(80) Chapter: Obligation of Obedience to the Ruler in what is Lawful and Prohibition of Obeying them in what is Unlawful

Ibn 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with them) reported:
Whenever we took a pledge of allegiance to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) to hear and obey, he (ﷺ) would say to us, "As far as you are capable of."

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Commentary: Obedience to a Muslim ruler calls for two conditions: First, his command must not infringe upon the canonical sanctity; second, it ought not to outweigh people's limitations. In case, he fails to meet these two prerequisites, his obedience will also become non-obligatory. This Hadith conveys a warning to rulers that they must not put people to a hardship unbearable to them.