What is the ruling on voting to support the Yemeni Reform Association under the system of so-called democracy?

The questioner : The Muslim Brothers are preparing to enter the parliamentary elections and participate in them under the umbrella of a party called the Yemeni Reform Association, and they are asking Muslims in Yemen generally to stand with them in the electoral battle. Is it permissible for us to accommodate their request, knowing that the election law is subject to the system of taghutian democracy? And what advice do you direct to the Salafis in Yemen and Muslims in general?

The Shaykh : We always and forever advise Muslims to be one nation, as Allah Mighty and Majestic described them, and not to be divided into two parties, as the Lord of the Worlds said in the Noble Qur'an: In reality, we have been and still are complaining about the multitude of religious schools of thought. This is not only the division that occurred outside of the Muslims who call themselves the people of the Sunnah and the community—meaning those who belong to one of the four schools of jurisprudence. I do not mean only those who are outside of these people who call themselves the people of the Sunnah and the community, but I also mean those who claim affiliation with the people of the Sunnah and the community. They have divided, whether in matters of creed or in rulings, or as they say, whether in the branches or the principles. So we have been complaining about such division.
The student: Peace be upon you.

The Shaykh : And upon you be peace. We have been complaining about such division because it contradicts what I mentioned at the beginning of this answer, namely the saying of the Exalted: The Islamic world had barely returned to the necessity of not dividing in religion into schools of thought like those I mentioned earlier, whether in branches or principles. Many Muslims had barely begun to pay attention to the necessity of not dividing and uniting in light of the Book and the Sunnah, when Muslims began to invent a new division, namely political party division. This includes the Muslim Brothers and the Party of Liberation, which is called the Islamic Liberation Party. Since the fitnah of the killing of their leader, Hasan al-Banna (may Allah have mercy on him), they have always occupied their gatherings, at least, with this. They also encourage other Islamic groups to form blocs, join parties, and enter parliaments. There is no difference between them whether they are Egyptian, Jordanian, or Syrian. They are very eager to belong to parliaments, claiming that reform begins from there. We have always and forever, for decades, warned Muslims against party affiliation first, and against belonging to the existing parliaments today second. This is because these parliaments are not established, I do not say on the Book and the Sunnah, but at least they are not established on the Islam known to Muslims in general. For this Islam known today contains many rulings that contradict the Book and the Sunnah. But even so, the matter is as they say: "Some evil is less than some." We had hoped that after that long war that took place in the land of the Afghans against the Shi'ah and the Soviets, that the banner of Islam would be raised in Kabul and that it would be the capital of the Afghans, and that Islam would prevail. We were content for this banner to be raised, even if it was on the Hanafi school of thought, because it is a Muslim school of thought, even though we see that it contains rulings that contradict the Book and the Sunnah. But there is a great difference between this system established on Islam, despite some of its errors, and that system which was established on communism. But even with this, we have not been granted it to this hour. So we say: there is no way to achieve the desired reform by some Islamic parties entering the parliament, because they will not be able to reform from there, from the parliament, because they are governed by a parliamentary system that is contrary to Islam. For this reason, we always and forever repeat: How did the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) begin establishing the Muslim state? Did he begin by making a truce with the heads of disbelief and shirk and compromising with them, or did he turn away from them, and they tortured him and tortured his companions, until he (peace and blessings be upon him) was forced to migrate? And from there he began to lay the foundation of the Muslim state, and that is by what we always and forever call training on what Allah Mighty and Majestic revealed to the heart of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) of guidance and light. We say today that it is not enough to just rise with training, because this soil must be based on purification. This is because the Islam on which the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) trained his companions and which bore its fruit, has had things enter it over the passage of days and times that are not part of it, whether in creed, rulings, or behavior. Therefore, we always and forever revolve around two small words, and we consider that starting from them is the point from which Islamic callers must begin, namely purification and training. This is returning Muslims to their religion purified from shirk, idolatry, innovations, and newly invented matters, and from the jurisprudential opinions that entered some jurisprudential books. From here begins the start of reform, and not from entering parliaments. And even if this is not sufficient from the Sharia perspective, we remind Muslims of the efforts of those parties over the long years. What have they benefited the Islamic world? They have tried their efforts in entering parliaments, and it has been nothing but regression. Therefore, we advise you and we advise all Muslims not to cooperate with the parties in entering the parliament. As for cooperating with them in righteousness and piety, as mentioned in the previous verse, this is obligatory. This is the summary of what I have in answer to this question as well.

The questioner : Do we understand from this that they should not vote?

The Shaykh : Yes, that is right.

The questioner : As they claim.

The Shaykh : On this occasion, I had sent toThe Shaykh : Mubarak my answer to such a question for our brothers in Algeria, in about six pages. So I hope that if you have not read it, that you try to read it, and print it and photocopy it and distribute it, because it will save you from many questions.

The questioner : May Allah reward you with good. I have some questions left with me, or two questions. I will be brief, they are many questions, but?

The Shaykh : Okay, because some of our brothers also

The questioner: Yes.

The questioner : the other: have questions on this topic, meaning, or other jurisprudential questions.

The questioner : Meaning, only on the topic of da'wah!