The Ruling on Breaking the Pledge of Allegiance to the Ruler and Defaming the Scholars
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
There is a matter that has begun to spread among many of the youth, which consists of two things: refusing to pledge allegiance to the ruler, and consequently, a second matter follows, which is defaming the Council of Senior Scholars. They claim that the Council of Senior Scholars speaks according to special circumstances and specific conditions, and that our scholars have not spoken except according to perceptions and circumstances that compel them to be accommodating, and other such explicit criticisms that we hear about the Council of Senior Scholars. What is your guidance for these youth?
Our guidance to these youth is to fear Allah the Mighty and Majestic in themselves and in their brothers from the youth of the awakening, and to know that "whoever dies without having a pledge of allegiance in his neck dies a death of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance" and to know that splitting the unity of the Muslims is among the greatest of what is wrong, and it leads to the greatest of harms. Then, if they are here in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, let them thank Allah for this blessing; the land is safe, and praise be to Allah, it is secure, and its sustenance comes to it abundantly from every direction. If chaos were to occur, may Allah prevent it, this security would vanish, this comfortable life would vanish, and trials and evils would follow one another in a chain, the extent of which only Allah knows.And let these young ones ask their elders: What was the state of the land before its unification and before its people found peace?Answer: A person could not travel from one village to another without a weapon, and even then, he was afraid, even in his bed when he slept.
So I advise these youth not to remove this blessing through their impulsive actions.
As for their criticism of the Council of Senior Scholars, it is a criticism based on a storm, and I do not say based on an emotion,And if you wish, I say: but on an emotion that is a storm in reality, arising from words they hear from some people that incite and agitate them, and they also hear them from one another, so some of them become agitated because of it. The Council of Senior Scholars, praise be to Allah, they have been criticized for permitting the state to seek the aid of disbelievers during the Gulf crisis,And some people spoke and said: claiming that this crisis was fabricated, and that the intention behind it was the occupation of the land by disbelievers, and the like of that. They drew maps and illustrations and distributed them among the youth, and it became clear that this was entirely wrong. It also became clear, praise be to Allah, of the prevention of the fitnah that those who wanted it among the rulers of Iraq desired. It also became clear of the great weapons that Iraq possessed, and one wonders how they acquired these weapons. It became clear that there was a bad will, and Allah knows it best, so praise be to Allah, the good was in what happened.
They criticized the Council of Senior Scholars for the last statement they issued regarding the formation of a committee for human rights, or for legal rights, or for repelling injustice, or the like of that. The reality is that the Council of Senior Scholars never denies helping the oppressed; rather, they support helping the oppressed. They consider helping the oppressed a collective obligation that the Muslims must fulfill. If those who are sufficient do not fulfill it, it becomes an individual obligation for whoever is able. This is a matter agreed upon and there is no dispute in it. However, the Council denies it being in this form,Meaning: the formation of a committee to defend legal rights under the shadow of a legitimate government. It is known that forming committees in this manner under a legitimate government is not done except with the permission of this government. Have you seen if a man found a village in which there was no judge,So he said: and I wanted to become a judge in this country because there is no judge in the country and the people need judgment between them, so I would become a judge. Does he have the right to do this?Answer: No.
He does not have the right to appoint himself as a judge in this country under the shadow of a legitimate government except with the permission of this legitimate government, by the consensus of the scholars and the consensus of the Muslims.
Second: If he came to a village in which there was no established body for enjoining good and forbidding evil,So he said: and said, "Let us form a body that enjoins good and forbids evil under the shadow of an established legitimate government," is this possible? It is not possible to form a group to preserve legal rights or defend the oppressed in this manner without the permission of the state. There is no doubt that it is not lawful and that it is usurping the authority of the ruler, and that it leads to chaos. If this committee were to form itself, people from the people of innovation would say: "We want to have a committee," and people from among the journalists and the secularists and others would say: "We want to form a committee."
Then we say: What is the standard for injustice? In every case between two litigants before a judge, one of them must claim that he is oppressed. This means that in every issue or case where the judge rules with something, the one against whom the ruling is made says: "I am oppressed," and he turns to this committee, and chaos and confusion result between the judges and the people. Then, we do not feel safe that tomorrow the Christians, who are a minority in our land—praise be to Allah—They say: will say, "We have a right; because the legal right in the view of the world is not the legal right in the view of these brothers who formed the committee; because this committee sees that the legal right is what is based on the Shari'ah; on the revelation that came down upon Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). But the world does not understand this; and they see that the legal right is what is ruled by a system or a divine law, so even the systems and laws are lawful in their view.Then such a Christian comes and says: I have the right to establish a church, so the matter is raised to this committee, and this committee currently does not see this right and sees that it is not possible to establish churches in the lands of the Muslims. But a committee built upon this committee will come, even if it is in the distant future, and it will agree and say: "Yes, this is a legal right."And the people of innovation (ahl al-bid'ah) come and say: We have the right to declare our innovations, just as the people of the Sunnah have the right to declare their Sunnah; we are Muslims and they are Muslims. What is the difference between us declaring our innovation and them declaring their Sunnah? Then, they—meaning the brothers who appointed themselves to this position—some of them wrote down their phone number. Who can be safe from people with malicious intent who want to defame this Saudi nation, and every hour they call him saying, "I am oppressed by such and such in a fabricated case," in order to increase the number of requests at this committee to help the oppressed? Then thousands of assumed, fabricated issues would form with them, and there would be nothing, but for the sake of media defamation, whether international or internal.
Then we say: What is the reason for forming this committee when there are law offices in the country open with the permission of the state? Is this not sufficient?If you hear of the formation of this committee, you will say: A quarter of the Kingdom is oppressed at least, even though the Kingdom is estimated at twelve million, and I say: make it eight million,Meaning: the third has descended, eight million people. If you wanted to prove a thousand cases in which there is confirmed injustice that persisted and they did not try to remove this injustice as much as they could, a thousand cases out of eight million is nothing.But we are not saying: This Kingdom, a quarter of it is oppressed in a way that requires the formation of committees to defend them.
Therefore I say: The Council of Senior Scholars do not say that helping the oppressed is not lawful, nor that defending legal rights is not lawful. Rather, they see this as part of the Shari'ah and that it is a collective obligation. But forming a committee under the shadow of a legitimate government without consulting this government is the error, and it is what will open the door to great evil. For this reason, Shaykh Abdullah ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Jibrin recanted from this committee and disavowed joining it; because he knew what would result from it in terms of issues or harms that would be near or far. So my advice to these people you mentioned is to fear Allah the Mighty and Majestic and not to die a death of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance and meet Allah the Mighty and Majestic while they are in their state of ignorance. Rather, it is obligatory for them to return to the truth and believe that the ruler of the Muslims in this land has a valid, lawful pledge of allegiance, and the people of authority and decision have pledged allegiance to him. It is known that the pledge of allegiance does not require every person to pledge, even the child and the old woman in her bed, absolutely not.
If the people of authority and decision pledge allegiance, the pledge is established. Did Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) have the people of Mecca, Medina, and Ta'if all pledge allegiance to him?
And the other lands? No.
Only the people of authority and decision pledged allegiance to him, and likewise Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him).
The pledge was with the six men of the council of consultation, and likewise Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him).
Therefore, it is not a condition for the pledge of allegiance (bay'ah) that every single person must pledge allegiance, and no one among the people has ever claimed this. The people of authority and decision-making in this country pledged allegiance to the one in authority here in the country, so his pledge is established by the Shari'ah. Whoever dies without having pledged allegiance dies the death of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance (jahiliyyah). If these brothers have doubt about the matter, we are ready for them to come to us and we will discuss this matter with them, out of compassion for them and kindness to them, so that they do not die the death of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance, and so that they do not cause a trial (fitnah) in this country whose extent only Allah (Mighty and Majestic) knows.
As for the Committee of Senior Scholars, I have now learned the point of the statement they published. Although the statement was, in reality, concise, because they did not wish to lengthen the speech and took only the essence, the reason for the prohibition is not that the scholars are opposing the support of the oppressed or opposing the defense of legal rights, but rather they are opposing the manner in which this thing came to be.
Our guidance to these youth is to fear Allah the Mighty and Majestic in themselves and in their brothers from the youth of the awakening, and to know that "whoever dies without having a pledge of allegiance in his neck dies a death of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance" and to know that splitting the unity of the Muslims is among the greatest of what is wrong, and it leads to the greatest of harms. Then, if they are here in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, let them thank Allah for this blessing; the land is safe, and praise be to Allah, it is secure, and its sustenance comes to it abundantly from every direction. If chaos were to occur, may Allah prevent it, this security would vanish, this comfortable life would vanish, and trials and evils would follow one another in a chain, the extent of which only Allah knows.And let these young ones ask their elders: What was the state of the land before its unification and before its people found peace?Answer: A person could not travel from one village to another without a weapon, and even then, he was afraid, even in his bed when he slept.
So I advise these youth not to remove this blessing through their impulsive actions.
As for their criticism of the Council of Senior Scholars, it is a criticism based on a storm, and I do not say based on an emotion,And if you wish, I say: but on an emotion that is a storm in reality, arising from words they hear from some people that incite and agitate them, and they also hear them from one another, so some of them become agitated because of it. The Council of Senior Scholars, praise be to Allah, they have been criticized for permitting the state to seek the aid of disbelievers during the Gulf crisis,And some people spoke and said: claiming that this crisis was fabricated, and that the intention behind it was the occupation of the land by disbelievers, and the like of that. They drew maps and illustrations and distributed them among the youth, and it became clear that this was entirely wrong. It also became clear, praise be to Allah, of the prevention of the fitnah that those who wanted it among the rulers of Iraq desired. It also became clear of the great weapons that Iraq possessed, and one wonders how they acquired these weapons. It became clear that there was a bad will, and Allah knows it best, so praise be to Allah, the good was in what happened.
They criticized the Council of Senior Scholars for the last statement they issued regarding the formation of a committee for human rights, or for legal rights, or for repelling injustice, or the like of that. The reality is that the Council of Senior Scholars never denies helping the oppressed; rather, they support helping the oppressed. They consider helping the oppressed a collective obligation that the Muslims must fulfill. If those who are sufficient do not fulfill it, it becomes an individual obligation for whoever is able. This is a matter agreed upon and there is no dispute in it. However, the Council denies it being in this form,Meaning: the formation of a committee to defend legal rights under the shadow of a legitimate government. It is known that forming committees in this manner under a legitimate government is not done except with the permission of this government. Have you seen if a man found a village in which there was no judge,So he said: and I wanted to become a judge in this country because there is no judge in the country and the people need judgment between them, so I would become a judge. Does he have the right to do this?Answer: No.
He does not have the right to appoint himself as a judge in this country under the shadow of a legitimate government except with the permission of this legitimate government, by the consensus of the scholars and the consensus of the Muslims.
Second: If he came to a village in which there was no established body for enjoining good and forbidding evil,So he said: and said, "Let us form a body that enjoins good and forbids evil under the shadow of an established legitimate government," is this possible? It is not possible to form a group to preserve legal rights or defend the oppressed in this manner without the permission of the state. There is no doubt that it is not lawful and that it is usurping the authority of the ruler, and that it leads to chaos. If this committee were to form itself, people from the people of innovation would say: "We want to have a committee," and people from among the journalists and the secularists and others would say: "We want to form a committee."
Then we say: What is the standard for injustice? In every case between two litigants before a judge, one of them must claim that he is oppressed. This means that in every issue or case where the judge rules with something, the one against whom the ruling is made says: "I am oppressed," and he turns to this committee, and chaos and confusion result between the judges and the people. Then, we do not feel safe that tomorrow the Christians, who are a minority in our land—praise be to Allah—They say: will say, "We have a right; because the legal right in the view of the world is not the legal right in the view of these brothers who formed the committee; because this committee sees that the legal right is what is based on the Shari'ah; on the revelation that came down upon Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). But the world does not understand this; and they see that the legal right is what is ruled by a system or a divine law, so even the systems and laws are lawful in their view.Then such a Christian comes and says: I have the right to establish a church, so the matter is raised to this committee, and this committee currently does not see this right and sees that it is not possible to establish churches in the lands of the Muslims. But a committee built upon this committee will come, even if it is in the distant future, and it will agree and say: "Yes, this is a legal right."And the people of innovation (ahl al-bid'ah) come and say: We have the right to declare our innovations, just as the people of the Sunnah have the right to declare their Sunnah; we are Muslims and they are Muslims. What is the difference between us declaring our innovation and them declaring their Sunnah? Then, they—meaning the brothers who appointed themselves to this position—some of them wrote down their phone number. Who can be safe from people with malicious intent who want to defame this Saudi nation, and every hour they call him saying, "I am oppressed by such and such in a fabricated case," in order to increase the number of requests at this committee to help the oppressed? Then thousands of assumed, fabricated issues would form with them, and there would be nothing, but for the sake of media defamation, whether international or internal.
Then we say: What is the reason for forming this committee when there are law offices in the country open with the permission of the state? Is this not sufficient?If you hear of the formation of this committee, you will say: A quarter of the Kingdom is oppressed at least, even though the Kingdom is estimated at twelve million, and I say: make it eight million,Meaning: the third has descended, eight million people. If you wanted to prove a thousand cases in which there is confirmed injustice that persisted and they did not try to remove this injustice as much as they could, a thousand cases out of eight million is nothing.But we are not saying: This Kingdom, a quarter of it is oppressed in a way that requires the formation of committees to defend them.
Therefore I say: The Council of Senior Scholars do not say that helping the oppressed is not lawful, nor that defending legal rights is not lawful. Rather, they see this as part of the Shari'ah and that it is a collective obligation. But forming a committee under the shadow of a legitimate government without consulting this government is the error, and it is what will open the door to great evil. For this reason, Shaykh Abdullah ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Jibrin recanted from this committee and disavowed joining it; because he knew what would result from it in terms of issues or harms that would be near or far. So my advice to these people you mentioned is to fear Allah the Mighty and Majestic and not to die a death of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance and meet Allah the Mighty and Majestic while they are in their state of ignorance. Rather, it is obligatory for them to return to the truth and believe that the ruler of the Muslims in this land has a valid, lawful pledge of allegiance, and the people of authority and decision have pledged allegiance to him. It is known that the pledge of allegiance does not require every person to pledge, even the child and the old woman in her bed, absolutely not.
If the people of authority and decision pledge allegiance, the pledge is established. Did Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) have the people of Mecca, Medina, and Ta'if all pledge allegiance to him?
And the other lands? No.
Only the people of authority and decision pledged allegiance to him, and likewise Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him).
The pledge was with the six men of the council of consultation, and likewise Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him).
Therefore, it is not a condition for the pledge of allegiance (bay'ah) that every single person must pledge allegiance, and no one among the people has ever claimed this. The people of authority and decision-making in this country pledged allegiance to the one in authority here in the country, so his pledge is established by the Shari'ah. Whoever dies without having pledged allegiance dies the death of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance (jahiliyyah). If these brothers have doubt about the matter, we are ready for them to come to us and we will discuss this matter with them, out of compassion for them and kindness to them, so that they do not die the death of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance, and so that they do not cause a trial (fitnah) in this country whose extent only Allah (Mighty and Majestic) knows.
As for the Committee of Senior Scholars, I have now learned the point of the statement they published. Although the statement was, in reality, concise, because they did not wish to lengthen the speech and took only the essence, the reason for the prohibition is not that the scholars are opposing the support of the oppressed or opposing the defense of legal rights, but rather they are opposing the manner in which this thing came to be.