‘Ubadah ibn Nusayy reported: Abu Dharr, may Allah be pleased with him, stopped at the door of Mu’waiyah, but he remained unavailable due to being occupied by some matter. It is as if Abu Dharr felt displeasure in himself, so he said, “Whoever comes to the door of the authorities is made to stand and sit. Whoever finds the door closed will find another door besides him that hopefully opens. If he is asked, he is given. If he seeks refuge, he is protected. Verily, the beginning of a man’s hypocrisy is in defaming his leader.”
Imam Abu ‘Umar commented, “If it is not possible to give sincere advice to the authorities, then one must be patient and supplicate, for the predecessors have prohibited us from reviling the rulers.”
Source: al-Tamhīd li-Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr 21/287
عَنْ عُبَادَةَ بْنِ نُسَيٍّ قَالَ وَقَفَ أَبُو الدَّرْدَاءِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ عَلَى بَابِ مُعَاوِيَةَ فَحَجَبَهُ لِشُغْلٍ كَانَ فِيهِ فَكَأَنَّ أَبَا الدَّرْدَاءِ وَجَدَ فِي نَفْسِهِ فَقَالَ مَنْ يَأْتِ أَبْوَابَ السُّلْطَانِ قَامَ وَقَعَدَ وَمَنْ يَجِدْ بَابًا مُغْلَقًا يَجِدْ إِلَى جَنْبِهِ بَابًا رَجَا فَتْحًا إِنْ سَأَلَ أُعْطِيَ وَإِنِ اسْتَعَاذَ أُعِيذَ وَإِنَّ أَوَّلَ نِفَاقِ الْمَرْءِ طَعْنُهُ عَلَى إِمَامِهِ
قَالَ أَبُو عُمَرَ إِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ يَتَمَكَّنُ نُصْحَ السُّلْطَانِ فَالصَّبْرُ وَالدُّعَاءُ فَإِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا يَنْهَوْنَ عَنْ سَبِّ الْأُمَرَاءِ
21/287 التمهيد لابن عبد البر الفصل سهيل بن أبي صالح الحديث العاشر
