What is the proper way to confront and rectify wrongs?

Question : Another questioner says: Honorable Shaykh, peace be upon you and Allah’s mercy and blessings. After that, one of the matters in which some of the youth are confused and which causes them to fall into many problems is the issue of confronting certain wrongdoings and how to rectify them. So what is the sound, correct method that you consider the best, the most upright, the safest, and the most beneficial?

Answer : There is no doubt that wrongdoings have existed since long ago, before our time. In fact, wrongdoings existed in the time of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). Did he not cut off the hand of the thief? Did he not stone the fornicator? Did he not flog the drinker of intoxicants? All of this existed in the time of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). This means that no people are free from sin. Every son of Adam is a sinner. Then, in the time of the Rightly Guided Caliphs, and as people moved further away from the time of the Prophethood, trials increased and evils increased. And sins have continued to exist in every time and place. But first, we must compare this state with the neighboring, close states. If you go beyond the borders, the borders of Saudi Arabia, you will find that the wrongdoings are wonderful and openly declared. First, in the Islamic lands, there is open, clear shirk (associating partners with Allah) in public. They worship graves, call upon them for aid, ask other than Allah, and mock the religion openly, even in the newspapers. Is this present in our land? Answer me. I do not know if there are graves in our land that are worshipped other than Allah? No, absolutely not, praise be to Allah. There is no one who mocks the religion openly in the newspapers, absolutely not. Likewise, is there anyone who sells bottles of intoxicants openly in restaurants or in grocery stores?
Answer, people. It is obligatory for a person to speak the truth, even if it is against himself, . This does not necessitate that there are people who rule by laws in everything in our land. I do not say that there may be laws that contradict the Shari'ah that are ruled by way of reconciliation. If one of the two parties said, "I do not want anything but the Shari'ah court," I do not think anyone would oppose him. But they reconcile among themselves. As for writing laws openly that contradict the Shari'ah and saying that it is obligatory to rule by every small and large matter according to these laws, this does not exist. And yet, there is. Strive to have all judgments removed except in the Shari'ah courts. But the matter is not that everything that is known is said, and not everything that is said is known. If we look at this, we find that our land, praise be to Allah, is the best of the lands of the Muslims.
And with this, we say that it is obligatory for us to try to remove the wrong, but how? The important thing is the path: how do we proceed? Do we pour out our anger at the rulers, the scholars and the princes, and say that the scholars are negligent and the princes are lax? This has an element of truth, but it is wrong. The obligation is to guide the people to the proper path. Trust that if the people become upright, the ruler will become upright, whether he likes it or not. But the problem now, if you look at the people's actions, you will find that much of it is contrary to the Shari'ah. Why do we not guide the people to the truth? Let us take banks as an example. Banks are now widespread and increasing, but we have not found anyone, except a few, who warns people against dealing with them. They say that this is haram, this is riba (usury or interest), and this is not permissible, and they find a proper path in which there is profit and security for the money. Trust that if the banks see that people have restrained their hands from them, they will themselves find proper paths that conform to the Shari'ah. As for a person pouring out his anger at the state and saying, "Why do you allow these to remain?" or the like, this is wrong. The government, may Allah bless you, is like any other to whom Allah entrusts the affairs of His servants. Huh? A group. A group commands it to do good and guides it to it, and another group does the opposite. For anyone who has authority over the Muslims, even in small matters, you will find two paths around him, or you will find two inner circles: an upright inner circle and an unupright inner circle. The government may find the matter difficult. Have you not known that there are now scholars who say that there is absolutely no riba in paper currency?
No riba al-fadl (usury of excess in a like-for-like exchange) and no riba al-nasi'ah (usury of deferment). And this is found in books written before banks became numerous among us. Books written. They say that there is no riba in this paper currency. Riba is in gold and silver, and paper currency is actually the "fulus" that the jurists spoke of hundreds of years ago and said there is no riba in it. That is, in al-rawd al-murba' it is said that there is no riba in the fulus. The fulus, yes, people deal with it, and it is valued in dirhams and dinars. Paper currency is likewise valued in dirhams and dinars. So a person comes and says, for example, "You have a government, there is nothing wrong with it." This is the speech of the previous jurists that there is no riba in the fulus, and this is like the fulus because it is currency valued in gold and silver, and it is not gold or silver. So there is no riba in it. This is one person. This is a shubhah (a doubtful matter). Another shubhah: a person comes and says that the forbidden riba is the riba that is oppressive, because Allah the Exalted said So Allah the Exalted specified the 'illah (the operative cause of a ruling) in the prohibition of riba. There is no oppression in the banks. He says this: there is no oppression in the banks. The banks have a benefit for the investor and for the giver. The bank benefits from the increase, and the other benefits from the investment. A person wants to open a factory but has no money in his hand. He goes to the bank and takes from it. A person wants to develop agriculture, a person wants to direct [his efforts] and the like. There is no oppression in this. So he confuses the government. He says, "By Allah, this is correct. I do not think, by Allah, that you do not shed blood or oppress. If so, there is no harm."
So you will find that pouring out anger at the government over this issue is not proper. Warn the people. We hold that riba is established in this paper currency, and that the riba in it is haram. Riba al-nasi'ah (usury of deferment) is not in doubt that it is haram and not permissible. And this paper currency has been made to stand in the place of gold and silver, meaning in the place of dirhams and dinars. And the seed has a ruling in Shari'ah. As for the issue of oppression, it is not correct that riba is haram and there is no oppression in it. The proof is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was brought good dates. "Where is this?" They said, "O Messenger of Allah, we take one sa' (a dry measure of about 3 kg) for two sa'." And what does "one sa' for two sa'" mean? The one who is stretching out. Yes, successful in every law. By Allah, what is the matter? Let her speak. What does it mean when I say I take the pure sa'? Sa'd, may he be happy. My Lord. He was surprised. We take one sa' for two sa'. Is there oppression in this? Strange. A sa' is two, less. A sa' equals ten riyals. Two sa' equal ten riyals. Is there oppression? The answer: some say there is not. And yet the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "This is the essence of riba. Do not open it up." Return it. This is how it came in Muslim. Return it. He ordered the return of the sale and said, "Sell the dates for dirhams and buy with dirhams." Good. This is the meaning of the hadith. So is it correct that the haram is that which includes oppression?
The answer is no. So the argument of these people is refuted, and the argument of the others is refuted. And the statement, in our view, the stronger position, is that riba applies to this paper currency. But we have emphasized this example so that it becomes clear to you that we must warn people against riba in these banks, not that we go and insult the state and say it enabled and enabled. Because people come to the state, companions, and say this to it. They make the matter light for it. So in any case, I say that it is obligatory for a person to take the path in which he abandons the haram in a way that does not cause confusion and does not incite hearts against the rulers. Because inciting hearts against the rulers has very bad consequences. And there is no need, my brothers, for us to give examples. The examples are clear. Every day you hear the radio broadcasts. What happened to those people who wanted to reform the ummah (the Muslim community) through violence? Great corruption resulted from the crimes of their state. So I say to the youth who see the manifestations of fisq (open sinfulness) in this land. Our fisq is lighter than that of others, but nevertheless, the fisq, in my view, is not standing still; rather, it is increasing. But with the path of wisdom in the desire for reform, it will be removed, if Allah wills. I say this believing in the word of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, "What are you describing?"

The presenter : May Allah reward you,