The Prophet ﷺ said, "If you wish, I will tell you about leadership and what it really is."So I stood up and called out at the top of my voice three times, "What is it, Messenger of Allah?"He replied, "Its first is blame, its second is regret, and its third is punishment on the Day of Resurrection, except for one who rules justly. And how can a man rule justly when his own relatives are involved?"
عن النبي ﷺ قال: إن شئتم أنبأتكم عن الإمارة وما هي؟ فقمت، فناديت بأعلى صوتي ثلاث مرات: وما هي يا رسول الله؟ قال: أولها ملامة، وثانيها ندامة، وثالثها عذاب يوم القيامة إلا من عدل، وكيف يعدل مع أقربيه؟
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Bazzar (2756), Tabarani in al-Kabir (18/132), and al-Awsat (2533 - Majma Bahrayn) both narrated it through various routes from Sadaqa bin Khalid, from Zayd bin Waqid, from Busr bin Ubaydullah, from Yazid Asamm, from Awf bin Malik, who mentioned it. Its chain of transmission is sahih. Ibn Hajar also graded it sahih in al-Fath (12/125).As for what was narrated from Zayd bin Thabit, that he said in the presence of the Prophet ﷺ, "Authority is a wretched thing," and the Prophet ﷺ responded, "Authority is an excellent thing for the one who takes it by its right and lawfully, but authority is a wretched thing for the one who takes it without right, for it will become a source of anguish for him on the Day of Judgment."It seems most likely that this is mursal. Tabarani narrated it in al-Kabir (5/138) from Hafs bin Umar Raqqi, who said, Abu Huzaifa told us, who said, Zuhayr bin Muhammad told us, from Sharik bin Abdullah bin Abu Nimr, from Ata bin Yasar, from Zayd bin Thabit, who mentioned it. Hafs Raqqi is truthful but has some weakness, Abu Huzaifa is Musa bin Masud Nahdi, who is truthful but has poor memory, and Zuhayr bin Muhammad is Tamimi Anbari.The trustworthy and reliable narrator Ismail bin Jafar narrated it from Sharik bin Abdullah bin Abu Nimr, from Ata bin Yasar, who said that a man in the presence of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said what he mentioned, in mursal form. Abu Ubayd reported this in al-Amwal (5) from Ismail bin Jafar, through this chain.