Author: Rahmatullah Rahmani
The Presence of Scholars in the Courts of Kings (Part Two)
The interaction of the Salaf scholars with Rulers and Kings
In the past, trusted scholars and sincere leaders of the Da’wah to Islam, out of fear of their faith being destroyed and the danger of falling into the trap of the worldly temptations of kings, would avoid entering royal courts. They would advise their students to refrain from meeting kings and officials and to stay away from the royal palaces and avoid dealing gently with them. Ayoub Sakhteyani said: “Abu Qalaba told me: ‘O Ayoub, listen to and remember three pieces of advice: stay away from the court of kings; avoid sitting with the indulgent; remain in your own market, for the health of your faith and religion is in being independent from others.'”
The loyal clients in the marketplace of sincerity avoided accepting the kings’ money. They feared that if they accepted the royal purse, they would destroy their faith and risk being thrown into the hellfire.
An incident is narrated by Muhammad bin Qahtaba who went to the city of Kufa and said, “I need a teacher who is a memorizer of the Qur’an, a practitioner of the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), knowledgeable in jurisprudence, familiar with grammar and poetry, and aware of history, to take responsibility for educating my children and teaching them manners and knowledge.” The people told him, “Imam Dawood Ta’i is the one you are looking for; he possesses these qualities.” Muhammad bin Qahtaba offered a bag of money worth 10,000 dirhams to Dawood Ta’i and said, “Spend this money on your life’s needs,” but Dawood Ta’i returned the money. Muhammad bin Qahtaba then sent two bags of money along with two servants and instructed the servants, “If he accepts this money, you will be freed.” When the money was presented to Dawood Ta’i, he said, “If I accept this money, I fear I will fall into the fire of Hell,” and returned the bags along with the servants to their master.
Sufyan bin Uyaina said about himself, “Allah had opened the door of understanding the Qur’an for me, but when I accepted a bag of money from Abu Ja’far al-Mansur, that door was closed for me. I ask Allah (s.w.t) to forgive us our sins.”
The righteous scholars of the past feared mingling with kings and powerful individuals, entering their courts, or accepting their money and gifts. It was this noble character that gave them the courage to speak the truth, maintain their faith firmly, and make them even more determined in rebuking the wrongdoers, corrupt individuals, and oppressors, whether rulers or the ruled. These truth-tellers were the real embodiment of the verse: “They strive in the cause of Allah and do not fear the blame of the blameworthy.” And they acted upon Allah’s command: “Let there arise from you a group inviting to all that is good, enjoining what is right, and forbidding what is wrong. These are the successful ones.” They had achieved the highest form of striving in the way of God, as the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “The best jihad is a word of justice in the presence of a tyrannical ruler.”
Regarding the way scholars interacted with kings, I will tell you the story of the conversation between Abu Ja’far al-Mansur and Abdullah bin Tawus, which is mentioned in the book Wafiyat al-A’yān as follows: The Amir al-Momineen, Abu Ja’far al-Mansur, summoned Abdullah bin Tawus and Malik bin Anas (may Allah have mercy on them). When the two great scholars arrived, Abu Ja’far paused for a moment in deep thought, then turned to Ibn Tawus and said, “Tell me about your father.” Ibn Tawus replied, “My father said that on the Day of Judgment, the one who will face the most severe punishment is the one who has been made a partner in Allah’s sovereignty but has committed injustice and oppression in the execution of His judgment.” Upon hearing this, Abu Ja’far paused again. Imam Malik said, “Out of fear that my clothes might be stained with Ibn Tawus’s blood, I gathered my clothes.” Abu Ja’far said to Ibn Tawus, “Give me that writing ink.” He repeated the request three times, but Ibn Tawus did not hand over the ink. When Mansur asked, “Why do you refuse to give me the ink?” Ibn Tawus replied, “I fear that you might use it to write something sinful, and I will become a partner in that sin.” When Abu Ja’far heard this, he said to Malik bin Anas and Ibn Tawus, “Leave my presence.” Ibn Tawus responded, “Our wish is to leave as well.” Imam Malik said, “From that day, I acknowledged the superiority and virtue of Ibn Tawus.”
I believe that the early scholars and leaders of the call to Islam refrained from entering the royal courts and mixing with kings, all in order to stay safe from the dangers of temptation and to preserve their sincerity in the field of Da’wah and promoting the Religion. Of course, these pure-hearted individuals only refrained from such behavior in the presence of tyrannical and sinful kings. However, they would speak and meet with just and virtuous rulers, considering their interactions with such kings as part of the best actions in the service of reform. For instance, ‘Urwah bin Zubayr, Ibn Shuhab al-Zuhri, and their contemporaries behaved nobly with just kings.
‘Urwah bin Zubayr and Ibn Shuhab al-Zuhri would visit Umar bin Abd al-Aziz, that epitome of goodness, piety, and justice, and would sit with him, offering wise advice on issues related to Muslims, governance, and safeguarding the faith, guiding him in scholarly matters, and supporting him. Abu Bakr bin Abdulrahman said: “The wealth of knowledge is the beauty of one of these three types of people: someone who has noble lineage and adorns it with knowledge; a religious person who preserves his faith with knowledge; or a person who has contact with the king and enters his court to offer a piece of his knowledge to benefit him. The only one who combines all these qualities is ‘Urwah bin Zubayr.”
Ibn Shuhab would also visit the Amir al-Momineen, Abd al-Malik bin Marwan, and after him, his son. Leaders like Sha’bi, Qabitha, Ibn Dhuhayb, Raja’ bin Haywah al-Kindi, Abu al-Miqdam, Hasan, Abu Zanad, Malik bin Anas, Awzai, and Shafi’i (may Allah have mercy on them) interacted with kings, sat with them, and engaged in discussions with them. The association of Imam Kasa’i, Abu Yusuf, and Ya’qub bin Habib with the Caliph of the time, Harun al-Rashid, is well known, and many stories about them have been narrated. Despite all this, these friends of Allah never strayed from the path of truth, never remained silent in the face of wrong, and never denied the king the benefit of sincere advice and admonition.
The conduct of Imam Malik (may Allah have mercy on him) also affirms this. When he was asked, “Why do you go to the royal courts, even though they commit injustice?” Imam Malik replied, “May Allah have mercy on me. Where else can the truth be spoken?” Even though the king was pious and upright, scholars were not swayed by his material wealth, did not pay attention to his temptations, and did not covet his gifts. Instead, they acted cautiously, keeping their eyes averted from the king’s material wealth, in order to preserve their dignity and their role in giving advice and counsel. A story about Imam Malik narrates that when Harun al-Rashid was on his way to perform the Hajj pilgrimage, he sent Imam Malik a bag of money worth 500 dinars. After performing the pilgrimage, he returned to Medina and sent a messenger to Imam Malik, inviting him to move to the city of peace with him. Imam Malik replied to the messenger, “Tell him that the bag of money you sent has not been opened yet, and the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: ‘The city of Medina is better for them if they only knew.'”
Continues…
[1]. Comprehensive Statement on Knowledge and Its Virtue, by Ibn Abd al-Barr al-Namri.
[2]. Biographies of Notable Figures, by Ibn Khalkan, Vol. 2, p. 260.
[3]. Memoir of the Listener and the Speaker on the Etiquette of the Scholar and the Student, by Ibn Jama’a, p. 19.
[4]. Surah Al-Ma’idah, Verse 54.
[5]. Surah Al-Imran, Verse 104.
[6]. Sunan Abu Dawood, Book of Battles, Chapter on Command and Prohibition, Hadith No. 4344.
[7]. Biographies of Notable Figures, by Ibn Khalkan, Vol. 2, p. 511.
[8]. Imam Bayhaqi narrates from Abu Huraira, may Allah be pleased with him, part of this hadith: “Indeed, there are men who call upon their tribes saying: ‘«إن رجالا یستنفرون بعشائرهم یقولون: الخیر الخیر والمدینة خیرلهم لو کانوا یعلمون» People are migrating from Medina with their families and companions, saying: “Seek goodness and well-being elsewhere,” while Medina is better for them if they only knew.
