English
Abu Huraira, may God be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "The Children of Israel were governed by prophets. Whenever a prophet died, another succeeded him. There will be no prophet after me, but there will be caliphs, and they will be many." They said: "What do you command us?" He said: "Fulfill the pledge to the first, then the first, and give them their rights, for God will hold them accountable for what they were entrusted with."
Possible references (unverified, pending editorial review)
- Candidate: Sahih al-Bukhari 3455 (unverified) 99% confidence
- Candidate: Sahih Muslim 1842a (unverified) 99% confidence
Confidence and text similarity are not editorial verification.
Commentary and footnotes (2)
Note 1
(1) Regarding the saying: "Fulfill the pledge to the first, then the first," etc.: This means that if a caliph is pledged allegiance after another, the pledge to the first is valid and must be fulfilled, while the pledge to the second is invalid and fulfilling it is prohibited. Scholars agree that it is not permissible to appoint two caliphs at the same time, whether the Muslim lands are vast or not, as stated by al-Nawawi in Sharh Aqa'id al-Nasafi.
Note 1
(١) قوله: بيعة الأول فالأول إلخ: ومعنى هذا الحديث: إذ بويع لخليفة بعد خليفة، فبيعة الأول صحيحة يجب الوفاء بها، وبيعة الثاني باطلة يحرم الوفاء بها، واتفق العلماء على أنه لا يجوز أن يُعقَد لخليفتين في عصر واحد، سواء اتسعتٍ دار الإسلام أم لا، قاله النووي. كذا في (شرح عقائد النسفي).