What is the methodology of the people of the Sunnah regarding obedience to and loyalty toward those in authority?

Question : The questioner says: Honorable Shaykh, Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) said in *Usool al-Sunnah* regarding obedience to the imams and the Commander of the Faithful, whether righteous or wicked, and whoever assumes the caliphate and the people agree upon him and are satisfied with him, and whoever is imposed by the sword until he becomes caliph and is named Commander of the Faithful. Then he said: It is not permissible to fight the ruler or rebel against him for anyone among the people. Whoever does so is an innovator who is not upon the Sunnah and the path. The questioner says: Explain to us this precious phrase, and clarify to us the methodology of the Salaf, the people of hadith, in advising those in authority, and may Allah reward you with good.

Answer : This question is important, and we have made it a foundation in the methodology of the people of the Sunnah and the community toward those in authority. However, there is no harm in answering it briefly, and then we will elaborate on it, if Allah wills, in the next lesson. I say that it is the doctrine of the people of the Sunnah and the community to obey and be loyal to those in authority, even if they are open sinners, even if they are wrongdoers, and even if they are oppressors. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Obey and listen" . The imams continued to hold that the ruler has authority, even if he is greatly given to open sinfulness and debauchery, and they held that it is obligatory to obey and be loyal to him. No one from the people of the Sunnah and the community deviated from this, except... indeed, no one from the entire religion deviated from this principle except a deviant, misguided group. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said about them: "Wherever you find them" . They are the Khawarij, who permit rebellion against the imams. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) described them by saying that we consider our prayer insignificant compared to their prayer, and our fasting insignificant compared to their fasting, and that their faith does not pass their throats, and that they emerge from Islam as an arrow emerges from its quiver. As for the people of the Sunnah and the community, they hold that it is not permissible to rebel against the one in authority, no matter who he is, except according to what the Shari'ah requires, and we will explain that, if Allah wills. If the one in authority is an open sinner who drinks intoxicants, commits zina, commits sodomy, oppresses, and does every wrong except disbelief, it is not permissible to rebel against him. Rather, it is obligatory to advise him and supplicate to Allah for him. This Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him), the imam of the people of the Sunnah, was harmed by the ruler, dragged through the markets, and beaten with whips until he fainted, and he said (may Allah have mercy on him): "If I knew that I had a supplication that would be answered, I would direct it to the ruler, for in his rectitude is the rectitude of the community." These are the ones who know the Shari'ah of Allah and know the path of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). As for those reckless ones who declare disbelievers those whom Allah and His Messenger have not declared disbelievers, and who permit rebellion against the imams, they are as our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Wherever you find them, kill them, for in their killing is a reward for whoever kills them until the Day of Resurrection." And he clarified to us that they are people of obedience, people of dhikr, people of prayer, people of fasting. We consider our prayer insignificant compared to their prayer, and our fasting insignificant compared to their fasting, but their Islam and faith do not pass their throats. What does "does not pass their throats" mean? It means it does not reach the heart. Their hearts are empty of faith. They have nothing but these burning emotions. As for faith, there is nothing of it in their hearts. For this reason, our Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) permitted us to kill them. He did not say "Wherever you meet them, fight them," but he said "Kill them," for in their killing is a reward for whoever kills them until the Day of Resurrection. Yes, if the ruler disbelieves in Allah, if he disbelieves in Allah with explicit disbelief, then at that time we have the right to remove him from his authority by any means? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said regarding the imams: "Do not oppose them, do not fight them" . Pay attention to the conditions that Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) set. He did not set them, so-and-so or so-and-so did not set them. He set them, the leader of the Muslim community, the physician of the Muslim community, the imam of the Muslim community, the wise one of the Muslim community, the Messenger of the Lord of the Worlds. That you see, with any scientific, certain vision.
As for what is rumored about the one in authority regarding disbelief or otherwise, without us knowing it, this is zero on the left. It is neither truly valid nor truly invalid, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Except if you see with your eyes or know with your hearts with certain knowledge." Take this as a condition. The second is disbelief. If we see open sinfulness, wrongdoing, and oppression, it is zero on the left. It does not permit us to rebel against the one in authority. Rather, we must see disbelief. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) knows how to express it: disbelief. The third is explicit, open disbelief. "Bawah" is taken from the open, wide ground that has nothing to hide its view, such as trees, stones, or bricks, or anything else. Rather, it is explicit, open, to avoid what? Disbelief that is not apparent, which is the disbelief about which people differ, where some see it as disbelief and others see it as not disbelief. This is not "bawah." "Bawah" is explicit, about which people do not differ. As for what people differ on, it is not "bawah," because it is hidden from the others, hidden from the dissenters. If one says this is disbelief and another says this is not disbelief, is it "bawah"? No. If it were "bawah," it would not be hidden from the other. So it must be "bawah." What is the fourth condition? Do you have from Allah a proof? A proof from Allah, a proof, a decisive evidence that it is disbelief. If we do not have decisive evidence that it is disbelief, it is zero on the left. It does not permit us to rebel against the imams. How many conditions are there now? You see explicit disbelief, and we have from Allah a proof. Four conditions. The fifth condition is that we have the ability to remove him.
If we do not have the ability, then rebelling against him is foolishness, stupidity, and recklessness. Because if we do not have the ability and we rebel, he will crush us. If the ability and strength are with him, and we have nothing but a kitchen knife, while he has cannons, bombs, and an army, how do we confront him? How do we confront? A kitchen knife, a fruit knife. Now we have knives from Baqaa and Habhab, and I don't know what. We must have strength such that if we rebel against him, we remove him. Otherwise, the obligatory thing is patience. In this case, if the four conditions are met, pay attention, if the four conditions are met but we are unable to resist, or we know that we cannot, we must wait for the opportunity and strive to prepare the means to remove him. Because it is not possible for a disbeliever to have authority over the believers, ever. But if we are unable to remove him and rebel against him, wait, be patient, prepare the means, and then after that, act. Rather than being reckless. Even if we suppose, if someone says: "Is it not possible for me to assassinate him?" We say: You can assassinate him, but if you assassinate him, all the entourage he has are of the same kind, and they will crush you. So we must have strength by which we can remove this disbeliever who has disbelieved with explicit disbelief, and we have from Allah a proof regarding it. And we must, our brothers, proceed by Shari'ah and reason, not by emotion. Proceeding according to emotion will turn us away from the correct path, and this emotion will be a destructive storm. And we do not need to give examples. There may be incidents that happened a few months ago, and there was a large group supporting a certain side. But when they did not have the ability to resist the one they thought it was permissible to rebel against, what happened? They were crushed, or nearly so. So we cannot act recklessly in all the countries of the world. In all the countries of the world, rulers begin to fear such people. And they do not help them or rise against them. All this is due to recklessness. If we were to reason and proceed according to what our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prescribed for us, that would be the very truth and wisdom. So this is the answer to the questioner's question, and I hope it is sufficient. And if it is facilitated for us to speak, we will complete it in the next lesson, if Allah wills.
The important thing is that it is not permissible to rebel against the one in authority except with five conditions. Like this, who will count them for us? Okay, listen. If the ruler commits zina, steals, drinks intoxicants, kills a soul unjustly, and takes people's money by force, is it permissible to rebel against him? Perfect, rest, sit down, sit down. Sit down. It is not permissible to rebel against him, it is not permissible to rebel against him.
Because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), O our brothers, has outlined for us a path as clear as the sun at midday. And what has harmed the Muslims and divided their community except something like this? The Khawarij came out and killed 'Uthman ibn 'Affan (may Allah be pleased with him), and indeed they killed the Commander of the Faithful, 'Umar, before him, and they killed 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him), and they divided the ummah (the Muslim community), they divided the ummah. And now some people want to revive this vile, invalid methodology, which is takfir (declaring someone a disbeliever) of those for whom the legal evidence of disbelief has not been established, in order to achieve what they desire of dominance and rule. And we do not know if these people were to rule, would they apply the Shari'ah (Islamic sacred law) completely? Or would they not apply it? We do not know, because if the means are built upon something other than the Shari'ah, the end may also be built upon something other than the Shari'ah. But if we proceed according to the Shari'ah of Allah, these are the hadiths of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and this is the Book of Allah Yes, if we see open disbelief for which we have proof from Allah, and we are able to carry out what we want of removing this disbelieving ruler, then at that time we do it. So the four conditions, understand the four conditions, are conditions for permissibility.
The fifth condition is a condition for execution. Pay attention: the four conditions are for permissibility, the fifth is for execution. And if the fifth is for execution, that means it is obligatory upon us to prepare the means to remove this by every method. If someone says, "Assassinate this disbelieving ruler who has committed open disbelief for which we have proof from Allah, will that remove the evil?" It may not remove the evil, because this ruler may have raised others like him, and perhaps the one raised by him is more severe than he is. So there is no benefit in assassination. We must have strength and capability. And in my opinion, if people are sincere to Allah the Mighty and Majestic, advising Allah, His Book, His Messenger, the leaders of the Muslims, and the common people, then Allah will help them to remove this ruler for whom we have proof from Allah the Mighty and Majestic that he is a disbeliever with open disbelief. Huh? What is contradicting now? Sleep has overtaken [the listener].