3. My father related to me that Sa`d ibn `Abd Allah said, on the authority of Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn `Isa, on the authority of Muhammad ibn Abu `Umayr, on the authority of Muhammad ibn Humran, on the authority of al-Fadl ibn al-Sakan, on the authority of Abu `Abd Allah AS) that

The Commander of the Faithful said: “Recognize Allah through Allah, the Messenger through the message, and the ones vested with authority [ulu al-amr] through their beneficence, justice, and good deeds.”