You are responsible for who you choose to follow
Being called with one’s leader: accountability in leadership and following
In Surat al Isra, Allah said:
يَوْمَ نَدْعُوا كُلَّ أُنَاسٍۭ بِإِمَـٰمِهِمْ ۖ فَمَنْ أُوتِىَ كِتَـٰبَهُۥ بِيَمِينِهِۦ فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ يَقْرَءُونَ كِتَـٰبَهُمْ وَلَا يُظْلَمُونَ فَتِيلًۭا
“On the Day We will call every people with their leader (imam). Then whoever is given his record in his right hand—those will read their record, and they will not be wronged even by as much as a thread.” (Al Isra 17:71)
Allah is addressing the relationship between the leader and his community from both sides. It is not a one-way street. It is mutual responsibility.
This verse is among the clearest Qur’anic texts highlighting the gravity of leadership and the shared responsibility of both the leader and the led, and it makes clear that leadership in Islam is not a matter of honour or privilege, but a matter of duty and accountability.
Allah is saying that on the Day of Judgement He will call each group by their imam, meaning that people will be gathered and identified not only by their individual deeds, but by the leadership, causes, and authorities they chose to follow.
Ibn Ashur stated that the imam here may refer to the record of deeds, but more likely it refers to the leader one followed. He explained that people will be called out as: O followers of Musa, come forward; O followers of Eesa, come forward; O followers of Muhammad ﷺ, come forward. And he said this calling would also apply to those who followed falsehood, so they may be called by the names of the leaders, ideologies, and objects of devotion they attached themselves to in the dunya.
He wrote that an imam is that which is followed, meaning people act according to his actions or his way. What is meant here are big leaders including prophets, scholars, or rulers, and ideological figures as well as smaller leaders, and in our time, even influencers. They may guide to the truth, to opinions, to a book or methodology.
The lesson is that a person is not judged merely as an isolated individual. They are also judged within the framework of whom and what they chose to follow. Following is a moral and religious decision. It is not neutral. It is not meaningless. It is part of a person’s accountability.
If in the dunya you followed those who were righteous and committed to truth, you have hope of being among those given their record in the right hand. But if you followed vicious and corrupt leaders, excused falsehood, and surrendered your conscience, then you risk being gathered with them, and given your record in the left.
The significance of leadership in the verse
When Allah says, “We will call every people with their imam” , in each case, the principle is the same: people are gathered with what they devoted themselves to, obeyed, defended, and placed their loyalty behind.
This is why Islam treats leadership as an amanah and treats following as a responsibility. A person cannot say, I was only a follower, as if following removes blame. Nor can a leader say, I only gave the command, as if leadership removes guilt. The Qur’an closes both doors.
They will try to blame others, but it will not excuse them
When people finally see consequences, they instinctively search for someone else to blame. It is not us, it is the others. It is not our government, it is the previous government. It is not our leaders, it is our circumstances. Yet Allah shows that on the Day of Judgement this blame-shifting collapses.
Allah said in Surat al Baqarah:
ومن الناس من يتخذ من دون الله اندادا يحبونهم كحب الله والذين امنوا اشد حبا لله ولو يرى الذين ظلموا اذ يرون العذاب ان القوة لله جميعا وان الله شديد العذاب
Yet of mankind is one who takes others apart from Allah as rivals to Him. They love them with a love like that due to Allah, yet those who have attained faith are stronger in love for Allah. And if only those who have done injustice could see, when they see the punishment, that all power belongs to Allah and that Allah is severe in punishment. (Al Baqarah 2:165)
This describes people who attach themselves to rivals besides Allah: idols, ideologies, personalities, tribes, movements, trends, or any authority that competes with obedience to Allah. They love and defend them with the loyalty that should have been reserved for Allah and His guidance.
Allah says:
وقال الذين اتبعوا لو ان لنا كرة فنتبرأ منهم كما تبرؤا منا كذلك يريهم الله اعمالهم حسرات عليهم وما هم بخارجين من النار
And those who followed will say, “If only we could have another chance so we could disown them as they disowned us.” Thus Allah shows them their deeds as regrets to them, and never will they come out of the Fire. (Al Baqarah 2:167)
These verses show a terrifying reality: vicious leaders will disown their followers. When followers need them most, the bond will be severed. The excuses will collapse. People will wish for another chance, but regret will not undo accountability.
“We obeyed our leaders” is not a defence
Allah says in Surat al Ahzab:
وقالوا ربنا انا اطعنا سادتنا وكبراءنا فاضلونا السبيلا
And they will say, “Our Lord, indeed we obeyed our masters and our dignitaries, but they led us away from the path.” (Al Ahzab 33:67)
Then they say:
ربنا اتهم ضعفين من العذاب والعنهم لعنا كبيرا
“Our Lord, give them double the punishment and curse them with a great curse.” (Al Ahzab 33:68)
They admit their obedience. They admit they followed. But this confession does not absolve them. It proves the point: their leaders could not have led them astray without their willingness to obey blindly. And in Surat al Araf, Allah states:
قَالَ لِكُلٍّ ضِعْفٌ وَلَـٰكِن لَّا تَعْلَمُونَ
“For each is a double punishment.” (Al Araf 7:38)
Meaning the leaders deserve multiplied punishment for their own misguidance and for leading others astray, and the followers also deserve multiplied punishment for their own misguidance and for elevating their leaders and obeying them without thought, scrutiny, and fear of Allah.
Ibn Ashur explains that their statement, “they led us astray from the path,” is only true because their leaders could not have led them astray except through the cause of their blind obedience, and because they were preoccupied with obedience to them instead of examining and reasoning about what those leaders were calling them to, of corruption and the evil end it leads to. This happened because they placed the words of their leaders and elders in a position of preference over what the Messenger ﷺ was calling them to.
Individual accountability: you cannot outsource your choices
This is why Islam insists on individual accountability. You are responsible. You will stand before Allah and He will ask you why you did what you did. You cannot say everyone was doing it. You cannot say my parents forced me. You cannot say our leaders told us. You have choice, and you have responsibility. You may be pressured, influenced, threatened, or surrounded by falsehood, but you still answer to Allah for what you supported, what you excused, what you defended, and what you followed.
So follow the truth even if it is difficult. Do not bargain with your akhirah.
The responsibility of the leader
Leadership is an amanah. A leader is responsible and commanded to guide, not misguide. Allah says:
ليحملوا اوزارهم كاملة يوم القيامة ومن اوزار الذين يضلونهم بغير علم
“That they may bear their burdens in full on the Day of Resurrection, and also some of the burdens of those whom they mislead.” (An Nahl 16:25)
This means a leader does not only carry the burden of his own sins. If he actively misleads others, calls them to corruption, or makes falsehood appear as truth, then he also carries a share of the burden of those who were misled by him.
A leader is commanded to truthfulness and trustworthiness. The gravest betrayal is to mislead followers under the guise of religion or public interest. A leader must establish justice, because injustice in leadership leads to widespread corruption, not merely individual harm. A leader must be a role model, because leaders are followed by example before they are followed by words.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“All of you are shepherds, and all of you are responsible for your flock.” (Agreed upon)
And he said:
“It is a trust, and on the Day of Resurrection it will be a cause of disgrace and regret.” (Muslim)
So leadership is not a badge of honour. It is a responsibility that can become humiliation if it is betrayed.
The responsibility of the led (followers)
This is a subtle but often overlooked point: followers are not excused by obedience alone.
Allah says:
ولا تقف ما ليس لك به علم
“And do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge.” (Al Isra 17:36)
And Allah says:
اذ تبرأ الذين اتبعوا من الذين اتبعوا
“When those who were followed will disown those who followed them.” (Al Baqarah 2:166)
Followers are responsible for thinking, not suspending reason. They are responsible for distinguishing truth from falsehood. They are responsible for not obeying in disobedience. The Prophet ﷺ said:
“There is no obedience to a created being in disobedience to the Creator.” (Ahmad)
Followers are also responsible for choosing whom they follow. Following is not a small matter. It is not a cultural habit. It is not simply inherited. It is a decision that shapes one’s akhirah.
How the Qur’an and Sunnah frame the leader–follower relationship
The Qur’an assigns responsibility to both parties. It rejects the excuse, “We obeyed our leaders and elders,” as a defence on the Day of Judgement. It establishes the principle of shared accountability.
The Sunnah warns against seeking leadership, emphasises the weight of trust, obligates sincere counsel, and affirms the community’s right to accountability. Islam is not a religion of blind authority. It is a religion of guidance, conscience, knowledge, and responsibility before Allah.
Leadership is a test
Leadership is a test, not a reward. Blind following leads to destruction. Every person will be called with their leader: a leader of guidance will be a cause of honour, and a leader of misguidance will be a cause of disgrace. The reform of the Ummah begins with awareness in both leaders and followers. The most dangerous corruption is corruption in religious and intellectual leadership, because it corrupts people’s beliefs, morals, and direction.
This is why Allah shows us these scenes in the Qur’an so we are fully aware of what is waiting for us. Good leads to good outcomes and bad choices lead to regret. There is mutual responsibility. A leader cannot be vicious without followers who say yes, accept, justify, and defend.
Firawn reached that level because his subordinates accepted his choices and carried them out. Likewise, every age has its Firawns, but they rise only when people surrender their judgement and prefer safety, comfort, tribe, or worldly gain over the truth.
So be careful what you do. Check each choice you make at every level: religious, social, political. It is not an excuse to say you followed the crowd. Do your own assessment. If you have sincerely sought the truth, taken the right decision, and you genuinely could not change what happened after that, then you will not be held accountable for what was beyond your power. But you will be accountable for the choices you made when you did have the ability to choose. Do not bargain with your akhirah. Follow the truth even when it is difficult.
Collective efforts can make a change, individual efforts remove your accountability if you could not effect change.
Alhamdulillah, Allah sent us the Prophet ﷺ, the best of Allah’s creation and He sent the final book with him, which guides to the best choices and to the best path, which leads to Jannah for those who are obedient. We ask Allah to enable us to follow his footsteps and strive for justice for the oppressed, no matter where in the world they are. Ameen
Based on the khutbah of Shaykh Haytham Tamim on 19th December 2025