Who is the just imam whose obedience is obligatory in matters other than disobedience to Allah?
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The questioner : May Allah preserve you, our Shaykh. A set of questions has reached us from one of the brothers abroad. He says: The question here is: Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said in volume twenty-nine, page 196, of *Al-Fatawa*: "The just imam must be obeyed in what is not known to be a sin, and the non-just imam must be obeyed in what is known to be obedience, such as jihad." He says:
A Who is the just imam or the just ruler? B If the imam orders a scholar not to issue fatwas or teach the people, and he wants to compel the people or compel him to a specific fatwa; what is the ruling? Is there a distinction in this matter? This is the question.
The Shaykh : You need someone to grasp the question in its entirety. Divide the question into two parts, may Allah will it...
The questioner : First: Was the text we quoted from Shaykh al-Islam known or repeated? He says here that Shaykh al-Islam said: "The just imam must be obeyed in what is not known to be a sin, and the non-just imam must be obeyed in what is known to be obedience, such as jihad." First, the first part of the question: Who is the just imam?
The Shaykh : He is the one who rules by the Shari'ah, and the other does not rule by the Shari'ah. If he orders something in accordance with the Shari'ah, obey him. As for if he orders something else, that has a discussion related to our discussion, and at that time the people have the choice. The people have the choice in following him or not. As for the first, as we say on many occasions: If the Muslim ruler orders something permissible, this permissible order becomes obligatory upon the community. Like a man with his wife; if he orders her to do a permissible thing, this order becomes obligatory upon her. But this obligation is between the man and the woman, and that obligation is between the ruler and the people. Both are restricted by "Fear Allah as much as you are able." If the order from the ruler or the husband is permissible and possible, it must be executed. This relates to the just Muslim ruler.
The Shaykh: Okay, is the discussion complete?
A Who is the just imam or the just ruler? B If the imam orders a scholar not to issue fatwas or teach the people, and he wants to compel the people or compel him to a specific fatwa; what is the ruling? Is there a distinction in this matter? This is the question.
The Shaykh : You need someone to grasp the question in its entirety. Divide the question into two parts, may Allah will it...
The questioner : First: Was the text we quoted from Shaykh al-Islam known or repeated? He says here that Shaykh al-Islam said: "The just imam must be obeyed in what is not known to be a sin, and the non-just imam must be obeyed in what is known to be obedience, such as jihad." First, the first part of the question: Who is the just imam?
The Shaykh : He is the one who rules by the Shari'ah, and the other does not rule by the Shari'ah. If he orders something in accordance with the Shari'ah, obey him. As for if he orders something else, that has a discussion related to our discussion, and at that time the people have the choice. The people have the choice in following him or not. As for the first, as we say on many occasions: If the Muslim ruler orders something permissible, this permissible order becomes obligatory upon the community. Like a man with his wife; if he orders her to do a permissible thing, this order becomes obligatory upon her. But this obligation is between the man and the woman, and that obligation is between the ruler and the people. Both are restricted by "Fear Allah as much as you are able." If the order from the ruler or the husband is permissible and possible, it must be executed. This relates to the just Muslim ruler.
The Shaykh: Okay, is the discussion complete?
Source
www.al-albany.com
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