View source for Ulu'l-amr

{{Short description|Those charged with authority in Islam}}
{{Usul al-Fiqh}}
In Islamic culture, the term '''''ulu'l-amr''''' ({{Langx|ar|أولو الأمر}}) or '''uli'l-amr''' ({{Langx|ar|أولي الأمر}}) refers to "those charged with authority or responsibility or decision, or the settlement of affairs".<ref>{{cite book|last1=Yusuf Ali|first1=Abdullah|title=The Meaning of the Glorious Quran|date=1934|publisher=Islamic Books}}</ref> It is referenced in the [[Verse of Obedience|59th verse of the fourth chapter of the Qur'an]], and outlines the necessity of Islamic followers to obey the control of Allah, Muhammad and those in authority as long as they too obey Allah and [[Muhammad]]. They are seen as the [[leader]]s and [[scholar]]s of Islamic culture.<ref name="MMP">{{cite book |last1=Boroujerdi |first1=Mehrzad |title=Mirror for the Muslim Prince: Islam and the Theory of Statecraft |date=1 May 2013 |publisher=Syracuse University Press |isbn=978-0-8156-5085-0 |page=39 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P4OiAgAAQBAJ&dq=uli+al-amr&pg=PA39 |access-date=3 December 2022 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Khan |first1=qtedar A. Muqtedar qtedar |title=Islamic Democratic Discourse: Theory, Debates, and Philosophical Perspectives |date=11 May 2006 |publisher=Lexington Books |isbn=978-0-7391-5662-9 |page=47 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6TY2AAAAQBAJ&dq=uli+al-amr&pg=PA47 |access-date=3 December 2022 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=al-Alwani |first1=Taha J. |last2=Winkel |first2=Eric |last3=Ali |first3=Ausaf |last4=Kamali |first4=Mohammad |last5=Ansari |first5=Abdul Haq |last6=Zaidi |first6=Zawwar Hussain |title=American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 6:1 |publisher=International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT) |page=63 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=43k5DwAAQBAJ&dq=uli+al-amr&pg=PA63 |access-date=3 December 2022 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Masud |first1=Muhammad Khalid |title=Sharia Law In The Twenty-first Century |date=14 March 2022 |publisher=World Scientific |isbn=978-1-80061-169-6 |page=29 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6AtqEAAAQBAJ&dq=uli+al-amr&pg=PA29 |access-date=3 December 2022 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="الحلبي">[https://alhalaby.org/cms/ كيف نفهم حديث رسولِ الله -صلَّى اللهُ عليه وسلَّم- بالسَّمع والطَّاعة لوليِّ الأمر حتى لو جلدَ ظهركَ، وأخذ مالَك ؟] موقع [[علي حسن الحلبي|علي الحلبي]]. {{cite web |date=9 March 2016 |title=نسخة مؤرشفة |url=http://alhalaby.com/play.php?catsmktba=2612 |access-date=13 February 2018}}</ref>
==Qur'an==
Obedience to political authorities in Islam refers to Surah Nisa verse 59, known as the 'verse of obedience' ({{Langx|ar|آية الطاعة}}), which calls for obedience to Allah and the Islamic Prophet Muhammad as well as to the ''ulu'l-amr'' or incumbent authorities (rulers and ulama), which is obedience to valid Islamic injunctions.  Obedience to matters, not to un-Islamic orders.<ref name="ReferenceA">النظام السياسي الإسلامي، ص247 بقلم د.منير البياتي</ref>
{{blockquote|O believers!  Obey Allah, obey the Messenger, and obey those who are in power among you (ulil amri minkum), then if you differ in any matter, refer it to Allah and the Messenger, if you believe in Allah and the Hereafter.  This is the best way and ultimately the best.| Surah Nisa, verse 59}}
Verse 83 of [[An-Nisa|Surah Nisa]] also mentions ''ulu'l-amr'' or the holder of authority.
{{blockquote|And when news of peace or fear reaches them, they suppress it.  And if they had been conveyed to the Messenger or to those having authority over them (ulil amri minhum), then the things that are in them that deserve to be searched would have been searched.  Indeed, if Allah's grace and mercy had not been upon you, all but a few of you would have followed Satan!| Surah Nisa, verse 83}}
== Overview ==
According to scholar [[Moojan Momen]], "One of the key statements in the Qur'an around which much of the exegesis" on the issue of what Islamic doctrine says about who is in charge is based on the verse <blockquote>
"O believers! Obey God and obey the Apostle and those who have been given authority [''uulaa'l-amr''] among you" ({{cite quran|4|59|s=ns}}).
</blockquote>
For Sunnīs, the expression "those who have been given authority" (''uulaa al-amr'') refers to the rulers (caliphs and kings), but for Shīʿas it refers to the [[Twelve Imams|Imams]].<ref>Momen, Moojan, ''Introduction to Shi'i Islam'', Yale University Press, 1985 p.192</ref> According to the British historian and Orientalist scholar [[Bernard Lewis]], this Quranic verse has been
<blockquote>elaborated in a number of sayings attributed to Muhammad. But there are also sayings that put strict limits on the duty of obedience. Two dicta attributed to the Prophet and universally accepted as authentic are indicative. One says, "there is no obedience in sin";<ref name="ReferenceA"/> in other words, if the ruler orders something contrary to the divine law, not only is there no duty of obedience, but there is a duty of disobedience. This is more than the [[right of revolution]] that appears in Western political thought. It is a duty of revolution, or at least of disobedience and opposition to authority. The other pronouncement, "do not obey a creature against his creator," again clearly limits the authority of the ruler, whatever form of ruler that may be.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20050501faessay84305/bernard-lewis/freedom-and-justice-in-the-modern-middle-east.html?mode=print |title=Freedom and Justice in the Middle East |access-date=2008-11-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071230195152/http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20050501faessay84305/bernard-lewis/freedom-and-justice-in-the-modern-middle-east.html?mode=print |archive-date=2007-12-30 |url-status=dead}}</ref></blockquote>
According to the [[Tafsir|exegetical interpretation]] of the medieval Sunnī Muslim scholar [[Ibn Taymiyyah]], for this verse "there is no obedience in sin"; that people should ignore the order of the ruler if it would disobey the divine law and shouldn't use this as excuse for revolution because it will spill Muslims' blood. According to Ibn Taymiyyah, the saying "sixty years with an unjust imam is better than one night without a sultan" was confirmed by experience.<ref name=Lambton>{{cite book|last1=Lambton|first1=Ann K. S.|title=State and Government in Medieval Islam|date=2002|publisher=Routledge|page=145|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DVvYAQAAQBAJ&q=siyasa+ibn+taymiyyah&pg=PA144|access-date=19 September 2015|isbn=9781136605208}}</ref> He believed that the Quranic injunction to "[[Enjoining good and forbidding wrong|enjoin good and forbid evil]]" (''al-amr bi-l-maʿrūf wa-n-nahy ʿani-l-munkar'', found in {{cite quran|3|104|s=ns}}, {{cite quran|3|110|s=ns}}, and other verses) was the duty of every state functionary with charge over other Muslims, from the caliph to "the schoolmaster in charge of assessing children's handwriting exercises."<ref>Ibn Taymiyya, ''Le traite de droit public d'ibn Taimiya.'' Translated by Henri Laoust. Beirut, 1948, p.12</ref><ref name=kadri-139>{{cite book|last1=Kadri|first1=Sadakat|title=Heaven on Earth: A Journey Through Shari'a Law from the Deserts of Ancient Arabia ...|date=2012|publisher=macmillan|isbn=9780099523277|page=139|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ztCRZOhJ10wC&q=Heaven+on+Earth%3A+A+Journey+Through+Shari%27a+Law}}</ref>
==Exegesis of the revelation==
Sunni scholars says that, and according to hadith of [[Sihah Sittah]] and [[Tafsir Ibn Kathir]], the [[verse of Obedience]] about ''ulu'l-amr'' was revealed about an incident of [[sahaba]] [[Abd Allah ibn Hudhafa]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=المراغي |first1=الإمام |title=الاجتهاد في الإسلام |publisher=ktab INC. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SYueDwAAQBAJ&dq=%D8%B9%D8%A8%D8%AF+%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%84%D9%87+%D8%A8%D9%86+%D8%AD%D8%B0%D9%81%D8%A9+%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D8%B3%D8%A7%D8%A1+59&pg=PT5 |access-date=12 December 2022 |language=ar}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=الخراساني/النسائي |first1=أحمد بن شعيب بن علي |title=The fifth correct tradition of the Prophetic Sunna (SUNAN AN-NASA'I) 1-4 VOL 4: سنن النسائي [انكليزي/عربي] 1/4 |date=1 January 2008 |publisher=Dar Al Kotob Al Ilmiyah دار الكتب العلمية |page=22 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mC1uDwAAQBAJ&dq=abdullah+ibn+hudhafah+59&pg=PA22 |access-date=3 December 2022 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Abdul-Rahman |first1=Muhammad Saed |title=The Meaning and Explanation of the Glorious Qur'an |date=1 October 2009 |publisher=MSA Publication Limited |isbn=978-1-86179-644-8 |page=238 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VvtmDAAAQBAJ&dq=abdullah+ibn+hudhafah+59&pg=PA238 |access-date=3 December 2022 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Abdul-Rahman |first1=Muhammad Saed |title=Tafsir Ibn Kathir Juz' 5 (Part 5): An-Nisaa 24 to An-Nisaa 147 2nd Edition |date=1 November 2009 |publisher=MSA Publication Limited |isbn=978-1-86179-683-7 |page=68 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MOVkCwAAQBAJ&dq=abdullah+ibn+hudhafah+59&pg=PA68 |access-date=3 December 2022 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Abdul-Rahman |first1=Muhammad Saed |title=The Quran With Tafsir Ibn Kathir Part 5 of 30: An Nisaa 024 To An Nisaa 147 |date=1 July 2018 |publisher=Muhammad Saed Abdul-Rahman |page=63 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ULJiDwAAQBAJ&dq=abdullah+ibn+hudhafah+59&pg=PA63 |access-date=3 December 2022 |language=en}}</ref>{{sfn|Köchler|1982|p=80}} [[Muhammad]] once sent him as a military leader of  some [[sahaba]]s, on the way he became furious and told them to make coils of fire, and to plunge into it.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kandhalwi (Moulana.) |first1=Hadrat Muhammad Yusuf Sahib |title=Hayatus Sahaba |date=1964 |publisher=Idara Ishaàt Deenyaat |page=67 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u_mAHwAACAAJ |access-date=3 December 2022 |language=en}}</ref> However, Imam Asakir Zuhri said, Abdullah was a humorous person.<ref>[Hayatus Sahaba – 2/321]</ref> He made this order in jest.<ref name=":0"/> After returning from the expedition, the Islamic prophet Muhammad said, obedience to the leader is only [[wajib]] in those matters which Allah has permitted.<ref name=":0">[[Sirat Ibn Hisham]] 2/640</ref>
{{Blockquote|It was narrated from Ibn 'Abbas (concerning the Verse):
"O you who believe! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger (Muhammad) ( يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ )". That he said: This was revealed concerning 'Abdullah bin Hudhaifah bin Qais bin 'Adiyy, whom the Messenger of Allah appointed in charge of an expedition"| [https://sunnah.com/nasai:4194 Sunan an-Nasa'i 4194]}}
{{blockquote|It was narrated from Abu Sa’eed Al-Khudri that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sent ‘Alqamah bin Mujazziz at the head of a detachment, and I was among them. When he reached the battle site, or when he was partway there, a group of the army asked permission to take a different route, and he gave them permission, and appointed ‘Abdullah bin Hudhafah bin Qais As-Sahmi as their leader, and I was one of those who fought alongside him. When we were partway there, the people lit a fire to warm themselves and cook some food. ‘Abdullah, who was a man who liked to joke, said:
“Do I not have the right that you should listen to me and obey?” They said: “Yes.” He said: “And if I command you to do something, will you not do it?” They said: “Of course.” He said: “Then I command you to jump into this fire.” Some people got up and got ready to jump, and when he saw that they were about to jump, he said: “Restrain yourselves, for I was joking with you.” When we came to Al-Madinah, they mentioned that to the Prophet (ﷺ), and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Whoever among you commands you to do something that involves disobedience to Allah, do not obey him.”|[https://sunnah.com/ibnmajah:2863 Sunan Ibn Majah 2863]}}
== Arbitration and Ikhtilaf ==
After Muhammad's death, the Verse of Obedience stipulates that disagreements or [[Ikhtilaf]] are to be arbitrated by referring to the Quran and Sunnah. While those in authority are absent from arbitration here, they are mentioned elsewhere in verse 5:83, which includes the passage, "And whenever tidings come unto them, whether of security or fear, they spread it about, whereas had they referred it to the Messenger and to those in authority among them, those of them whose task it is to investigate would have known it."{{sfn|Nasr|Dagli|Dakake|Lumbard|2015|p=533}} Lalani attributes to the Twelver Imam al-Baqir ({{Died in|{{circa|114/732}}}}) this argument,{{Sfn|Lalani|2000|pp=63-4}} which also appears in ''[[Tafsir al-Qurtubi|al-Jami' li-ahkam al-Quran]]'' by the Sunni al-Qurtubi ({{Died in|671/1272}}).{{sfn|Nasr|Dagli|Dakake|Lumbard|2015|p=533}}
According to [[Verse of Obedience]],  if there is any debate or ikhtilaf about any religious matter or rule, then Quran orders to retern to [[Quran]] and [[Sunnah]] to dismiss ikhtilaf and to avoid [[taqlid]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ad-Dahlawi |first1=Waliyullah |last2=Achmad |first2=Bahrudin |title=HISTORIOGRAFI IKHTILAF DALAM ISLAM: Al-Inshof fi Bayani Asbabil Ikhtilaf |date=19 May 2022 |publisher=Almuqsith Pustaka |pages=176–178 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PmhwEAAAQBAJ&dq=nisa+59+ikhtilaf&pg=PA177 |access-date=3 December 2022 |language=id}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=M.S.I |first1=Ahmad Musadad, S. H. I. |title=MUQARANAH MADZAHIB |date=26 October 2017 |publisher=Duta Media Publishing |isbn=978-602-6546-29-6 |pages=117, 118 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y0T2DwAAQBAJ&dq=nisa+59+ikhtilaf&pg=PA118 |access-date=3 December 2022 |language=id}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Syirazi |first1=Dr Abdul Karim Biazar |title=Menuju Persatuan Islam: Pandangan Ulama Internasional |date=1 January 2015 |publisher=Nur alhuda |isbn=978-602-306-015-3 |page=110 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MCrGDwAAQBAJ&dq=nisa+59+ikhtilaf&pg=PA110 |access-date=3 December 2022 |language=id}}</ref>
== The ''ulu'l-amr'' today ==
Today, the ''ulu'l-amr'' are still quite relevant.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ellethy |first1=Yaser |title=Islam, Context, Pluralism and Democracy: Classical and Modern Interpretations |date=20 November 2014 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-317-62746-3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UkKLBQAAQBAJ&dq=uli+al-amr&pg=PA269 |access-date=3 December 2022 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Mouline |first1=Nabil |title=The Clerics of Islam: Religious Authority and Political Power in Saudi Arabia |date=1 January 2014 |publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=978-0-300-17890-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6-euBAAAQBAJ&dq=uli+al-amr&pg=PA240 |access-date=3 December 2022 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=al-Ahsan |first1=Abdullah |last2=Young |first2=Stephen B. |title=Qur'anic Guidance for Good Governance: A Contemporary Perspective |date=6 August 2017 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-3-319-57873-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tBUwDwAAQBAJ&dq=uli+al-amr&pg=PA61 |access-date=3 December 2022 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Cotran |first1=Eugene |last2=Sherif |first2=Adel Omar |title=Democracy: The Rule of Law and Islam |date=1 January 1999 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-411-1185-2 |page=535 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6CtGjLsmN3UC&dq=uli+al-amr&pg=PA535 |access-date=3 December 2022 |language=en}}</ref> Societies whose cultures still rely heavily on Islamic teachings, such as Saudi Arabia, continue to preach the values of following the leadership of the religious authority figures.<ref name=a>{{cite book |last1=Khalaf |first1=Samir |last2=Khalaf |first2=Roseanne Saad |title=Arab Youth: Social Mobilisation in Times of Risk |date=9 January 2012 |publisher=Saqi |isbn=978-0-86356-821-3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Pj4hBQAAQBAJ&dq=uli+al-amr+saudi+arabia&pg=PT106 |access-date=3 December 2022 |language=en}}</ref> This has caused issues due to the clash between the traditionalist views of the ''ulu'l-amr'' and the progressive desires of the youth.<ref name=a/> The authority figures{{weasel inline|date=June 2015}} believe that their role is to advise their people; however some{{weasel inline|date=June 2015}} think they have done more to restrict them and keep them submissive.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Yamani|first1=Mai|title=Saudi Youth: Initiative and Inertia|date=2012|publisher=Saqi}}</ref> Whether or not this verse intends to keep the majority of people under the control of a few, it is quite polarizing. It is referred to by political classicists to "make submission to rulers a religious obligation."<ref>{{cite book|last1=Adams|first1=Charles Joseph|last2=Hallaq|first2=Wael B.|last3=Little|first3=Donald Presgrave|title=Islamic Studies Presented to Charles J. Adams|date=1991|publisher=BRILL}}</ref> However, others defend it as necessary to ensure that governments remain inherently religious and devoted to the teachings of the Qur'an.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Thaib |first1=Lukman |title=Islamic Political Representation in Malaysia |date=2005 |publisher=University Malaya Press |isbn=978-983-100-243-8 |page=124 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SH25AAAAIAAJ&q=uli+al-amr |access-date=3 December 2022 |language=en}}</ref>
==Selection==
Ulil Amr was elected by [[Ahl al-hall wal-aqd]].<ref>النظام السياسي الإسلامي، ص220 بقلم د.منير البياتي</ref>
==Conditions to be met by Ulu'l-Amr (the ruler)==
[[Adl|Justice]] that encompasses its conditions and knowledge that leads to diligence in calamities and rulings. The integrity of the senses of hearing, sight, and tongue, so that what is perceived directly with it is correct, and the integrity of the members from deficiency that prevents the fulfillment of movement and the speed of advancement.<ref>[https://islamweb.net/ar/library/index.php?page=bookcontents&ID=1&idfrom=1&idto=264&flag=0&bk_no=40&ayano=0&surano=0&bookhad=0 الأحكام السلطانية] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170118030334/http://library.islamweb.net/newlibrary/display_book.php?bk_no=40&ID=1&idfrom=1&idto=264&bookid=40&startn |date=18 يناير 2017}}</ref>
=== Duties of Ulu'l-Amr (the ruler) ===
The duty of the ruler is several things:<ref>See al-Ahkam al-Sultaniyyah, p. 40 of Imam al-Mawardi</ref>
# Preserving religion on its origins.
# Establishing a fair judiciary among people to preserve their rights.
# Protecting the country and its security.
# Applying hudud to preserve the sanctities of God Almighty and the rights of people.
# Establishing jihad for the sake of God Almighty.
# Collecting alms and public funds.
# Distribution of public funds to those who deserve it.
# Assuming public positions for qualified secretaries.
# To initiate himself to see things, and browse the conditions;  To advance the nation's politics and guard the nation.
===Ulu'l-Amr's rights===
[[Al-Mawardi]] said: "If the Imam did what we mentioned among the rights of the nation, he fulfilled the right of God Almighty in them and upon them, and he obliged them with rights: obedience and help did not change their condition."<ref>Al-Ahkam al-Sultaniyyah, p. 42</ref>
==See also==
* [[Verse of Obedience]]
* [[Ikhtilaf]]
* [[Political aspects of Islam]]
* [[Ismah]]
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
===Works cited===
* {{cite book |title=The Concept of Monotheism in Islam and Christianity |author-last=Köchler |author-first=Hans |year=1982 |publisher=International Progress Organization |isbn=9783700303398 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zMuipwd5MTEC&dq=abdullah+hudhafah+authority&pg=PA80}}
* {{cite book |last1=Lalani |first1=Arzina R. |title=Early Shi'i Thought: The Teachings of Imam Muhammad al-Baqir |date=2000 |publisher=I. B. Tauris |isbn=978-1860644344}}
* {{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/thestudyquran_201909/mode/2up |title=The Study Quran: A New Translation and Commentary |publisher=Harper Collins |year=2015 |isbn=9780062227621 |editor1-last=Nasr |editor1-first=S.H. |editor2-last=Dagli |editor2-first=C.K. |editor3-last=Dakake |editor3-first=M.M. |editor4-last=Lumbard |editor4-first=J.E.B. |editor5-last=Rustom |editor5-first=M.}}
[[Category:Islamic culture]]
[[Category:Quranic verses]]
[[Category:Sharia legal terminology]]
[[Category:Quranic words and phrases]]