How to Advise the Ruler in Secret or Publicly
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
A questioner asks: What is the method of enjoining good and forbidding evil toward the ruler of the Muslims? Is this done in secret or in public?
Answer:
Advising the ruler is done in secret between him and the people. This may be through direct speech, secret writing, or a will to someone who has contact with him, or otherwise, in a way that does not expose it to the people. If he exposes it to the people, it leads to discord and becomes a matter of public discussion, which is a secret matter. Furthermore, exposing it indicates showing off (riya’), meaning his intention was not reform, but rather showing off and praising himself. Secrecy is required with the ruler. Even if you see a defect in an ordinary Muslim, do not expose him to the people; keep it secret and advise him privately between you and him. How much more so with the ruler?
The presenter:
May Allah reward you,
A questioner asks: What is the method of enjoining good and forbidding evil toward the ruler of the Muslims? Is this done in secret or in public?
Answer:
Advising the ruler is done in secret between him and the people. This may be through direct speech, secret writing, or a will to someone who has contact with him, or otherwise, in a way that does not expose it to the people. If he exposes it to the people, it leads to discord and becomes a matter of public discussion, which is a secret matter. Furthermore, exposing it indicates showing off (riya’), meaning his intention was not reform, but rather showing off and praising himself. Secrecy is required with the ruler. Even if you see a defect in an ordinary Muslim, do not expose him to the people; keep it secret and advise him privately between you and him. How much more so with the ruler?
The presenter:
May Allah reward you,
Source
شرح أحاديث في الفتن والحوادث، تابع باب في الفتن 2 — islamhouse.com (52:18)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.