Is it permissible to work with organizations in which partisanship, tribalism, allegiance, and loyalty to the party are prevalent?

The questioner : Regarding the subject of this question!

The Shaykh: Yes.

The questioner : The violations of the Shari'ah—could you please elaborate on them for us, such as partisanship, tribalism, loyalty to the group, and allegiance? All these matters are widespread among political parties and many groups. I think what you pointed to is that this work should be free of these matters.

The Shaykh : Free of all these matters, without a doubt.

The questioner : Please elaborate on them for us; because the question came from our brothers in Egypt, and they are in greater need of detail.

The Shaykh : Yes, the reality today is that the existing organizations fall into numerous violations, and they are the partisanship that contradicts the texts of the Book and the Sunnah. Among the most famous of these is His saying—Blessed and Exalted is He—: . What is observed today—regrettably—is that instead of Muslims uniting against the calamities that are poured down upon their heads by their traditional enemies, namely the disbelievers, they have become sects and parties that do not cooperate with one another. The reason is this organization, which has been established with restrictions and conditions, the effects of which are that the Ummah becomes divided into sects and parties, as mentioned in the previous verse.
The Shaykh: A question came to me, and this was repeated more than once, but recently. One of them asked me, and it was also recorded on a tape, and the discussion was about the limits of cooperation of the Salafis with groups that differ from them. So my answer, with some detail, was that this answer is not possible for him; the limits of ability to cooperate cannot be defined; because it differs from person to person, from time to time, from group to group, and so on. And the rule is: . I elaborated on this until the questioner understood the matter and was convinced. He said: Based on what we have heard and understood now, a question arises, which is: If we are invited... The questioner said: Based on what we have heard and understood, if we are invited to deliver a lecture in one of these parties or one of these groups, do we respond to it and cooperate with them? I said: The matter differs based on what I pointed to previously. What is the topic of the lecture? If the topic of the lecture is a matter in which no two people differ and in which no two camels butt heads, from these topics that the masses of preachers raise regarding backbiting, talebearing, unlawful sexual intercourse, trust, and so on, from what the general public shares in knowledge with the specialists; then I say: Do not respond; because this is done by others from the group itself or from others. But you, impose on them that the word or lecture be the call to which you call people. He said: They do not allow this. I said: Then there is no cooperation. They do not allow you to call to your call, while they say: Our call is the Book and the Sunnah! And you ask them to deliver a word about the Book and the Sunnah, and they refuse you; then this cooperation is one they reject, not you. As for what they throw at you and impose on you, they have a purpose behind it, which is that it will be said: So-and-so supported us and comes to us and supports us, and so on. And the reality is that he does not support them except in what supports all Muslims, from what there is no disagreement in, as we mentioned earlier.
The Shaykh: Therefore, the organization in question, if it contains partisanship that calls for mutual hatred, envy, and turning away from one another, which is forbidden by the Shari'ah, then it is not permissible for a Muslim to be a member of this organization. But if it is free of these violations of the Shari'ah, then as we said earlier, he must cooperate with his Muslim brothers in the path of spreading the true Islamic call; whether this is in the lands of Islam or in lands other than the lands of Islam. This is all I have.

The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.

The Shaykh : May Allah preserve you.

The questioner : Shall I complete the other question?

The Shaykh: Go ahead.