39/26. Chapter:
Sunan an-Nasai 4192 — Obey Leadership Guided by Allah’s Book
The Exhortation To Obey The Imam
Obey a Leader Who Rules by the Book of Allah
Sunan an-Nasai : 4192
Sunan an-NasaiHadith Number 4192
أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الأَعْلَى، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا خَالِدٌ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، عَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ حُصَيْنٍ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ جَدَّتِي، تَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ فِي حَجَّةِ الْوَدَاعِ " وَلَوِ اسْتُعْمِلَ عَلَيْكُمْ عَبْدٌ حَبَشِيٌّ يَقُودُكُمْ بِكِتَابِ اللَّهِ فَاسْمَعُوا لَهُ وَأَطِيعُوا " .
Yahya bin Husain Narrated from:
I heard my grandmother say: 'I heard the Messenger of Allah say, during the Farewell Pilgrimage: If an Ethiopian slave is appointed over you who rules according to the Book of Allah, then listen to him and obey.'
Reference : Sunan an-Nasa'i 4192In-book reference : Book 39, Hadith 44English translation : Vol. 5, Book 39, Hadith 4197
Summary of Sunan an-Nasai Hadith 4192
This hadith about obeying a leader was spoken during the Farewell Pilgrimage. The Messenger of Allah says that even if an Ethiopian slave were appointed over the people, they should listen and obey when he leads them according to the Book of Allah. The wording removes social rank, ethnicity, and former status as excuses for rejecting rightful leadership. The stated measure in the narration is not lineage or appearance. It is leadership according to Allah’s Book. The hadith therefore calls for disciplined obedience under that condition and teaches that authority is not respected only when the person comes from a preferred background. Readers searching for the Ethiopian slave ruler hadith should keep its exact condition in view: the command to hear and obey is tied in the text to being led by the Book of Allah.
What we learn from this hadith
- The leader’s ethnicity or former social status was not a reason to reject him.
- The command was to listen and obey when he led by the Book of Allah.
- The hadith places guidance by revelation above social prejudice.
- The statement was delivered during the Farewell Pilgrimage.
