The Shaykh Al-Id Abbas’s advice on dealing with rulers.

al-Eid Abbasi : As for confronting the rulers, my brothers, it is a slippery slope and a great danger. I used to remind the brothers, when I was discussing the issue of violence, that this is a matter from which there is no return. If it does not succeed, you must keep in mind that all the rulers of the world will stand against you and pursue you. They will see that you are killing and blowing things up, and that you show them no respect or covenant. So what do you expect from them? Do you think you can kill them, and they will tie a ribbon on your shoulder and say, "May Allah reward you"? No, they will pursue you from every side, and your call will be uprooted from its foundations, along with everyone who has the slightest connection to you. This is what has happened and is happening. So how do you dare take this risk? Have you done what Allah has made obligatory upon you, namely calling and conveying the message? We saw examples before us; the people we see around us are among the most ignorant of the religion, some of them not knowing the basic principles of the faith. Therefore, we must avoid this. But of course, when I said that I do not advise attacking the rulers, that does not mean we should fawn over them, praise them, or seek their favor. That is not part of our religion. In the hadith, , it is not part of the religion to seek nearness to the ruler, because either you will agree with them in everything and anger your Lord, or you will oppose them and voice your opinion before them, and they will punish you. So let none of us accompany the ruler. But if circumstances bring you together with one of them, let your action and stance be as Allah Mighty and Majestic has willed. If you have the courage to advise with what is right and what is obligatory, seeking thereby the Face of Allah, then do so. If you cannot bear that, Allah Mighty and Majestic has not commanded you to do more than that with your heart, if you cannot advise with your tongue, and that is the weakest of faith. In the hadith, I think its meaning is that it is forbidden for a person to burden himself with what he cannot bear.

The questioner :

The Shaykh : Al-Id Abbas: Yes, indeed. Therefore, we are in no need of this. We must start from the roots, from the foundations, from the principles. The roots that build society, build the nation, and build the generations are education and cultural development. And of course, there is a prerequisite for cultural development and education, which is purification, as our teacher explained. Because we now inherit an Islamic legacy through long centuries, upon which impurities have accumulated and foreign elements have entered. It must be purified and cleansed, and then people must be taught it, raised upon it, gathered around it, loyal to it, and act upon it. This is the fourth matter that we must consider and be aware of.