93/43. Chapter:
Sahih Bukhari 7200 — Obedience and Truth in the Pledge
How do the people give the Bai'a to the Imam
Hadith About Obedience and Truth in Allegiance
Sahih Bukhari : 7200
Sahih BukhariHadith Number 7200
حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ، حَدَّثَنِي مَالِكٌ، عَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ سَعِيدٍ، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي عُبَادَةُ بْنُ الْوَلِيدِ، أَخْبَرَنِي أَبِي، عَنْ عُبَادَةَ بْنِ الصَّامِتِ، قَالَ "بَايَعْنَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَلَى السَّمْعِ وَالطَّاعَةِ فِي الْمَنْشَطِ وَالْمَكْرَهِ. وَأَنْ لاَ نُنَازِعَ الأَمْرَ أَهْلَهُ، وَأَنْ نَقُومَ ـ أَوْ نَقُولَ ـ بِالْحَقِّ حَيْثُمَا كُنَّا لاَ نَخَافُ فِي اللَّهِ لَوْمَةَ لاَئِمٍ ".
'Ubadah bin As-Samit Narrated from:
We gave the oath of allegiance to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) that we would listen to and obey him both at the time when we were active and at the time when we were tired and that we would not fight against the ruler or disobey him, and would stand firm for the truth or say the truth wherever we might be, and in the Way of Allah we would not be afraid of the blame of the blamers. (See Hadith No. 178 and 320)
Reference : Sahih al-Bukhari 7199, 7200In-book reference : Book 93, Hadith 60USC-MSA web (English) reference : Vol. 9, Book 89, Hadith 307
Summary of Sahih Bukhari Hadith 7200
This hadith about obedience and truth repeats the pledge reported by Ubada bin As-Samit. The companions gave allegiance to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم to listen and obey both when they were eager and when they were not. They pledged not to fight the ruler or disobey him. At the same time, the pledge included standing for truth or speaking truth wherever they were. This wording is a clear reminder that truthfulness is part of faithful conduct. The hadith does not turn allegiance into personal gain or blind argument. It presents a serious promise: obey in the proper way, hold to truth, and do not let the blame of people stop what is right.
What we learn from this hadith
- A pledge is a serious promise, not just words.
- Obedience was pledged in both active and tired states.
- Truth must be spoken or upheld wherever a person is.
- Blame from people should not block truth for Allah's sake.
