Regarding the book: "The Muslims and Political Work" by Shaykh 'Abd al-Rahman 'Abd al-Khalq, and the issue of participating in political work through elections.

The questioner : As for you, O Shaykh, perhaps you have looked into the book "The Muslims and Political Work" by Shaykh 'Abd al-Rahman 'Abd al-Khalq. This book has caused a stir among the youth regarding the concepts it contains. The brothers are enlightened—may Allah permit it—by your assessment of this book. Given your vast experience in calling to Allah (Exalted and Majestic), and the benefits you provide them through your very long view of reality, perhaps you can mention something about this book. Also, if you would expand on the issue of participating in political work through elections: is this a prescribed act or not? Please inform us, may Allah reward you.

The Shaykh : We have been asked about this question many times, more than once as I recall. Perhaps it was in Jeddah or in other countries. I say: I had read this treatise a few years ago. The truth—and I speak the truth—is that we considered, and still consider, our brother 'Abd al-Rahman 'Abd al-Khalq to be with us in the Salafi call, which is based on the Book and the Sunnah and the methodology of the righteous predecessors. This is the methodology that distinguishes the call to the truth from all other calls that have become, as they say, the fashion of the present age. Every Islamic group that did not previously use the phrase "the Book and the Sunnah" except when the true awakening began—the awakening of the call to the Book and the Sunnah on the methodology of the righteous predecessors—now every sect and every party existing today in the Islamic land calls to the Book and the Sunnah. Every sect claims to be upon the Book and the Sunnah, even though it is merely a call. As was said long ago:
And claims, unless you establish for them clear proofs, their followers are claimants.
The Shaykh: Despite this, you do not find any of them placing this necessary condition that we have derived from the Book of Allah and the hadiths of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), as we have explained here and in other cities. That is: upon the methodology of the righteous predecessors. They say: "The Book and the Sunnah," but they do not say: "Upon the methodology of the righteous predecessors." This is the difference between our call and the call of others who share with us the wording of the call to the Book and the Sunnah, but in reality do not share with us in understanding the Book and the Sunnah on the methodology of the righteous predecessors. This is a very significant and important distinguishing factor that separates the one who holds the true call from others. As was also said long ago:
This difference between us is sufficient for you, and every vessel emits what is in it.
The Shaykh: I return to say: We considered, and still believe, in what we think—and Allah is the accountant of every Muslim—that our brother 'Abd al-Rahman is with us on the correct Salafi line: the Book and the Sunnah and the methodology of the righteous predecessors. However, unfortunately, when he began to engage in politics—and this is a defect, engaging in politics before proper scholarly maturity and before establishing proper Islamic education in the society he wants to uplift with this political work, which today many groups constantly invoke— I say: Political work is not permissible to undertake unless a group gathers and is educated—not merely gathers—but first gathers on this correct methodology: the Book and the Sunnah and the methodology of the righteous predecessors. Then they are educated properly so that these people remind us of the methodology of the righteous predecessors and their application of action to speech, such that this group becomes a good example for other groups. Before this group gathers on this basis of gathering, I believe that political work, even if it is within narrow limits and does not contain the extremism that some other Islamic groups fall into, such as those known as the group of Takfir or Hijrah and the like; even if they are moderate, I see that among the disadvantages of political work is that it will bequeath to them and open for them a door to deviating from some of the rulings of the Shari'ah, and another door to justifying and excusing this deviation for claims that have no evidence in the Book of Allah or in the hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family).
The Shaykh: I read this book by our aforementioned brother and found in it a strange statement, but I did not find it strange, even though it was strange and unusual in my mind; because he entered political work, and no one can enter this work unless he is of... faith in speech and has knowledge of the Book and the Sunnah, knowledge that is almost comprehensive of the reality of Islamic work and the rulings that one should know from the Book of Allah and from the hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). ... He says: "The Muslim...," from this phrase, and he knows—as you all know—His saying (Blessed and Exalted is He): But the fact that this statement came from our brother is the most amazing of wonders; because he had issued a treatise, and although it carries my opinion on the issue of installment sales, and you are aware of that, but this ruling, along with my statement, is known among the scholars that there is nothing wrong with it, and that many merchants deal on this basis. So what is the benefit of authoring this treatise with his explicit statement in his first treatise that the Muslim cannot today in his transactions except to commit a forbidden matter? This is an explicit text, even if it is from the matters of disagreement that are forbidden; so what is the benefit of authoring that treatise on a matter that has been disputed in the past and the present? What drove him to that was his engagement in political work, and this will open a path to justifying some other writings, such as, for example, making a covenant or pledging allegiance to support a system or constitution that is not in accordance with the Book and the Sunnah. Rather, we say it in a broader phrase: that is not in accordance with the Shari'ah, with the disagreements among scholars that it contains. As for this issue, which is ruling by other than what Allah has revealed, in a little or a lot of the rulings, there is no disagreement among Muslims that it is not permissible. So how does he choose for some of our Salafi brothers to be deputies who submit to decisions that do not stem from the Islamic Shari'ah? And I do not say now only from the Book and the Sunnah and on the methodology of the righteous predecessors for that. Consequently, I do not support political work; because it is premature. And naturally, when I say political work, it is gathering and assembling on the basis of building on the Islamic Shari'ah, but not only... correct and proper education, but also preparation for jihad in the path of Allah; because this jihad is not permissible to be undertaken by anyone except one who is a ruler over the Muslims, and he must perform this obligatory duty.
On this occasion, I recall that I was invited to the Syrian Intelligence more than once. One of these was a discussion. As you know, there are shaykhs—regrettably—who accuse us of being Wahhabi; because they believe that anyone who calls for acting in accordance with the Book and the Sunnah is a Wahhabi who does not love the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), does not love the Messenger of Allah, and does not send blessings upon the Messenger of Allah. They use this false accusation to inform the rulers there about us. And the rulers there, as you know, are secular and do not care about religion, whether it is Islam or otherwise. When the investigation, interrogation, and questioning by the head of intelligence there took place, I answered him that our call is based on the Book and the Sunnah and on the methodology of the righteous Salaf, and that we are a group for reforming the ideas and beliefs that have entered the Muslims, starting from tawhid (the oneness of Allah) to purifying the books of the Sunnah from weak and fabricated hadiths and some jurisprudential rulings, and so on. After that, when the man heard my answer, he said: The complaint was that you hold classes. Indeed, I was holding classes, but not in the mosques, rather in a headquarters we had there. They wanted to prevent us from teaching, even in some homes, because the youth—what Allah willed—were eager, with a number like this or sometimes more. When they heard what I was doing, this interrogator said to me: Then go and teach, but do not approach politics. He said this, and I returned and said to him: I told you just now that we do not engage in politics; not because politics is not part of the religion. It would have been sufficient for us that the Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah authored a well-known treatise. But—and here is the point—the point is: I said, but I see, in my opinion now, due to the much deviation from the creed and the Sunnah that has surrounded the Muslims, that from politics now—this is my opinion—abandoning politics is the way; not because politics is not part of the religion, politics is part of the religion; but I see now in our situation in this country—I mean there—that from politics, abandoning politics is the way. Then he said to me: Goodbye.
So the point is: I do not believe that political action is contrary to the Shari'ah (Islamic sacred law), otherwise how are nations and peoples governed except by Shari'ah politics? But each has his path, and each has his time. Now, we are in need of organizing the Muslims around two things that I constantly revolve around: what I call "purification and education." In my belief, these two obligations are such that the scholars of the Muslims today, if their ambitions and efforts were directed toward achieving these two foundations or these two results, would not be able to do so except after many long years; because reforming what has become corrupt over the years and centuries is not easy to beautify its structure. And this is what urges us to persist and continue on what our brother, our brother 'Abd al-Rahman, was upon. He, as you know, was a graduate of the Islamic University, and he was also one of my students. So he should have adhered to the da'wah (calling others to Islam) and educated those around him on this foundation, and not occupied himself with political action, especially since he lived under a rule that had not practically declared the judgment of the Shari'ah of Islam, even though it adopts legislation that the state is an Islamic state; even the Syrian state says this in the constitution, but as they say, it is just ink on paper.
Therefore, I do not see political action at all; because of the danger of those working in it being diverted from many of the rulings of the Shari'ah, especially after correcting it with that statement. This is what comes to my mind now as an answer to that question.