The ruling on ceasing da'wah (calling others to Islam) if ordered by the one in authority

The questioner : This questioner says: It is said about Your Eminence that you stated in one of the recent gatherings that if you were stopped from delivering the sermon and da'wah, or if anyone stopped you, you would stop. Is this correct? And if so, who will enjoin good and forbid evil after you?

The Shaykh : Yes, if Allah wills. I say: I did not say that if someone stopped me, but if my rulers, to whom I have pledged allegiance, were to say to me, "Stop speaking," I would stop, and I would not rebel against them.
Unless it is an individual obligation (fard 'ayn) upon me. If it is an individual obligation upon me, it is not permissible for me to obey them, because if I obeyed them, that would be in disobedience to Allah and His Messenger. But I know that in this world there are a hundred people like me, and there are people in this world who are like me or better than me, and in my country there are people like me or better than me. So if they stop me and say, "Do not speak," I say, "Hear and obey," and I stop. But that does not mean that I do not negotiate with them afterwards. I may stop in compliance with their order, and then afterwards I negotiate with them.
And the ones in authority, my brothers, see that they have authority, and they want their word to be a limit that is not crossed. So if they are met with refusal, they consider themselves to be in a position of power; they consider themselves to be in a position of power, and they see that refusal means disobedience.
And obedience to the one in authority in other than sin is obligatory by the command of Allah, Mighty and Majestic: So if they are told, "Hear and obey," and the person stops, and then afterwards he negotiates with them, either directly or through another means, good is achieved: anger is calmed and the danger is removed. So I say to you now, in addition to my previous statement: if they were to say to me, "Stop," I would stop. But this does not prevent me from boasting. As for the questioner's statement—may Allah reward him with good—if you stopped, who would say this? That is wrong; it is not correct. The truth does not die with the death of its people. The truth remains, and it cannot be silenced by the silence of its people. The truth remains, and praise be to Allah. The Muslim community has good in it, and our country has good in it, and praise be to Allah, there are many scholars. Even if some scholars are stronger than others in expression, eloquence, conveying the message, and strength of presentation, that is a correct matter. But for this brother to want to boast and say, "What Allah willed, I have no need of anyone else," that is not correct. But I ask Allah to forgive him.