Among the best of Jihad is to speak a word of justice to an oppressive ruler
Narrator in the source: Abu Sa‘īd al-Khudri reported that the Messenger of Allah
Abu Sa‘īd al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Among the best of Jihad is to speak a word of justice to an oppressive ruler."- Grade in the source
- Hasan/Sound by virtue of corroborating evidence
- Reported by
- Narrated by Abu Dāwūd, At-Tirmidhi, Ibn Mājah, and Ahmad
- Source entry
- HadeethEnc · 3045 ↗
Original Arabic wording
عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الخُدْرِيِّ رضي الله عنه أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: «إِنَّ مِنْ أَعْظَمِ الجِهَادِ كَلِمَةَ عَدْلٍ عِنْدَ سُلْطَانٍ جَائِرٍ».Understand this hadith
The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) pointed out that one of the greatest and most beneficial types of Jihad in the cause of Allah Almighty is a word of justice and truth before an unjust ruler or governor. This is because in doing so, a person practices the ritual of enjoining the right and forbidding the wrong, be it by speech, writing, action, or anything else that benefits and wards off evil.
Lessons from the hadith
- Enjoining the right and forbidding the wrong is part of Jihad.
- Advising the ruler is one of the greatest forms of Jihad, but it should be done with knowledge, wisdom, and certainty.
- Al-Khattābi said: This has become the best Jihad because whoever strives against the enemy is between hope and fear, not knowing whether he will prevail or be defeated. As for the ruler, he is subjugated in his hand. So, if he speaks the truth and enjoins him to do what is right, he is exposed to damage and aims for his own destruction. Hence, this has become the best type of Jihad, given the dominant fear. It was said: It is the best Jihad because if the ruler acts upon his word, the benefit may prevail to a large number of people, thus achieving a good interest.
References (original Arabic)
سنن الترمذي (4/ 45) (2174). سنن أبي داود (6/ 400) (4344). سنن ابن ماجه (5/ 144) (4011). مسند أحمد (17/ 227) (11143). بهجة الناظرين شرح رياض الصالحين، لسليم الهلالي (1/ 283). شرح رياض الصالحين، لابن عثيمين (2/ 453). نزهة المتقين شرح رياض الصالحين، لمجموعة من الباحثين (1/ 216).