Obedience is required only in what is maruf

حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بَشَّارٍ، حَدَّثَنَا غُنْدَرٌ، حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، عَنْ زُبَيْدٍ، عَنْ سَعْدِ بْنِ عُبَيْدَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، عَنْ عَلِيٍّ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم بَعَثَ جَيْشًا وَأَمَّرَ عَلَيْهِمْ رَجُلاً، فَأَوْقَدَ نَارًا وَقَالَ ادْخُلُوهَا‏.‏ فَأَرَادُوا أَنْ يَدْخُلُوهَا، وَقَالَ آخَرُونَ إِنَّمَا فَرَرْنَا مِنْهَا، فَذَكَرُوا لِلنَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ لِلَّذِينَ أَرَادُوا أَنْ يَدْخُلُوهَا ‏"‏ لَوْ دَخَلُوهَا لَمْ يَزَالُوا فِيهَا إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ ‏"‏‏.‏ وَقَالَ لِلآخَرِينَ ‏"‏ لاَ طَاعَةَ فِي مَعْصِيَةٍ، إِنَّمَا الطَّاعَةُ فِي الْمَعْرُوفِ ‏"‏‏.‏

Narrated `Ali: The Prophet (ﷺ) , sent an army and appointed some man their commander The man made a fire and then said (to the soldiers), "Enter it." Some of them intended to enter it while some others said, 'We have run away from it (i.e., embraced Islam to save ourselves from the 'fire')." They mentioned that to the Prophet, and he said about people who had intended to enter the fire. ''If they had entered it, they would have remained In it till the Day of Resurrection.'' Then he said to others, "No obedience for evil deeds, obedience is required only in what is good (maruf) ."

Sahih al-Bukhari 7257 https://sunnah.com/bukhari:7257

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حَدَّثَنَا مُسَدَّدٌ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْوَاحِدِ، حَدَّثَنَا الأَعْمَشُ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي سَعْدُ بْنُ عُبَيْدَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، عَنْ عَلِيٍّ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ بَعَثَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم سَرِيَّةً فَاسْتَعْمَلَ رَجُلاً مِنَ الأَنْصَارِ، وَأَمَرَهُمْ أَنْ يُطِيعُوهُ، فَغَضِبَ فَقَالَ أَلَيْسَ أَمَرَكُمُ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَنْ تُطِيعُونِي‏.‏ قَالُوا بَلَى‏.‏ قَالَ فَاجْمَعُوا لِي حَطَبًا‏.‏ فَجَمَعُوا، فَقَالَ أَوْقِدُوا نَارًا‏.‏ فَأَوْقَدُوهَا، فَقَالَ ادْخُلُوهَا‏.‏ فَهَمُّوا، وَجَعَلَ بَعْضُهُمْ يُمْسِكُ بَعْضًا، وَيَقُولُونَ فَرَرْنَا إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم مِنَ النَّارِ‏.‏ فَمَا زَالُوا حَتَّى خَمَدَتِ النَّارُ، فَسَكَنَ غَضَبُهُ، فَبَلَغَ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ ‏ "‏ لَوْ دَخَلُوهَا مَا خَرَجُوا مِنْهَا إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ، الطَّاعَةُ فِي الْمَعْرُوفِ ‏"‏‏.‏

Narrated `Ali: The Prophet (ﷺ) sent a Sariya under the command of a man from the Ansar and ordered the soldiers to obey him. He (i.e. the commander) became angry and said "Didn't the Prophet (ﷺ) order you to obey me!" They replied, "Yes." He said, "Collect fire-wood for me." So they collected it. He said, "Make a fire." When they made it, he said, "Enter it (i.e. the fire)." So they intended to do that and started holding each other and saying, "We run towards (i.e. take refuge with) the Prophet (ﷺ) from the fire." They kept on saying that till the fire was extinguished and the anger of the commander abated. When that news reached the Prophet (ﷺ) he said, "If they had entered it (i.e. the fire), they would not have come out of it till the Day of Resurrection. Obedience (to somebody) is required when he enjoins what is good (maruf)."

Sahih al-Bukhari 4340 https://sunnah.com/bukhari:4340

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وَحَدَّثَنِي سَلَمَةُ بْنُ شَبِيبٍ، حَدَّثَنَا الْحَسَنُ بْنُ أَعْيَنَ، حَدَّثَنَا مَعْقِلٌ، عَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ أَبِي، أُنَيْسَةَ عَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ حُصَيْنٍ، عَنْ جَدَّتِهِ أُمِّ الْحُصَيْنِ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُهَا تَقُولُ، حَجَجْتُ مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم حَجَّةَ الْوَدَاعِ فَرَأَيْتُهُ حِينَ رَمَى جَمْرَةَ الْعَقَبَةِ وَانْصَرَفَ وَهُوَ عَلَى رَاحِلَتِهِ وَمَعَهُ بِلاَلٌ وَأُسَامَةُ أَحَدُهُمَا يَقُودُ بِهِ رَاحِلَتَهُ وَالآخَرُ رَافِعٌ ثَوْبَهُ عَلَى رَأْسِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم مِنَ الشَّمْسِ - قَالَتْ - فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَوْلاً كَثِيرًا ثُمَّ سَمِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ ‏ "‏ إِنْ أُمِّرَ عَلَيْكُمْ عَبْدٌ مُجَدَّعٌ - حَسِبْتُهَا قَالَتْ - أَسْوَدُ يَقُودُكُمْ بِكِتَابِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى فَاسْمَعُوا لَهُ وَأَطِيعُوا ‏"‏ ‏.‏

Umm al-Husain (Allah be pleased with her) reported: I performed Hajj along with Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) on the occasion of the Farewell Pilgrimage and saw him when he flung pebbles at Jamrat al-'Aqaba and returned while he was riding the camel, and Bilal and Usama were with him. One of them was leading his camel, while the other was raising his cloth over the head of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) to protect him from the sun. She (further) said: Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said so many things, and I heard him saying: If a slave having some limb of his missing and having dark complexion is appointed to govern you according to the Book of Allah the Exalted. listen to him and obey him.

Sahih Muslim 1298a https://sunnah.com/muslim:1298a

See also: https://sunnah.com/muslim:1838a https://sunnah.com/muslim:1838e

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حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا لَيْثٌ، عَنْ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ، عَنْ نَافِعٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَنَّهُ قَالَ ‏ "‏ عَلَى الْمَرْءِ الْمُسْلِمِ السَّمْعُ وَالطَّاعَةُ فِيمَا أَحَبَّ وَكَرِهَ إِلاَّ أَنْ يُؤْمَرَ بِمَعْصِيَةٍ فَإِنْ أُمِرَ بِمَعْصِيَةٍ فَلاَ سَمْعَ وَلاَ طَاعَةَ ‏"‏ ‏.‏

It has been narrated on the authority of Ibn 'Umar that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: It is obligatory upon a Muslim that he should listen (to the ruler appointed over him) and obey him whether he likes it or not, except that he is ordered to do a sinful thing. If he is ordered to do a sinful act, a Muslim should neither listen to him nor should he obey his orders.

Sahih Muslim 1839a https://sunnah.com/muslim:1839a

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حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُثَنَّى، وَابْنُ، بَشَّارٍ - وَاللَّفْظُ لاِبْنِ الْمُثَنَّى - قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ، بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، عَنْ زُبَيْدٍ، عَنْ سَعْدِ بْنِ عُبَيْدَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، عَنْ عَلِيٍّ، أَنَّعليه وسلم بَعَثَ جَيْشًا وَأَمَّرَ عَلَيْهِمْ رَجُلاً فَأَوْقَدَ نَارًا وَقَالَ ادْخُلُوهَا ‏.‏ فَأَرَادَ نَاسٌ أَنْ يَدْخُلُوهَا وَقَالَ الآخَرُونَ إِنَّا قَدْ فَرَرْنَا مِنْهَا ‏.‏ فَذُكِرَ ذَلِكَ لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ لِلَّذِينَ أَرَادُوا أَنْ يَدْخُلُوهَا ‏"‏ لَوْ دَخَلْتُمُوهَا لَمْ تَزَالُوا فِيهَا إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ وَقَالَ لِلآخَرِينَ قَوْلاً حَسَنًا وَقَالَ ‏"‏ لاَ طَاعَةَ فِي مَعْصِيَةِ اللَّهِ إِنَّمَا الطَّاعَةُ فِي الْمَعْرُوفِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏

It has been narrated on the authority of Abu 'Abd al-Rahman from 'Ali that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sent a force (on a mission) and appointed over them a man. He kindled a fire and said: Enter it. Some people made up their minds to enter it (the fire), (carrying out the order of their commander), but the others said: We fled from the fire (that's why we have come into the fold of Islam). The matter was reported to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). He said to those who Contemplated entering (the fire at the order of their commander): If you had entered it, you would have remained there until the Day of Judgment. He commanded the act of the latter group and said: There is no submission in matters involving God's disobedience or displeasure. Submission is obligatory only in what is good (and reasonable).

Sahih Muslim 1840a khttps://sunnah.com/muslim:1840a

See also: https://sunnah.com/muslim:1840b

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