Shortchanging Between the Rulers and the Ruled.

The Shaykh : Likewise: between the ruled and the rulers, and this is broader and greater, meaning: between the kings and sultans and the ruled. Many people want the rulers to be at the best possible state, and without doubt, we want this; we want the rulers to be at the best possible state. But we do not give them the best possible state in our dealings with them. In other words, some of the ruled say: "The ruler must be at the best possible state," and yet you find the ruled at the worst possible state. Is this justice? No, by Allah, it is not justice. If you want to receive your full right, then give the full right that is upon you; otherwise, do not demand it. And among the wisdom of Allah the Exalted is that the one in authority is according to the one over whom he is in authority. This is part of the wisdom: that the master, the guardian, the one in authority, is according to the one over whom he is in authority. If this one is righteous, this one is righteous; and if this one is corrupt, this one is corrupt. And in the athar (narration): "As you are, so will you be ruled". As you are, pay attention, as you are, so will you be ruled. This means that Allah appoints over people according to their condition. And this athar, although it is not authentic as a marfu' (report traced to the Prophet) to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), its meaning is correct. Read the saying of Allah the Exalted: By what? Answer, everyone, complete the verse: If the ruled wrong, the rulers are imposed upon them; and if the ruled are righteous, the rulers are righteous. And likewise the reverse: if the ruler is righteous, the ruled are righteous. It is mentioned regarding the Commander of the Faithful, 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him), that a man from the Khawarij who fought against 'Ali—and you know that the Khawarij were initially fighting with 'Ali against Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with them both)—then when 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) accepted arbitration to extinguish the fitnah (trial), they turned against 'Ali. They declared 'Ali a disbeliever and declared Mu'awiyah a disbeliever. The Khawarij declared both parties disbelievers and considered the blood of Muslims lawful to shed. Therefore, the fitnah of the Khawarij is among the greatest and ugliest of trials, because, as the Shaykh al-Islam (may Allah have mercy on him) said about them: "They kill Muslims and make peace with disbelievers". And if you reflect, you will find that this is the reality of the Khawarij. Although, if we looked at their limited worship, meaning the worship confined to them, we would see them as the most complete of people. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said about them: This means: they are more complete than you in wording. But he (may the prayer and peace of Allah be upon him) said: May Allah protect us and you from that. O Allah, put faith in our hearts and make it firm in us, O Lord of the worlds. He said: When the arrow strikes the target, it passes through it quickly and comes out. They pass out of Islam in the same way. I say: A man from the Khawarij came to 'Ali ibn Abi Talib and said: "O 'Ali." Note, he did not say: "O Commander of the Faithful," because he did not believe that he was the Commander of the Faithful. He said: "O 'Ali, why have the people differed against you, but they did not differ against Abu Bakr and 'Umar?" This is an embarrassing question, but it was directed to Abu al-Hasan 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him), whom we want the government to do everything we want, and to be like the governments of the Rightly Guided Caliphs. But if we look at ourselves, we are negligent. First, we are negligent in the right of Allah the Exalted. We have lying, betrayal, and negligence in obligatory duties, is that not so, everyone? We testify to this about ourselves. We have all of this. We also have negligence in the right of the state. How many are there who deceive the state and confuse matters for it, and conceal what the state requests to be revealed? This is something every one of you knows and it is not hidden from him. Is this justice, that we want the government to exert all it can in uprightness so that it is like the Caliphs, while we are the opposite? Answer, everyone: No. This falls under His saying: And we hope that Allah, the Exalted and Sublime, will grant us and our state uprightness upon the truth, and that He will rectify their affairs. And we know that there is no one on the face of the earth today among the rulers like our rulers, despite the negligence in them, and that there is no people who represent Islam and the oneness of Allah in reality like the Saudi people, despite the negligence in them. We do not say this out of bias or fanaticism, absolutely not. But we hear and read about other countries. Therefore, justice is obligatory. Justice is obligatory. Demand and give. As for demanding without giving, this is without doubt from injustice and tyranny. Likewise: it is injustice and tyranny for a person to speak about someone, such as a scholar or a merchant or any person, and then mention his faults, in which he may be excused, and not mention his virtues. Is this from justice? He comes to a scholar who made a mistake in an issue, in which he may be excused, and then he publishes this issue in which he made a mistake and forgets the virtues of this scholar who benefited the servants of Allah with much of his knowledge. This is without doubt shortchanging, injustice, and oppression. If you want to correct the person, you must mention his virtues and his faults. But if you want to speak about a specific mistake to warn people from it, then yes, mention the mistake, but regardless of its speaker. And say, for example: "We heard that some people say such and such, and it is a mistake," then you clarify the mistake. As for wanting to publish the faults of others without their virtues, this is oppression and injustice, oppression and injustice. Likewise: some people speak, for example, about one of the merchants. This merchant may have benefited people with his trade, by lending to the needy and giving them charity, and building mosques, and many other things. But he has a transaction in which he made a mistake in the view of this speaker. So he goes and curses him based on what? Based on this mistake, in which this merchant may have relied on a fatwa, and perhaps he is excused, and the mistake is on the one who said the mistake, but he is excused. Now, there are merchants who have many good deeds, virtues, expenditures, charities, and other virtues. But they made a mistake in one of the transactions. And perhaps this mistake is not real, but in the view of the speaker and the one talking, some people go and cast shadows over these virtues and go and speak about him: "So-and-so sells in riba (usury or interest), so-and-so evades riba, so-and-so says such and such, which is not correct." Justice and the balance is to mention this and that. Listen to the saying of Allah the Exalted regarding the Bedouins: So justice and balancing is a required matter, otherwise you would be among those who shortchange, who want the right for themselves in full but they deprive others. I return to the noble verse: So I say: This is an example, meaning the mention of the scale and the measure is an example, and the meaning—answer, O brothers?—the meaning is broader. And the rule: everyone who wants to take the full right for himself and deprive others of their rights, he falls under this verse.