[Style Mantra]

Assalamau aliakum.

Too many emails being forwarded about conspiracy theories and rulers and rebellions and politics. Just forwarding some fatawa on the topics. Whether or not you agree with the mufti(s) is up to you. My only intention in collecting these fatwa was to clarify that our priority should not be politics, rather our focus should be to carry out tasks according to the priority set in the Quran and Sunnah.

May Allah guide us all to the right path and may He bless us all with Paradise without any reckoning.


Question: Do the Muslims living in a country share in the sins of their rulers? Are they obliged to prevent Muslim rulers from their wrongdoing?

Answered by Sheikh Muhammad al-Qannâs

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “There will be rulers over you. You will agree with some of what they come with and reject some of it. Whoever rejects what must be rejected will maintain his innocence and whoever hates it will maintain his innocence. However, those who accept (what should be denied) and follow the ruler will be sinners.”

The Companions said: “O Messenger of Allah, shall we fight these rulers?” He said: “No, as long as they pray.” [Sunan al-Tirmidhî]

The meaning of this hadîth is that the rulers will do some things that you know are right and other things that you know are wrong. In other words, some of their works will comply with Islamic Law while others will not.

Whoever disavows their bad actions in his heart will maintain his innocence and be safe from Allah’s punishment. This applies to the one who cannot prevent such actions by either his hand or his tongue. At the very least, he has to condemn these misdeeds in his heart. However, this disavowal could also be by the tongue. Imam al-Qurtubî said: “The person who condemns these misdeeds in his heart feels such a strong disapproval for the deeds in his heart that if he gets a chance, he will speak out.”

In fact, such denial in the heart is the lowest grade of faith. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever sees something wrong, he should change it by his hand, if cannot by his tongue and if cannot by his heart and that (the last) is the weakest faith.” [Sahîh Muslim]

As mentioned in the hadîth, only the one who accepts these misdeeds will be held accountable for them and be deserving of punishment.

Imam al-Nawawî said: “This is evidence that who fails to act to prevent wrong will not be sinful for being disapproving but silent. However, he will be sinful if he accepts it.”

Imam al-Nawawî explained the last part of this hadîth by saying: “It is impermissible to engage in rebellion against the Caliphs just for some acts of oppression or mischief on their part as long as they do not change any principle of Islam.”

Imam Ibn Taymiyah said: “It is alright to reject what a ruler comes with in opposition to Islamic rulings, but that does not mean rebellion against him. These rulers should still be obeyed in legitimate things. Rebellion against them is unlawful unless they show extreme disbelief. Obedience to them is obligatory unless they request something unlawful.”
Question: Do we have to obey our rulers even if they are oppressive and do things contrary to Islam?

Answered by Sheikh Muhammad al-Qannâs

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “The best among your rulers are those whom you love and they love you in turn, those who pray (make supplication) for you and you pray for them. The worst of your rulers are those whom you hate and they hate you in turn, and you curse them and they curse you.”

Someone asked: “O Messenger of Allah! Shall we confront them with swords?”

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “No, as long as they hold prayers among you. If you see from your rulers what you hate, hate the action they do but do not rebel against them.” [Sahîh Muslim]

Hudhayfah b. al-Yamân asked the Prophet (peace be upon him): “O Messenger of Allah, we were living in an evil (atmosphere) and Allah brought us good (Islam) and we live in it now. Will there be evil after this good?”

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Yes.”

Hudhayfah b. al-Yamân said: “And any good after this evil?”

He said: “Yes.”

Hudhayfah b. al-Yamân said: “And any evil after this good?”

He said: “Yes.”

Hudhayfah said: “How will it be?”

He said: “Rulers after me will come who do not abide by my guidance and Sunnah. Some of their men will have Satan’s heart in a human’s body.”

Hudhayfah said: “What should I do, O Messenger of Allah, if I live to see that time?”

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “You should listen and obey them even if the ruler smites your back and takes your wealth.” [Sahîh al-Bukhârî and Sahîh Muslim]

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “There will be rulers over you. You will agree with some of what they come with and reject some of it. Whoever rejects what must be rejected will maintain his innocence and whoever hates it will maintain his innocence. However, those who accept (what should be denied) and follow the ruler will be sinners.”

The Companions said: “O Messenger of Allah, shall we fight these rulers?” He said: “No, as long as they pray.” [Sunan al-Tirmidhî]

The majority of Ahl al-Sunnah wal Jamâ`ah have adopted these hadîth and use them as evidence in their ruling that is unlawful to rebel against the ruler, no matter how oppressive he might be, unless he exhibits outright unbelief.

Imam Ahmad said: “Obedience to the ruler who is agreed upon by people is obligatory.”

Imam al-Tahâwî said: “We do not support rebellion against our rulers even if they are unjust. We do not make supplications against them and do not set any revolution against them. We believe our obedience to them is obedience to Allah unless they order something unlawful. We make supplication for their guidance and their safety.”

Ibn Abî al-`Izz al-Hanafî writes in Sharh al-`Aqîdah al-Tahâwiyyah: "It is much better to stick to obeying the rulers even if they are oppressors, because rebellion against them will cause even greater strife. Being patient with them will be an expiation for misdeeds and increase rewards.”

Ibn Battâl said: “Scholars have agreed that it is better to obey the oppressive rulers and participate in jihâd alongside them than to rebel against them. This will prevent bloodshed and prevent strife. The only exception is when the oppressive rulers show clear unbelief.”

Ibn Taymiyah writes: “The scholars of Ahl al-Sunnah are agreed that is obligatory to refrain from fighting in civil strife. This is an application of the authentic hadîth in this regard. Many scholars used to write that down in their statements of creed - that they believed in and they called others to believe in - to be patient and not to fight the rulers.”

He continues: “The Prophet (peace be upon him) ordered people to be patient with the oppression of the rulers and refrain from fighting them. This is better for people for their worldly life and their Hereafter. Whoever opposes them intentionally will cause nothing but mischief. Allah will eliminate evil by way of the oppressive king much more than the oppression he is doing to people. It was also said that sixty years under an oppressive ruler are better than one night without any ruler.”

Although it is unlawful to rebel against the ruler, this does not mean we must refrain from enjoining what is right and forbidding what is evil. In fact, we are required to do that and glorify our religion and to raise the word of righteousness, each one according to his ability.

`Ubâdah relates: “We have sworn fealty to the Prophet (peace be upon him) to listen and to obey in prosperity and adversity, and not to dispute with the people in charge of government, and to say what is right wherever we are and not fear other than Allah.”

It was also related by Abu Sa`îd al-Khudrî that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “The best Jihâd is a word of truth in the presence of an oppressive ruler” [Sunan al-Tirmidhî]

Alas, enjoining right and forbidding wrong requires patience, knowledge and wisdom.

One scholar said: Enjoining for good and forbidding evil should only be done by the one who knows what is he doing and he should do that gently.
Question:

To what degree is a Muslim to be concerned with politics today, within
it's Islaamic guidelines?
Answer:

If what is intended by "politics" is the administering of the ummah, then the reality is that politics is not from the acts of one individual from the people of the ummah, but rather, it is from the duties of the Muslim State. This is if the objective behind politics, as we stated before, is the administering of the ummah and the managing of its concerns in order to rectify what is in it from its religious and worldly affairs. So if this is what is intended by "politics", then this is fard kifaayah (a collective obligation). However, it is not for those people who are not in control of the state or of the rule, nor for those who can neither produce benefit nor cause harm.
As for obtaining the news to be aware of the state of affairs and the weakness the Muslims are in, and in order to avoid this outcome, then as we say, this is from the tasfiyah (purification) and the tarbiyah (educating) – purifying Islaam from what has entered into it and focusing on educating the Muslims and bringing them up on this purified Islam. So knowing these general circumstances, which encompass the Muslims, is a must for the matter is as the old Arab poet has stated, taking his meaning from an authentic hadeeth:"I learned evil not for the sake of evil, but to avoid it And whoever doesn't know good from evil, he will fall into it."
This is derived from a hadeeth – and I mean by it, the hadeeth of Hudhaifah Ibn Al-Yamaan, radyAllaahu 'anhumaa, which is reported in the Saheehs of Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim. He, radyAllaahu 'anhumaa, said: "The people used to ask Allaah's Messenger, sallAllaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, about the good, but I used to ask him about the evil for fear of it reaching me." So being aware of what the Muslims are upon from humiliation and weakness in order to turn them away from that towards using the means of knowledge, strength and power, this is an obligation from the many obligations.
As for engaging at length in obtaining news, knowledge of battles and western politics, then this is from the aspect of: "Knowledge of something is better than being ignorant of it." This is something that we do not forsake. However, at the same time, we must not be very enthusiastic and fanatical about it. This is since the Prophet, sallAllaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, did not establish the affair of his Companions on knowing and following precisely, the news of his enemies to the same extent as he, sallAllaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, used to focus on teaching his Companions from one perspective and cultivating them on Allaah's command from another perspective. This is our belief concerning politics based on their two categories, which we have mentioned previously.


Shaykh Naasir ud-Deen al-Albaanee
Al-Asaalah No. 18
Translated by Ismaal Alarcon

[icarrim]

Today,politicians readily join any religious events to woo votes. Loyalty is to power acquired through politics and not to sincere religious beliefs;these have become a mere stepping stone for their march to political success
Politics have become a religion by itself.Electoral votes are for sale.