أكابر النَّاس
The Highly Ranked People
الحمد لله والصلاة والسلام على سيدنا محمد رسول الله.
أما بعد، فقد بعث النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم المقداد ابن عمرو على سرية فلما قدم قال له: أبا معبد كيف وجدت الإمارة؟ قال: كنت أُحمل وأُوضع حتى رأيت أن لي على القوم فضلاً، قال: هو ذاك فخُذْ أو دَعْ، قال رضي الله عنه: والذي بعثك بالحق لا أتأمر على اثنين أبدًا…
فطوبى لهم هؤلاء الأكابر الذين تتلمذوا في مدرسة رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم، كم كان شأن الآخرة عندهم عظيمًا، فتجد الواحد منهم يحمل الهمّ إذا أوكلت إليه الإمارة أو الرئاسة أو القضاء حتى يقوم بحقها وذلك لما كان في ذلك من المسؤولية عند الوقوف بين يدي الله الذي لا مثل له ولا شبيه له ولا ندَّ ولا نظير…
Praise be to Allah and may Allah increase the honor and raise the rank of our Master Muhammad sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam.
The Prophet sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam sent an army detachment under the command of al-Miqdadu Ibni ^Amr. When he returned, the Prophet asked him “O Aba Ma^bad, how did you find being a commanding officer?” He answered: I used to give orders left and right until I thought I have a preference over the others. The Prophet then said, “This is what commandership is, take it or leave it.” Al-Miqdadu Ibni ^Amr may Allah raise his rank then said, “I swear by Allah, Who sent you with the Truth, I shall never be a commander not even over two persons.”
Bliss is for those gracious ones who were raised in the school of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. They had such a high regard for the hereafter. Each one of those would be so apprehensive and concerned if he were entrusted with commandership, leadership, or being a judge; until, he accomplishes and performs his assignment the way it should be. This is because of the fear of being questioned on the Day of Judgment about the responsibility they took in this world; for they will be held accountable for it.
وها هو الصدّيق أبا بكر لما ولي الخلافة يقول: “قد وُليتُ أمركم ولستُ بخيركم.. إِنَّ أقواكم عندي الضعيف حتى ءاخذ له بحقه، وإِنَّ أضعفكم عندي القوي حتى ءاخذ منه الحق، أيُهَا النَّاس إِنَمَّا أنَا مُتَّبِع وَلَستُ بمُبتَدِعْ فإن أحسَنتُ فأعينوني وإِن زُغتُ فَقَوِّمُوني”.
When assigned as Caliph Abu Bakr as–Siddiq delivered a speech. He paid due praise and thanking to Allah, he then said “O people I was entrusted to lead you and I am not the best amongst you. I will take by the hand of the weak among you and support him until I give him back all his rights. Moreover, I will keep after the strongest among you until I take back from him those rights he has taken unjustly. O people I am just a follower and not an innovator. If I do well, support me and if I strayed, straighten me up.”
وفي أول كلام لعمر ابن الخطَّاب رضي الله عنه بعد الخلافة: “الّلهم إني شديد فليّني، وإني ضعيف فقوّني” ونحروا يومًا جزورًا فأطعمها الناس وغرفوا له طيبها فأتي به فإذا به قدر من سنام ومن كبد فقال: أنَّى هذا؟ قالوا: يا أمير المؤمنين من الجَزور التي نحرنا اليوم قال: بخٍ بخٍ بئس الوالي أنا إن أكلت أطيبها وأطعمتُ الناس كراديسها، ارفع الجفنة، وهات لنا غير هذا الطعام، فأتى بخبز وزيت وجعل يكسر بيده ويثرد ذلك الخبز…
The first words, of ^Umar Ibnul-Khattab after being assigned as a Caliph, were “O Allah, I’m so tough, make me flexible; and I am weak, give me strength.”
One day, they slaughtered and distributed a camel among people to eat. They took the best part of it to ^Umar, it happened to be the hump and the liver. He said: What’s this? They said O Amir of the Believers! This is from the camel we slaughtered today. He said “What a bad ruler I would be if I ate the best part and gave its bones, which are covered by meat, to the people. Take away this tray and bring me food other than this”. He then brought bread and oil. He broke the bread into pieces, with his hand, and soaked it in the oil.
أما عثمان بن عفان رضوان الله عليه فقد كان يقيل في المسجد وهو يومئذ خليفة والناس تقول: هذا أمير المؤمنين هذا أمير المؤمنين، ويجئ الرجل فيجلس إليه، وكأنه أحدهم.
As for ^Uthman Ibn ^Affan, may Allah raise his rank, he used to nap in the mosque when he was a caliph. People used to point at him “This is the Ruler of the Believers, this is the Ruler of the Believers; so one would come and sit with him as if he was one of the public.
جاء ابن التيّاح إلى سيدنا أبي الحسن علي بن أبي طالب رضوان الله عليه وهو في الإمارة فقال: يا أمير المؤمنين امتلأ بيت المال من صفراء وبيضاء فقال: الله أكبر، ثم قام متوكئًا على ابن التيّاح حتى قام على بيت المال فقال: يا ابن التيّاح علي بأشياخ الكوفة. قال: فنودي في الناس، فأعطى جميع ما في بيت المال وهو يقول: يا دنيا يا دنيا أبي تعرضت أم لي تشوفت؟ هيهات هيهات.. يا صفراء يا بيضاء، غرّي غيري، قد بتتك ثلاثًا لا رجعة لي فيك، فعمرك قصير، وعيشك حقير وخطرك كبير ءاه من قلة الزاد وبعد السفر، ووحشة الطريق…ولم يُبق في بيت المال دينار ولا درهم، ثم أمر بنضحه وصلى فيه ركعتين.
Ibnut-Tiah came to our Master Abi al-Hasan ^Aliyy Ibn Abi Talib may Allah raise his rank when he was the Amir of the Believers, he said: O Amir of the Believers Bayt al-Mal the treasury is full of gold and silver. He said: Allahu akbar (means Allah is the greatest in status). He then got up leaning on Ibnut-Tiah until he reached the treasury house and said: “O Ibnut-Tiah, bring me the shayks of Kufah.”
They then called people, they came. ^Aliyy then gave them all of the money, which was in the treasury, while saying, “O life!! O life!! to me you dispose yourself? To me, you expose your temptations!!! Not a chance!! O life!! Lure someone else, for I have detached myself from you to the point of no return. Your existence is short, your virtues are few and your danger is grave. I ail for not having enough good deeds prepared for the hereafter; I ail from the loneliness on the way to Paradise.”
No money was left in the treasury house. He then ordered it be sprayed with water and prayed two rak^ahs in it.
وعن عبد الله بن عباس رضي الله عنهما أنه قال: ما انتفعت بكلام أحد بعد رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم كانتفاعي بكتابٍ كتبه إلي علي بن أبي طالبٍ رضي اللهُ عنهُ وهو خليفة فإنه كتب إلي:
…“فليكن سرورك بما نلت من أمر ءاخرتك، وليكن أسفك على ما فاتك منها، وما نلت من دنياك فلا تكثرن به فرحًا، وما فاتك منها فلا تأس عليه حزنًا، وليكن همك فيما بعد الموت“.
^Abdullah Ibn ^Abbas may Allah raise his rank and the rank of his father said: “I did not benefit from any saying of anyone besides the Messenger of Allah sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam as I had benefited from what ^Aliyy Ibn Abi Talib may Allah raise his rank wrote to me when he was a caliph, he said:
“…Be pleased with what you have acquired for the Hereafter, and be sorry for what you have missed in preparing for it. Do not be too happy with what you got from this material life, and do not be sad about what you missed of it; make your main concern for what is after death.”
أحد تلاميذ الشافعي كان يطمع أن يَخلِفَهُ فالشافعي لم يُخلّفه بل خلّف الأولى، فغضب ذلك التلميذ وألّف كتابًا سماه:”أخطاء الشافعي”، بعض النَّاس حب الزعامة يفسد دينهم. نسأل الله السلامة في الدنيا والآخرة وحسن الختام وأن يرزقنا الإخلاص في القول والعمل.
One of the students of ash-Shafi^iyy was hoping that ash-Shafi^iyy would pick him as his successor. However, he did not; ash-Shafi^iyy picked someone who was more qualified and more deserving to fill that position. That student got angry and authored a book and named it “Akhta’ ash-Shafi^iyy” (The Mistakes of ash-Shafi^iyy.)
The love of authority and power might lead some people to commit the unlawful and be in a state that Allah does not accept.
We ask Allah for safety in this life and in the hereafter, to grant us a good ending, and to grant us sincerity in our words as well as in our actions.