It has been narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira that the Prophet (ﷺ) of Allah (ﷺ) said:
A commander (of the Muslims) is a shield for them. They fight behind him and they are protected by (him from tyrants and aggressors). If he enjoins fear of God, the Exalted and Glorious, and dispenses justice, there will be a (great) reward for him; and if he enjoins otherwise, it redounds on him.
حَدَّثَنَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ، عَنْ مُسْلِمٍ، حَدَّثَنِي زُهَيْرُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ، حَدَّثَنَا شَبَابَةُ، حَدَّثَنِي وَرْقَاءُ، عَنْ أَبِي الزِّنَادِ، عَنِ الأَعْرَجِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ
إِنَّمَا الإِمَامُ جُنَّةٌ يُقَاتَلُ مِنْ وَرَائِهِ وَيُتَّقَى بِهِ فَإِنْ أَمَرَ بِتَقْوَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَعَدَلَ كَانَ لَهُ بِذَلِكَ أَجْرٌ وَإِنْ يَأْمُرْ بِغَيْرِهِ كَانَ عَلَيْهِ مِنْهُ
.
Isnad
8 transmitters- 1Ibrahim bin Sa'd bin IbrahimMedina,Baghdad · d. ~185 AH/800 CE
- 2Muslim bin Ibrahim al-Azdyal-Basra · d. 222 AH
- 3Zuhayr bin HarbNisa'/Baghdad · d. 234 AH/848 CE
- 4Shababa bin SawarMada'in,Khurasan,Makkah · d. 206 AH
- 5Wrqa'a bin 'Umaral-Kufa,al-Mada'in
- 6Abu al-ZanadMedina · d. 130 AH or after
- 7'Abdur Rahman bin Harmaz al-A'arajMedina · d. 117 AH
- 8Abu HurairahMakkah/Medina/Yemen/Bahrain · d. 59 AH/681 CE
References2 variants
- In-Book Reference
- Book 33, Hadith 70
- USC-MSA web (English) reference
- Book 20, Hadith 4542 (deprecated numbering scheme)