What does Islam say about scholars close to rulers?

Introduction to Scholars Close to Rulers in Islam

The relationship between scholars and rulers in Islam has been a subject of historical significance and ongoing debate. It encompasses the roles, responsibilities, and ethical considerations for scholars who have proximity to political leaders. This complex topic is rooted in Islamic history and has evolved over time.

Background and Historical Context

The historical context of scholars close to rulers in Islam can be traced back to the early days of the Islamic community. During the time of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), scholars and companions played pivotal roles in both religious and political affairs. They provided guidance to the Muslim community and often had direct access to the Prophet for consultation.

After the Prophet's passing, this relationship continued as Islamic governance was established under the leadership of the Caliphs. Scholars, such as the likes of Umar ibn al-Khattab and Ali ibn Abi Talib, held influential positions and advised the rulers on matters of state.

Content and Structure Breakdown

The discussion of scholars close to rulers in Islam encompasses various dimensions:

1. Role of Scholars: This aspect explores the roles that scholars can play when they have access to rulers. It includes providing religious guidance, advising on matters of justice and governance, and maintaining their independence as scholars.

2. Ethical Considerations: The ethical dimension addresses the responsibilities of scholars in maintaining their integrity, avoiding undue influence, and speaking truth to power when necessary.

3. Historical Examples: The historical context is illustrated through examples of scholars who had close proximity to rulers and how they navigated their roles and responsibilities.

4. Contemporary Relevance: The contemporary relevance of this topic is discussed in light of the modern nation-state system, where scholars may serve as religious advisors or leaders in religious institutions closely linked to governments.

Evidences

Allah (SWT) says in the Qur’an:

“They (Jews and Christians) took their rabbis and their monks to be their lords besides Allah (by obeying them in things which they made lawful or unlawful according to their own desires without being ordered by Allah.)” (9:31)

Adiy bin Hatim used to be a Christian. When he heard the Prophet (saw) recite the above verse he tried to deny this and responded:

"We did not serve them (rabbis and priests)." The Prophet (saw) replied: “Did they (not forbid what Allah permitted and hence you forbade it; and permitted what Allah forbade and you permitted it?” Adiy replied “Yes.” The Prophet (saw) said, “That is how you served them.” After this incident Adiy embraced Islam.

The Prophet (saw) said:

إيَّاكُمْ وَأبْوَابَ السُّلْطَانِ ، فَإنَّهُ قَدْ أصْبَحَ صَعْبَاً هَبُوطَا

"Beware of the gates of the rulers, for they herald severe downfall" (Tabarani)

The Prophet (saw) said:

"Listen, have you heard that after me there will be rulers: whoever enters upon them and condones their lies and supports them in their oppression, then he is not from me and I am not from him. And he shall not drink with me from the Hawd. And whoever does not enter upon them, nor help them in their oppression, nor condones their lies, then he is from me and I am from him, and he shall drink with me at the Hawd." (Tirmidhi)

Abu Hurayra reported the Prophet (saw) said:

"The most detested of all those who recite the Qur’an are those who visit rulers." (Ibn Majah, Dibaja, I, 154)

Another narration states:

"Scholars are the trustees of God’s messengers over those who serve Him, as long as they do not mix with rulers. If they do that, they will have betrayed the trust of God’s messengers. So be on your guard against them and stay away from them." (Daylami, al-Firdaws bi ma’thur al-khitab, III, 75)

Imam Ghazali quotes some of the companions:

Hudhayfa said, ‘Beware of the places of trial!’ When he was asked what places those were, Hudhayfa replied, ‘The doors of the rulers. You might visit the amir and find yourself verifying his untruths, and saying things about him that are fictitious.’ (Isfahani, Hilyat al-awliya, II, 273; Abd al-Razzaq, al-Kitab al-musannaf, XI, 316)

Abu Dharr said to Salama:

"O Salama! Do not enter the doors of rulers! You will never take anything from their world except they will take something better from your deen..." (Ibn Abi Shayba, al-Kitab al-musannaf, XIV, 221-222)

Abu Dharr said:

‘Whoever frequents a people will become one of them; especially if those frequented are tyrants.’ (Daylami, al-Firdaws bi ma’thur al-khitab, III, 519)

Ibn Mas‘ud (ra) said:

‘A person may enter into the presence of a ruler with his religion intact, and then exit without it.’ When he was asked why this should be, he replied, ‘Because when he pleases the ruler, he angers God.’ (Bukhari;al-Tarikh al-Kabir, I, 443)

Some noted early Muslims are also quoted. Sufyan al-Thawri [d. 166/777] said:

‘In the fire of hell (jahannum) there is a valley inhabited only by those scholars who used to visit kings.’ (Ibn Abd al-Barr, Jami bayan al-ilm wa-fadlih, I, 636)

Awza‘i [d. 157/774] said:

‘There is nothing more hated by God than a scholar who visits a governor.’ (Ibn Adi, al-Kamil fi du‘afa al-rijal, II, 35)

Sahnun [d. 240/855] said:

‘What could be less becoming of a scholar than to be sought at his regular place, but not found; and then to have it said to those who seek him, “He is with the amir!” I used to hear it said that if you see a scholar in love with the world, then do not trust him in matters of your religion until you have tested him. I have tested myself and found that whenever I visit a ruler, I incline towards him; regardless of how harshly I speak with him or oppose his desires.’ (Isfahani, Hilyat al-awliya, III, 194; Qadi Iyad, Tartib al-Madarik, IV, 76-77)

Al-Fudayl [d. 187/803] once said:

‘No one ever grew closer to a ruler except that they grew more distant from God.’ (Ahmad, Musnad, II, 371; al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, Tarikh Baghdad, II, 446)

Imam Ghazali encourages scholars to stand up to rulers, citing the example of Sa‘id ibn al-Musayyib [d. 94/713]:

“When Sa‘id ibn al-Musayyib was invited to pledge his allegiance to to al-Walid and to Sulayman, the two sons of Abd al-Malik b. Marwan he said, ‘As day follow night, I will not pledge to two [at the same time]. The Prophet (saw) prohibited two pledges [to more than one caliph at a time].

People said to him, ‘Just go in one door and go out the other.’

He [Sa‘id] responded by saying, ‘By God! [If I do that] no one will ever follow me again.’

Then Sa‘id was whipped one hundred lashes and forced to wear a rough woollen garment.” (Isfahani, Hilyat al-awliya, II, 166)

Scholars' Views

Imam Abu Hanifa stated:

إذا رأيتم العالم يرتاد أبواب السلاطين فاتهموه في دينه

"If you see the aalim going to the gates of the rulers, accuse him in his Deen."

It is consistent with the hadith narrated by Tabarani, where the Messenger (saw) said

إيَّاكُمْ وَأبْوَابَ السُّلْطَانِ ، فَإنَّهُ قَدْ أصْبَحَ صَعْبَاً هَبُوطَا

"Beware of the gates of the rulers, for they herald severe downfall"

Ibn al-Jawzi (d. 597/1201) himself, a prominent Hanbali scholar, wrote:

‘It is from the Devil’s deception of scholars to make them intermingle with rulers and sultans. They look away from their faults and never admonish them in spite of their ability to do so. Some of them might even give fatwas allowing them to do things just for worldly gain. Three aspects of harm are involved with such behaviour:

First: The ruler assumes that had he not been on the right path, then the scholars would have admonished him. And had my wealth been gained through illegitimate ways, scholars would not have eaten from it.

Second: The general public will think that this ruler, his wealth and his actions are fine because the scholar is always visiting him.

Third: The scholar himself ruins his religion. Sometimes the scholars use an excuse just to (be able to) mix with the rulers. They say: “We will only visit the ruler to intercede for so and so.” However, what proves that this is from the devil is that if someone else goes to intercede he would get annoyed, and might even attack that person for visiting the Sultan.

lblis also deceives them to take from the ruler’s wealth…’ (The Devil’s Deceptions, Dar as-Sunnah, p. 213)

Elsewhere he writes:

“We have seen among the Sufis and scholars those who cheat the rulers in order to get what they have. Among them are those who flatter them or try to impress them with their virtue and knowledge, and among them are those who praise them in ways that are forbidden, and among them are those who stay silent regarding evil deeds the rulers do, and beyond these of flattery and servility…” (The Sayings of Ibn al-Jawzi, translated by Ikram Hawramani, Steward Publishing, 2018, pp. 9-10)

The Shafi'i scholar Ghazali devotes a whole chapter on how to deal with despotic rulers in Book XIV of his Ihya Ulum al Din (‘Revival of the Religious Sciences’). He states:

“Know that three relationships are possible to you in regard to despotic rulers and officials:

First, and this is the worst of all possible relationships, that you visit them;

Second, and this is not quite so injurious, that they visit you; and Third, and this is the safest, that you avoid them so that you never see them and they never see you.

The First Relationship: Visiting Rulers

This is an extremely blameworthy state from the perspective of Shari‘a. Indeed, there are numerous texts in censure and reproach of such a relationship …”
(Ghazali on the Lawful and the Unlawful, p. 201)

Shaykh Ahmad Sirhindi writing about evil scholars, in the time of Mughal India:

''All the catastrophes that befell Muslims in the time of Akbar Shah were incurred by such irreligious people disguised as religious men. It was always their books and newspapers that provoked the people. And it was always these wicked men of religion who misguided others under the name of Muslims.''

All of this is reminiscent of scholars of our era endorsing a hollowed out Islam lived under secular ideologies of nationalism, democracy, liberalism and lgbtq.

Misconceptions about Scholars Close to Rulers in Islam

1. Misconception: Scholars close to rulers are mere political tools.

   • Reality: While some scholars may become politically active, their primary role remains to provide religious guidance and ethical counsel to rulers.

2. Misconception: Scholars close to rulers compromise their independence.

   • Reality: Islamic scholars are expected to maintain their independence and speak truth to power, even when advising rulers.

3. Misconception: All scholars close to rulers are corrupt or opportunistic.

   • Reality: Generalizing about scholars in such positions is unfair; many maintain their integrity and uphold Islamic principles.

Conclusion

The relationship between scholars and rulers in Islam is multifaceted and rooted in history. It involves scholars fulfilling their roles as religious guides, advisors, and ethical authorities, while also maintaining their independence and integrity. This topic continues to be relevant in the modern world, where scholars may navigate complex relationships with political leaders.

FAQs about Scholars Close to Rulers in Islam

1. What is the primary role of scholars close to rulers in Islam?

   • Their primary role is to provide religious guidance, ethical counsel and maintain their independence and objectivity while advising rulers.

2. How can scholars close to rulers maintain their integrity?

   • Scholars can maintain their integrity by adhering to Islamic principles, speaking truth to power, and not compromising their religious obligations.

3. Are there historical examples of scholars close to rulers who maintained their independence?

   • Yes, there are historical examples of scholars who upheld their independence and provided guidance to rulers without compromising their principles.

The Most Hated of People to Allah

In chapter 2 of his book ma rawahu al-asatin fi ‘adam al maji’ ila al-salatin (‘the reports concerning not appearing at the courts of rulers’) Imam Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti writes:

Ibn Adi has narrated from Abu Hurayrah (ra) that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said: ‘In Hell, there is a valley from which the Fire seeks refuge seventy times a day. Allah (swt) has prepared it for the jurists who act to be admired by people. And the most hated of people to Allah (swt) is the scholar of the ruler.’

Ibn Bilal, Hafiz Abu al-Fityan al-Dahatnani, in the book al-Tahdhir min ‘Ulama al-Su’, and Al-Rafi’i in Tarikh Qazwin, all narrated from Abu Hurayrah (ra) the Messenger of Allah (saw) said:

‘The most hated of people in the universe to Allah (swt) is the scholar that visits the rulers.’

The wording of Abu al-Fityan is:

‘The most worthless of people to Allah, is the scholar that visits the rulers.’

Ibn Majah narrated from Abu Hurayrah (ra) the Messenger of Allah (saw) said:

‘The most hated of reciters to Allah are those that visit the rulers.’

Al-Daylami narrated in Musnad al-Firdaws from Abu Hurayrah (ra) that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said:

‘If you see a scholar mixing frequently with the ruler, then know that he is a worldly person.’

Ibn Majah narrated, with a chain of transmission to his trustworthy narrators, from Ibn Abbas (ra) that the Prophet (saw) said:

“There are people from my ummah that study the religion and recite the Qur’an. They will say, ‘We go the rulers for our share in the world. But we avoid them in our religious matters.’ However, that is not the case. Just as one who enters a thorny bush can expect to be pricked by a thorn, one can only expect to be afflicted with sinfulness from nearness to them.”

Al-Tabarani narrated in his Awsat, with an authentic chain of transmission to his trustworthy narrators, from Thawban (ra), the freed slave of the Messenger of Allah (saw), that he said:

‘O Messenger of Allah! Am I from the people of your house?’ But he remained silent. I asked him a second and third time. On the third, he said, ‘Yes. As long as you do not remain near a fortified gate or go to the ruler seeking anything from him.’

Hafiz al-Mundhiri said, in Al-Targhib wa al-Targhib, ‘The meaning of “the fortified gate” is the gate of the ruler, or other leaders.’

Suyuti is ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn Sabiq al-Din, Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti, born in 849/1445.

He was a Shafi‘i mujtahid Imam, Sufi, hadith master (hafiz), and historian, a prolific writer who authored works in virutually every Islamic science.

Raised as an orphan in Cairo, he memorised the Qur’an at eight, then several complete works of Sacred Law, fundamentals of jurisprudence, and Arabic grammar; after which he devoted himself to studying the Sacred Sciences under some of the foremost sheikhs of the time in each discipline.

He travelled to gain Sacred Knowledge to Damascus, the Hijaz, Yemen, India, Morocco, and the lands south of Morocco, as well as the centres of learning in Egypt, such as Mahalla, Dumyat and Fayyum.

When he reached forty years of age, he abandoned the company of men for the solitude of the Garden of al-Miqyas by the side of the Nile, avoiding his former colleagues as though he had never known them, and it was here he authored most of his nearly six hundred books and treatises.

Wealthy Muslims and princes would visit him with offers of money and gifts, but he put all of them off, and when the sultan requested his presence a number of times, he refused.

Blessed with success in his years of solitude, it is difficult to name a field in which Suyuti did not make outstanding contributions, among them his ten-volume hadith work, Jam‘ al jawami‘ [The collection of collections]; his Qur’anic exegesis Tafsir al-Jalalayn [The commentary of the two Jalals]; his classic commentary on the sciences of hadith Tadrib al-rawi fi sharh Taqrib al-Nawawi [The training of the hadith transmitter: an exegesis of Nawawi’s “The facilitation”]; and many others. A giant among his contemporaries, he remained alone, producing a sustained output of scholarly writings until his death in Cairo at sixty years of age in 911/1505. [Excerpted from Reliance of the Traveller by Shaykh Nuh Keller, p. 1100]

Ibn al-Jawzi says:

“We have seen among the Sufis and scholars those who cheat the rulers in order to get what they have. Among them are those who flatter them or try to impress them with their virtue and knowledge, and among them are those who praise them in ways that are forbidden, and among them are those who stay silent regarding evil deeds the rulers do, and beyond these of flattery and servility…” [The Sayings of Ibn al-Jawzi, translated by Ikram Hawramani, Steward Publishing, 2018, pp. 9-10]

Scholars close to Rulers - Advisors, Admonishers and Accounters

In the Islamic tradition, the relationship between scholars and rulers has been a subject of considerable debate and scholarly writings have varied based on different interpretations and historical contexts.

The key aspect here is the balance between maintaining independence in religious matters and advising or influencing the governance for the benefit of society, based on Islamic principles.

1. Advisory Role: Many Islamic scholars argue that it is important for scholars to advise rulers and be involved in the governance process to ensure that the rulers adhere to Islamic laws and principles. This stems from the idea that scholars have a duty to guide the community, including its leaders, towards righteousness and justice as dictated by Islamic teachings.

2. Independence and Integrity: On the other hand, there is a strong emphasis in Islamic thought on the independence of scholars from political power. This is to maintain their integrity and prevent the misuse of religious authority to legitimize unjust or un-Islamic actions by the rulers. The fear is that closeness to political power might corrupt the scholars' intentions and lead them to compromise on religious principles.

3. Historical Contexts: Throughout Islamic history, scholars have played varying roles in relation to rulers. Some were closely aligned with the ruling class, serving as judges, advisors, or administrators, while others chose to distance themselves from political authority to maintain their independence. The effectiveness and ethicality of these roles have been assessed differently based on the specific historical and political context.

4. Contemporary Views: In the modern context, the discussion often revolves around how Islamic scholars can contribute to the political and social development of Muslim-majority countries while avoiding the pitfalls of political manipulation or loss of religious credibility.

The perspectives on this issue are diverse, and they reflect the different schools of thought within Islam, each with its own interpretation of religious texts and historical precedents.

FAQs

Q1: How do different Islamic schools of thought view the relationship between scholars and rulers?
A1: Different Islamic schools of thought, like Sunni, Shia, and others, have varying views on this topic. Sunni schools, such as Hanafi and Shafi'i, might emphasize the importance of scholars advising rulers within certain ethical constraints, while Shia thought traditionally includes the concept of scholars having a more direct role in governance, as seen in the concept of Wilayat al-Faqih in Iran. However, within each school, there are diverse opinions and interpretations based on different scholars and historical periods.

Q2: Are there any famous Islamic scholars who were known for their stance on this issue?
A2: Yes, throughout Islamic history, there have been many scholars known for their stance on this issue. For example, Imam Ghazali, a medieval Sunni theologian, emphasized the importance of scholars maintaining independence from political power to preserve the purity of religious teachings. Similarly, Ibn Taymiyyah, another influential scholar, was known for his criticisms of rulers who did not adhere to Islamic principles.

Q3: How does this debate impact contemporary Muslim-majority societies?
A3: In contemporary Muslim-majority societies, this debate influences the role of religion in governance and politics. Scholars who are close to political power can significantly influence policy-making, especially in countries where Islamic law is a major source of legislation. However, there's also a concern about the independence of religious institutions and the risk of political manipulation of religious authority. This ongoing debate shapes both the political landscape and the religious discourse in these societies.