The Difference Between Advice and Publicly Denying the One in Authority

Question:
The questioner asks: What is the difference between advice and censure of the ruler in the eyes of the people of this world?

Answer:
Advice is that you convey it to him privately, between you and him. The one who gives advice is the one who conveys the advice to the ruler secretly, between him and himself, either through a meeting, or through a letter, or by having someone convey it to the ruler. As for open censure, this is publicizing, this is called publicizing, so this is not permissible, because this causes bad opinion of the rulers of the Muslims and reduces trust in them and encourages the hypocrites who want to cause corruption among the Muslims. So the true advisor who keeps the advice secret and conveys it to the ruler between him and himself, no one knows about it, and he does not go around spreading it in gatherings or recording it on tapes, this is not permissible, this is publicizing and it is not advice. Yes, even regarding individuals, if one makes a mistake, whether you take him aside and convey it to him privately between you and him and advise him, or whether you sit and say so-and-so did such and such, what is in him is not in the doer, this is censure, this is this, it increases evil and leads the sinner to stubbornness. But when you take him gently, softly, and secretly between you and him and advise him with advice for the sake of Allah, most likely he will accept it, or otherwise he will say, may Allah reward you with good, and he will disavow the sin. But for you to sit in gatherings or on pulpits and publicize the sinner, this is not permissible regarding individuals, so how about the rulers? How about the rulers? Yes.