What is the ruling on one who adopts democracy?

The questioner : My Shaykh, I recall that some of the calls you see nowadays enter the parliaments... they defend democracy and adopt it, and we know that democracy has the ruling of taghut, and it is disbelief. So in which category do these people fall? In fact, I heard one of them say, when he saw... Shaykh Al-Albani... he said: Do you allow me to respond to this... Shaykh Al-Albani...? This means they adopt it and call to it, so what do we say about that?

The Shaykh : My brother... one must distinguish... if the one you are referring to had written a response to what the professor said... if he is a disbeliever who has apostatized from his religion, or if he is weak in faith... this is not enough. You know this, and this leads us to a discussion that may also be important; in the previous session, we mentioned the verse with its three parts: , , , and we pointed out that just as disbelief is divided into two categories, so too is open sinfulness and so too is injustice. Now, I want to remind you of a second division of a fourth term, and I think this division will also resolve a problem that may exist in the hearts of some of our brothers who are students of knowledge; when we read the statement of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) regarding the hypocrites that they are in the lowest depth of the Fire, and then we read His statement (peace and blessings be upon him), we read his statement (peace and blessings be upon him): ; so is this hypocrite in the lowest depth of the Fire? The verse says that the hypocrites are in the lowest depth of the Fire, and the Messenger says: ; so is this one who lies when he speaks in the lowest depth of the Fire?
Recall the following division, excuse me, the previous one; recall with me the previous division; this one who considers lying or betrayal or similar sins mentioned in this hadith or others permissible in his heart; he is in Hell with the hypocrites; no, he considers it permissible in practice; so how did the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) make the sign of the hypocrite three in this hadith? This is like many verses where he performed the actions of the hypocrites. This one who says: I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, this necessitates that he forbids what Allah and His Messenger have forbidden. So if he considers what Allah and His Messenger have forbidden to be permissible, his action has contradicted his heart, his action has contradicted his belief, but... the contradiction is of a different type than the contradiction of the apparent of the disbelieving hypocrite with his inner state. The hypocrite who is in the lowest depth of the Fire conceals disbelief and displays Islam, he conceals disbelief and displays Islam, the hypocrite.

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : Yes, he conceals disbelief and displays Islam, whereas this one about whom the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: , he conceals faith and displays an action contrary to what Islam commanded, so he met the hypocrite in this appearance, not in reality. The difference is very great; the disbelieving hypocrite is a disbeliever in his heart and a Muslim in his appearance. This hypocrite, one of whose signs is that he lies when he speaks, is a believer in his heart but he contradicts in his action the ruling of the religion he believed in; therefore he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: and so on. So hypocrisy also is divided into two categories: hypocrisy that keeps its owner in the Fire forever, and hypocrisy that does not keep its owner in the Fire forever. The hypocrisy that keeps its owner in the Fire forever is that which conceals disbelief and displays Islam. The hypocrisy that does not keep its owner in the Fire forever is that which conceals faith and displays an action that contradicts Islam; therefore he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: and so on. So these details should be known by us so that we do not fall into excess or negligence, so that we do not declare a Muslim a disbeliever for a sin and thus fall into contradicting all the righteous predecessors and the people of the Sunnah, and so that we do not also be lenient and say: it is no big deal, and thus fall into the position of the Murji'ah who used to say: "A sin does not harm with faith, and a good deed does not benefit with shirk." We say: a good deed does not benefit with shirk, but we say: faith is harmed by sin. And faith, as you all know, accepts increase and decrease, and its increase is through obedience and its decrease is through disobedience.
So hypocrisy, like disbelief, like open sinfulness, like injustice, cannot be treated in a single manner, but rather according to what is present in the person. So this example you mentioned - Abu Anas - this may respond to Professor Abu Malik or to someone else, but we should look at his response; is it a response that explicitly states that he rejects the law of Allah? ... ... Did he reject a legal ruling? Did he reject, for example, what the professor said... the verse and the hadith, and said, for example, that this is, my brother...?
Al-Halabi : Or is he interpreting... democracy? This is the reason, but...

Another questioner : He says: My creed is Salafi.

The Shaykh : Okay, now when he told you that he encourages democracy, did... and did you discuss with him some of its parts so that you could give him a stone? We cannot take the speech like this in its absolute sense, one must seek details, my brother.

The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.

The Shaykh: Yes.

Another questioner : We wait for his response.

The Shaykh : Did you give him the opportunity to respond?

Another questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : ... May Allah guide you.
Al-Halabi : You cut off his path from the beginning.

The Shaykh : ... .