What is the ruling on voting in elections for a group of the people of da'wah who do not act in obedience to Allah or follow the guidance of the Prophet, but rather to establish evil?
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The questioner : What is the ruling on voting in the upcoming elections, given that all the brothers, or the Muslims, know that the people of da'wah who reached the parliament did not act in obedience to Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He), nor did they act in accordance with the guidance of our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), nor did they change evil, but rather established it? What is the ruling on voting when we know what the ruling on voting was previously? Why did we not vote before?
The Shaykh : Yes, you are speaking, but you are speaking about which place?
The questioner : Jordan.
The Shaykh : Jordan. We say, and we have a detailed answer for our brothers in Algeria, and the summary of that is: we do not advise a Muslim to nominate himself or to nominate another, because in that lies approval of this system that brings about this system which rules by other than what Allah has revealed. And the matter is as you said just now, that those who enter the parliament claiming reform are unable to do anything, because can the shadow be straight while the stick is crooked? But from the perspective of reducing evil, if there are parties varying in deviation, including an Islamic party that assumes that if it enters the parliament it will try—I do not say "yes," I do not say "reform," but reducing corruption—then we, from the perspective of dire necessity only, direct this Islamic party over the communist party from the perspective of reducing evil. This is what we say, not hoping for reform; this is not the path of reform. And peace be upon you.
The questioner : This is not a matter of contradiction.
The Shaykh : What contradiction?
The questioner : I mean.
The Shaykh : Here, what is the contradiction?
The questioner : That it is evil and more evil.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : Is not this the entry of the Islamists into this matter where you preferred the Islamists over the communist party?
The Shaykh : I do not understand.
The questioner : Rather, the Islamic party helps the system more than the communist party in deceiving and obscuring things for this Ummah, in terms of 'aqidah and in terms of application.
The Shaykh : What is done there is not our concern. Our concern is that the Muslim, as a legal principle that cannot be discussed, if he falls between two evils, he must choose one of them; he must choose.
The questioner : Well, the choice, my professor, does not impose on the citizen that he must vote or not vote. This is in the case where we are speaking of citizenship legally.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : Do you see how it does not impose on the citizen that he must vote or not vote?
The Shaykh : No, no, regarding the outcome, regarding the outcome, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him).
The questioner : (peace and blessings be upon him).
The Shaykh : When he prayed inside the Ka'bah, the story is known, and the time ran out, what did he say? What did the Messenger look at? He did not look at the present, he looked at the outcome.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : And therefore he left the evil standing, fearing that if he dealt with it, there would become a greater evil. Likewise, if there is a reality of two calamities, one greater than the other, one must deal with one of them.
The questioner : Yes, please, professor.
The Shaykh : So how do you deal with it?
The questioner : Is it not permissible for us to be a backup for these wretches among the Islamists, so that they are not pointed to regarding the beards, as all of it contains obscurity, deception, and compromise?
The Shaykh : Excuse me, you are now speaking the language of oratory, heh, not the language of knowledge.
The questioner : I ask you a question, my Shaykh, on the phone, if Allah wills.
The Shaykh : Peace be upon you, a house filled with life, if Allah wills, may Allah bless you, peace be upon you.
The questioner : Regarding the hadiths, if Allah wills.
The student : That they saw the crescent with a telescope.
The Shaykh : Yes, you are speaking, but you are speaking about which place?
The questioner : Jordan.
The Shaykh : Jordan. We say, and we have a detailed answer for our brothers in Algeria, and the summary of that is: we do not advise a Muslim to nominate himself or to nominate another, because in that lies approval of this system that brings about this system which rules by other than what Allah has revealed. And the matter is as you said just now, that those who enter the parliament claiming reform are unable to do anything, because can the shadow be straight while the stick is crooked? But from the perspective of reducing evil, if there are parties varying in deviation, including an Islamic party that assumes that if it enters the parliament it will try—I do not say "yes," I do not say "reform," but reducing corruption—then we, from the perspective of dire necessity only, direct this Islamic party over the communist party from the perspective of reducing evil. This is what we say, not hoping for reform; this is not the path of reform. And peace be upon you.
The questioner : This is not a matter of contradiction.
The Shaykh : What contradiction?
The questioner : I mean.
The Shaykh : Here, what is the contradiction?
The questioner : That it is evil and more evil.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : Is not this the entry of the Islamists into this matter where you preferred the Islamists over the communist party?
The Shaykh : I do not understand.
The questioner : Rather, the Islamic party helps the system more than the communist party in deceiving and obscuring things for this Ummah, in terms of 'aqidah and in terms of application.
The Shaykh : What is done there is not our concern. Our concern is that the Muslim, as a legal principle that cannot be discussed, if he falls between two evils, he must choose one of them; he must choose.
The questioner : Well, the choice, my professor, does not impose on the citizen that he must vote or not vote. This is in the case where we are speaking of citizenship legally.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : Do you see how it does not impose on the citizen that he must vote or not vote?
The Shaykh : No, no, regarding the outcome, regarding the outcome, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him).
The questioner : (peace and blessings be upon him).
The Shaykh : When he prayed inside the Ka'bah, the story is known, and the time ran out, what did he say?
If it were not that your people are recent in their association of partners with Allah, I would have demolished the Ka'bah and rebuilt it on the foundation of Ibrahim (peace be upon him).
لولا أنَّ قومَك حديثُو عهدٍ بالشرك لَهَدَمْتُ الكعبة ، وَلَبَنَيْتُها على أساسِ إبراهيم - عليه السلام -The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : And therefore he left the evil standing, fearing that if he dealt with it, there would become a greater evil. Likewise, if there is a reality of two calamities, one greater than the other, one must deal with one of them.
The questioner : Yes, please, professor.
The Shaykh : So how do you deal with it?
The questioner : Is it not permissible for us to be a backup for these wretches among the Islamists, so that they are not pointed to regarding the beards, as all of it contains obscurity, deception, and compromise?
The Shaykh : Excuse me, you are now speaking the language of oratory, heh, not the language of knowledge.
The questioner : I ask you a question, my Shaykh, on the phone, if Allah wills.
The Shaykh : Peace be upon you, a house filled with life, if Allah wills, may Allah bless you, peace be upon you.
The questioner : Regarding the hadiths, if Allah wills.
The student : That they saw the crescent with a telescope.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.