O ‘Abdur-Rahmān ibn Samurah, do not ask for a position of authority, for if you were granted such authority upon your request, you would be left (to manage it) unaided.
Authentic hadithعن عَبْد الرَّحْمَنِ بْن سَمُرَةَ رضي الله عنه أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال له: «يا عبد الرحمن بن سَمُرَة، لا تَسْأَلِ الإِمَارَةَ؛ فإنك إن أُعْطِيتَها عن مَسْأَلَةٍ وُكِلْتَ إليها، وإن أُعْطِيتَهَا عن غير مَسْأَلَةٍ أُعِنْتَ عليها، وإذا حَلَفْتَ على يمينٍ فرأيتَ غيرها خيرًا منها، فَكَفِّرْ عن يمينك، وَأْتِ الذي هو خير».
‘Abdur-Rahmān ibn Samurah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said to him: "O ‘Abdur-Rahmān ibn Samurah, do not ask for a position of authority, for if you were granted such authority upon your request, you would be left (to manage it) unaided. However, if you were granted such authority without requesting it, you would be provided with aid (to manage it). If you ever make an oath but then found a better alternative, expiate your oath and go for the better alternative."
Explanation
The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) forbade Muslims from seeking authority because whoever is granted authority based on his request will be let down and left to his desire for this world, which he prefers to the Hereafter. On the other hand, whoever is granted authority without seeking or asking for it, Allah shall grant him support to fulfill his duties. Moreover, making an oath should not prevent goodness. So, if the one who made an oath realized that goodness lies in something different from his oath, he should discard that oath through expiation and go for the better alternative.
Source · Narrated by Bukhari & Muslim
From the Hadith Encyclopedia (hadeethenc.com).