى قَوْلِهِ: {ثُمَّ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ مِنْ بَعْدِهَا لَغَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ}، {وَلاَ يَزَالُونَ يُقَاتِلُونَكُمْ حَتَّى يَرُدُّوكُمْ عَنْ دِينِكُمْ إِنِ اسْتَطَاعُوا وَمَنْ يَرْتَدِدْ مِنْكُمْ عَنْ دِينِهِ فَيَمُتْ وَهُوَ كَافِرٌ فَأُولَئِكَ حَبِطَتْ أَعْمَالُهُمْ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالآخِرَةِ وَأُولَئِكَ أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ}.
Hadith About Not Appointing Those Who Seek Authority
Sahih Bukhari : 6923
Sahih BukhariHadith Number 6923
حَدَّثَنَا مُسَدَّدٌ، حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى، عَنْ قُرَّةَ بْنِ خَالِدٍ، حَدَّثَنِي حُمَيْدُ بْنُ هِلاَلٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بُرْدَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي مُوسَى، قَالَ أَقْبَلْتُ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَمَعِي رَجُلاَنِ مِنَ الأَشْعَرِيِّينَ، أَحَدُهُمَا عَنْ يَمِينِي، وَالآخَرُ عَنْ يَسَارِي وَرَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَسْتَاكُ فَكِلاَهُمَا سَأَلَ. فَقَالَ " يَا أَبَا مُوسَى ". أَوْ " يَا عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ قَيْسٍ ". قَالَ قُلْتُ وَالَّذِي بَعَثَكَ بِالْحَقِّ مَا أَطْلَعَانِي عَلَى مَا فِي أَنْفُسِهِمَا، وَمَا شَعَرْتُ أَنَّهُمَا يَطْلُبَانِ الْعَمَلَ. فَكَأَنِّي أَنْظُرُ إِلَى سِوَاكِهِ تَحْتِ شَفَتِهِ قَلَصَتْ فَقَالَ " لَنْ ـ أَوْ ـ لاَ نَسْتَعْمِلُ عَلَى عَمَلِنَا مَنْ أَرَادَهُ، وَلَكِنِ اذْهَبْ أَنْتَ يَا أَبَا مُوسَى ـ أَوْ يَا عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ قَيْسٍ ـ إِلَى الْيَمَنِ ". ثُمَّ أَتْبَعَهُ مُعَاذُ بْنُ جَبَلٍ، فَلَمَّا قَدِمَ عَلَيْهِ أَلْقَى لَهُ وِسَادَةً قَالَ انْزِلْ، وَإِذَا رَجُلٌ عِنْدَهُ مُوثَقٌ. قَالَ مَا هَذَا قَالَ كَانَ يَهُودِيًّا فَأَسْلَمَ ثُمَّ تَهَوَّدَ. قَالَ اجْلِسْ. قَالَ لاَ أَجْلِسُ حَتَّى يُقْتَلَ. قَضَاءُ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ. ثَلاَثَ مَرَّاتٍ، فَأَمَرَ بِهِ فَقُتِلَ، ثُمَّ تَذَاكَرْنَا قِيَامَ اللَّيْلِ، فَقَالَ أَحَدُهُمَا أَمَّا أَنَا فَأَقُومُ وَأَنَامُ، وَأَرْجُو فِي نَوْمَتِي مَا أَرْجُو فِي قَوْمَتِي.
Abu Burda Narrated from:
Abu Musa said, "I came to the Prophet (ﷺ) along with two men (from the tribe) of Ash`ariyin, one on my right and the other on my left, while Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) was brushing his teeth (with a Siwak), and both men asked him for some employment. The Prophet (ﷺ) said, 'O Abu Musa (O `Abdullah bin Qais!).' I said, 'By Him Who sent you with the Truth, these two men did not tell me what was in their hearts and I did not feel (realize) that they were seeking employment.' As if I were looking now at his Siwak being drawn to a corner under his lips, and he said, 'We never (or, we do not) appoint for our affairs anyone who seeks to be employed. But O Abu Musa! (or `Abdullah bin Qais!) Go to Yemen.'"The Prophet then sent Mu`adh bin Jabal after him and when Mu`adh reached him, he spread out a cushion for him and requested him to get down (and sit on the cushion). Behold: There was a fettered man beside Abu Muisa. Mu`adh asked, "Who is this (man)?" Abu Muisa said, "He was a Jew and became a Muslim and then reverted back to Judaism." Then Abu Muisa requested Mu`adh to sit down but Mu`adh said, "I will not sit down till he has been killed. This is the judgment of Allah and His Apostle (for such cases) and repeated it thrice. Then Abu Musa ordered that the man be killed, and he was killed.Abu Musa added, "Then we discussed the night prayers and one of us said, 'I pray and sleep, and I hope that Allah will reward me for my sleep as well as for my prayers.'"
Reference : Sahih al-Bukhari 6923In-book reference : Book 88, Hadith 6USC-MSA web (English) reference : Vol. 9, Book 84, Hadith 58
Summary of Sahih Bukhari Hadith 6923
This Hadith about seeking leadership begins when Abu Musa came to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) with two men who asked for employment. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said that they do not appoint for their affairs someone who wants the post, and he sent Abu Musa to Yemen. The report also mentions Muadh later arriving, a man who had become Muslim after being Jewish and then returned to Judaism, and the judgment carried out there. At the end, Abu Musa mentions a discussion about night prayer, where one of them said he prays and sleeps, hoping for reward in both. The main searchable topic is seeking office in Islam, but the Hadith contains several linked events.
What we learn from this hadith
- The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) did not appoint those who were seeking the post in this report.
- Abu Musa was sent to Yemen for service.
- The Hadith records a judgment concerning a person who left Islam after entering it.
- Night prayer and sleep were discussed with hope for reward.
