What is the correct view regarding the establishment of the Islamic state? And is it true that it cannot be established except through party blocs?

The Shaykh : What do you have?

The questioner : I want to ask about the current situation, meaning the many people who want... among the Muslims, party affiliations. And we, praise be to Allah, do not believe in this. But what is the correct view for establishing an Islamic state? Some say that we cannot establish an Islamic state except with the existence of a party bloc that establishes this state. As for every person working for himself, we cannot establish the state with that. So what is your opinion from the Salafi perspective that we believe in? Allah knows best.

The Shaykh : Considering that time is short, I will conclude the topic with a question and its answer. Is this bloc that is intended to be formed based on knowledge of Islam or on ignorance?

The questioner : Based on knowledge.

The Shaykh : Is the sun rising or setting?

The questioner : Rising.

The Shaykh : Based on knowledge or ignorance must the bloc be?

The questioner : I mean, we say to those among the youth who are counted among us as Salafis, some of them have knowledge and some are from the general public.

The Shaykh : Those who do not form this bloc, the heads, I mean? Not all individuals, because the Companions of the Messenger were not all scholars. So we mean those who want to establish this bloc. How many people do you imagine are needed to establish this bloc? Five, ten, fifty, sixty?

The questioner : A large group.

The Shaykh : A large group, may Allah reward you. My question is now about this large group. Do not make it larger than it is. Is this large group based on knowledge or on ignorance?

The questioner : I mean, some of them have knowledge and some of them have ignorance.

The Shaykh : May Allah guide you, my brother. There is no partiality here anymore, because I have been partial with you and clarified for you and made clear to you the largest possible number, and we are left with the smallest number of those who want to establish this bloc, form it, run it, manage it, and so on... Is there a filtering here with these people? Is there a reduction?

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : Some of them have knowledge and some of them have ignorance.

The questioner : You did not answer me. May Allah guide you, my brother. We are done with "some and some." Let us reduce the number in order to clarify the issue. This party that wants to manage the Jordanian people now, we do not say the Islamic Ummah, the Jordanian people. How many millions, I mean, one million or one and a half million? This Jordanian people, I mean, wants approximately fifty people to be heads. Is this number large?

The questioner : This number is many. They must be scholars in this...

The Shaykh : I am not talking about scholars now. I am talking about those who want to manage and form the party. And the large number of this Ummah or the Jordanian people, at the very least, do they not need fifty people?

The questioner : Yes, yes.

The Shaykh : If this number is many in your opinion, because we do not want to discuss side issues now, reduce it to the number that you are convinced is necessary. Reduce it.

The questioner : I mean, ten or twenty.

The Shaykh : Do you have ten or twenty here in Amman alone who know Islam filtered from all foreign elements and understood the legal rulings such that they are able to manage this party composed of thousands upon thousands? Do you have them?

The questioner : Of course, there is nothing in the Book and the Sunnah, but as for Islam in its entirety...

The Shaykh : So it is premature for the Muslim youth to think about what is called party affiliation or a single bloc based on the Book and the Sunnah, which they call today "organization." My brother, look at the entire Islamic world. Are there no organizations in the Islamic world?

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : Okay, find for me an organization with ten scholars, not twenty, thirty. And you know, the larger the people, the more scholars are required. Look for me, count in your mind, any organization in the Islamic world and name four or five scholars. These scholars themselves, before they join others, are they first united on a common word, the Book and the Sunnah, and on the methodology of the righteous Salaf? Does this exist?

The questioner : There is nothing.

The Shaykh : If not, do not waste your time in hastening the matter, because the issue requires important and very important preparations. And this preparation is easy and difficult. It is easy because we know from one verse: But the verse, if we link it to establishing a party or a bloc or an organization, requires an explanation, the summary of which I have presented to you: With knowledge or with ignorance?

The questioner : With knowledge.

The Shaykh : With knowledge, and keep it far from your mind that every individual must be a scholar. No. But there must be a nation There must be a nation that performs this duty, which is knowledge. If this bloc is formed from our observation of such a verse: With knowledge or with ignorance?

The questioner : With knowledge.

The Shaykh : With knowledge, there is no problem. Filtered knowledge or mixed knowledge from what has come to us all these years?

The questioner : From the Book and the Sunnah.

The Shaykh : From the Book and the Sunnah. Where is this knowledge from the Book and the Sunnah? It is distributed in the Islamic world: one, two, three, five. Say the Islamic world is much larger, but we want scholars in the same land to agree on this scientific truth, which is the Book and the Sunnah. And then our understanding of His saying: With knowledge, and not absolute knowledge, but the knowledge of the Book and the Sunnah. And not just the knowledge of the Book and the Sunnah, but on the methodology of the righteous Salaf. Because now all the Islamic groups have become Salafis, praise be to Allah. They all say "the righteous Salaf," but some are liars who take that as a means to gather people. Some are sincere but do not understand the school of the Salaf. Do you see if enters with knowledge and not with ignorance, and the knowledge of the Book and the Sunnah, but not just the Book and Sunnah, but on the methodology of the righteous Salaf. Then knowledge without action or with action. Where is this action? Therefore, I am pleased with the word in this time that I always repeat, because it is from the rare wisdoms in the present age, and it is one of the wonders that it was issued by the head of a group... They disbelieved in it practically, and even in their words, because you hear it from me and you do not hear it from them: "Establish the state of Islam in your hearts, and it will be established for you on your land." They do not repeat it and do not hear it at all. Why? Because they are contrary to this wisdom. So they shout and do not act, they are ignorant and do not know. And therefore, the state of Islam will not be established except with two words that I always repeat: "Filtering and Education." If filtering and education are realized, the Islamic bloc, as they call it, will be a natural result. The Messenger did not know anything called a bloc or party affiliation, but he knew that Allah commanded him to call people to a common word: And the call started from the word of tawhid (the oneness of Allah) until the battle began after ten years and more between Islam and disbelief. This is the Sunnah of Allah in His creation. As for anticipating results, as the groups do today, this will be a result, as also came in some old wisdoms: "Whoever hastens a thing before its time is tried with its deprivation."