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The question

Is the following Hadith authentic: "Any person who helps in choosing the wrong ruler, when there is someone more worthy than him, has betrayed Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him)"?

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Source: FtawySummarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 20261 min readAlso available in العربية
The answer

A hadith was narrated from Ibn Abbas and a saying from Umar ibn al-Khattab, both agreeing in meaning: that whoever appoints a man to a position when there is someone better than him, has betrayed Allah, His Messenger, and the believers. However, these narrations are weak and their chain of transmission is not sound.

Despite the weakness of these hadiths, their content is sound and considered valid শরীয়াহ-wise. The ruler must appoint the most competent and righteous person to every task concerning the Muslims. This applies to all officials in the state, including governors, judges, commanders, tax collectors, and others. Each of them is obligated to employ the most suitable person they find for their position.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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