حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ حَدَّثَنَا الْأَعْمَشُ عَنْ سَعْدِ بْنِ عُبَيْدَةَ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ السُّلَمِيِّ عَنْ عَلِيٍّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ بَعَثَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ سَرِيَّةً وَاسْتَعْمَلَ عَلَيْهِمْ رَجُلًا مِنْ الْأَنْصَارِ قَالَ فَلَمَّا خَرَجُوا قَالَ وَجَدَ عَلَيْهِمْ فِي شَيْءٍ فَقَالَ قَالَ لَهُمْ أَلَيْسَ قَدْ أَمَرَكُمْ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنْ تُطِيعُونِي قَالَ قَالُوا بَلَى قَالَ فَقَالَ اجْمَعُوا حَطَبًا ثُمَّ دَعَا بِنَارٍ فَأَضْرَمَهَا فِيهِ ثُمَّ قَالَ عَزَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ لَتَدْخُلُنَّهَا قَالَ فَهَمَّ الْقَوْمُ أَنْ يَدْخُلُوهَا قَالَ فَقَالَ لَهُمْ شَابٌّ مِنْهُمْ إِنَّمَا فَرَرْتُمْ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مِنْ النَّارِ فَلَا تَعْجَلُوا حَتَّى تَلْقَوْا النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَإِنْ أَمَرَكُمْ أَنْ تَدْخُلُوهَا فَادْخُلُوا قَالَ فَرَجَعُوا إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَأَخْبَرُوهُ فَقَالَ لَهُمْ لَوْ دَخَلْتُمُوهَا مَا خَرَجْتُمْ مِنْهَا أَبَدًا إِنَّمَا الطَّاعَةُ فِي الْمَعْرُوفِ
مسند امام احمد بن حنبل · Hadith 622
lt was narrated that 'Ali (RA) said: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) sent out an expedition and appointed a man of the Ansar to lead it. When they went out, he (the man in charge) got upset with them for some reason and said to them: Didn't the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) instruct you to obey me? They said: Ves. He said: Bring firewood. Then he called for fire and lit it, then he said: i insist that you enter it. The people thought of entering it, but then a young man among them said: You fled to the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) from the Fire; do not rush (to enter it) until you meet the Prophet (PBUH), then if he orders you to enter it, enter it. They went back to the Prophet m and told him about that. He said to them: "If you had entered it you would never have come out 0f it; obedience is only with regard to that which is right and proper."
Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020