Do the people of knowledge act upon the Hadith of Ibn Umar narrated by Al-Tirmidhi, and if so, how is the reluctance of the righteous to assume judgeship addressed? And what is meant by the Prophet's (peace be upon him) saying in the Hadith: "Whoever is a judge and judges with justice, it is fitting for him to return from it with just enough"?

The aforementioned hadith is weak, and what is stated in it conforms to what Al-Mubarakpuri said: that whoever assumes judiciary and strives for justice is neither rewarded nor punished. As for the abstention of the righteous from judiciary, it is narrated from the predecessors out of fear of its dangers. It is permissible to decline it for one who finds someone else qualified, otherwise, its acceptance becomes obligatory. And whoever knows that they are not qualified is forbidden from assuming it. Some scholars believe that the hadiths of warning apply specifically to unjust and ignorant judges, and that the Prophet's saying, "Whoever is appointed as a judge has been slaughtered without a knife," is an indication of the honor and great status of the judiciary. The warning in Islamic law is against injustice, not against the judiciary itself. The hadiths encouraging engagement in judiciary are to be interpreted as applying to those qualified for it, while those discouraging it apply to those incapable of it. The Rightly Guided Caliphs undertook it, and those scholars who abstained from it did so to an exaggerated extent in order to protect themselves. Judiciary becomes obligatory for one who is uniquely qualified with the conditions, or who fears discord or the loss of a right; otherwise, they may flee from it. As for the authentic hadith, it states: "Judges are three types: two in the Hellfire and one in Paradise. A man who knows the truth and judges by it, he is in Paradise. A man who knows the truth but judges contrary to it, he is in the Hellfire. And a man who judges between people out of ignorance, he is in the Hellfire."