Mishkat al-Masabih #3514

‘Auf b. Malik al-Ashja‘i reported God's Messenger as saying, “Your best imams are those whom you like and who like you, on whom you invoke blessings and who invoke blessings on you; and your worst imams are those whom you hate and who hate you, whom you curse and who curse you.” They asked God's Messenger whether in that event they should not depose them, but he replied, “No, as long as they observe the prayer among you; no, as long as they observe the prayer among you. If anyone has a governor whom he sees doing anything which is an act of disobedience to God, he must disapprove of the disobedience to God which he commits, but must never withdraw from obedience.” Muslim transmitted it.