The ruling on a man going out to fight without the permission of the Imam

Question : Shaykh, what do you say about the fatwa of some contemporary scholars that if jihad becomes obligatory, a man must go out and fight with his own person, and that he is not required to wait until there is an Imam, a father, and an army? He cited the saying of Allah the Exalted: meaning that it is obligatory for you to fight alone, even if there is no commander, army, or caliphate. What is your opinion on this statement, O Shaykh, and how is it refuted?

Answer : Our view is that Allah is addressing the Imam, the Imam of the Ummah, not every individual. For this reason, He said, "Urge the believers to fight." This man who went out without the permission of the Imam has strayed from the community and has erred against himself, especially in our time. Because if he goes out and fights, and then it is found that he is from this state, it causes problems; problems arise between this party and that party. Therefore, it is obligatory for a person not to take texts from one side only and look at them with a squinted eye, but rather it is obligatory to take texts from all sides. For this reason, the scholars said that it is forbidden to go on a military expedition without the permission of the Imam.