Is it permissible to work in national (military) service?
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The questioner : ... He wants to change the wrongs, but his intention is good, O Shaykh. I mean, he sees that the youth have entered it in large numbers. If a man looks at some of the conditions, like what was in Syria, O Shaykh, the people of the Sunnah used to shun the military despite the affliction in it. So when they shunned it, the Alawites entered, and what happened happened. So this is his intention, O Shaykh, that the youth should fill it. Do you see any harm, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh : Do I see any harm in...?
The questioner : In entering it, given the presence of music and saluting, which he detests.
The Shaykh : Are they able not to enter? If they are able not to enter, then no.
The questioner : They are able.
The Shaykh : Yes, it is not permissible for them to enter, because warding off harm takes precedence over seeking benefit, warding off harm takes precedence over seeking benefit. And then, many people expose themselves to affliction with the intention of repelling affliction, and behold, the affliction falls upon them before others; because they do not have the patience to repel the affliction for which they entered. And I know a young man in Damascus; the government—and you know its condition—announced that it wanted youth with specific qualifications to send to Russia, in order for them to train on some modern military weapons. One of our Salafi brothers came to me to consult me, so I advised him not to do it, but he was stubborn and did not accept my advice.
The questioner : May Allah guide him.
The Shaykh : Then he set off—the land is inhabited! We are covering for people—O Shaykh—may Allah guide you, we turn... to the appearance [he laughsThe Shaykh : -may Allah have mercy on him-].
The Shaykh: As I said earlier, he was stubborn and did not obey my advice, and he went to Russia. And as is the nature of the military system; he puffed up his nose, became an officer, and I don't know what else, and they sent him as a head over some divisions. The man remained wanting to apply the Shari'ah in which he is knowledgeable, and the Ismailis and Nusayris and so on did not care about him. So when they uncovered him, they started to harass him, and harass him, and they accused him in his religion, in his character. They started bringing him every day from a distance of one hundred kilometers—I don't know how much—to Damascus by way of trial. What trial? He was accused of sodomy. But regret overtook him, and it is too late for regret! Then he was not able to escape the calamity that he brought upon himself except by fleeing.
The Shaykh: So I do not advise a Muslim to strengthen himself in his opinion that he can fix what people have corrupted. And as He said -Glorified and Exalted is He- what is the verse? He said -Glorified and Exalted is He-:[Al-Ma'idah 5:105], so if a person can reform without exposing himself to affliction; let him do it, and this is his obligation. Otherwise, as they say among us in the Levant, "Stay away from evil and sing to it," and this is taken from his saying -peace and blessings be upon him-: Sunan Ibn Majah 3984Sahih (Darussalam), this is the answer to what you asked, and thank you.
The Shaykh : Do I see any harm in...?
The questioner : In entering it, given the presence of music and saluting, which he detests.
The Shaykh : Are they able not to enter? If they are able not to enter, then no.
The questioner : They are able.
The Shaykh : Yes, it is not permissible for them to enter, because warding off harm takes precedence over seeking benefit, warding off harm takes precedence over seeking benefit. And then, many people expose themselves to affliction with the intention of repelling affliction, and behold, the affliction falls upon them before others; because they do not have the patience to repel the affliction for which they entered. And I know a young man in Damascus; the government—and you know its condition—announced that it wanted youth with specific qualifications to send to Russia, in order for them to train on some modern military weapons. One of our Salafi brothers came to me to consult me, so I advised him not to do it, but he was stubborn and did not accept my advice.
The questioner : May Allah guide him.
The Shaykh : Then he set off—the land is inhabited! We are covering for people—O Shaykh—may Allah guide you, we turn... to the appearance [he laughsThe Shaykh : -may Allah have mercy on him-].
The Shaykh: As I said earlier, he was stubborn and did not obey my advice, and he went to Russia. And as is the nature of the military system; he puffed up his nose, became an officer, and I don't know what else, and they sent him as a head over some divisions. The man remained wanting to apply the Shari'ah in which he is knowledgeable, and the Ismailis and Nusayris and so on did not care about him. So when they uncovered him, they started to harass him, and harass him, and they accused him in his religion, in his character. They started bringing him every day from a distance of one hundred kilometers—I don't know how much—to Damascus by way of trial. What trial? He was accused of sodomy. But regret overtook him, and it is too late for regret! Then he was not able to escape the calamity that he brought upon himself except by fleeing.
The Shaykh: So I do not advise a Muslim to strengthen himself in his opinion that he can fix what people have corrupted. And as He said -Glorified and Exalted is He- what is the verse? He said -Glorified and Exalted is He-:
O you who have believed, upon you is [responsibility for] yourselves. Those who have gone astray will not harm you when you have been guided
يا أيها الذين آمنوا عليكم أنفسكم لا يضركم من ضل إذا اهتديتمWhile on the pulpit, pointing with this fingers towards his ears, Nu’man bin Bashir said: “I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: ‘That which is lawful is plain and that which is unlawful is plain, and between them are matters that are not clear, about which not many people know. Thus he who guards against the unclear matters, he clears himself with regard to his religion and his honor. But he who falls into the unclear matters, he falls into that which is unlawful. Like the shepherd who pastures around a sanctuary, all but grazing therein. Every king has a sanctuary. And beware! Allah’s sanctuary is His prohibitions. Beware! In the body there is a piece of flesh which, if it is sound, the whole body will be sound, and if it is corrupt, the whole body will be corrupt. It is the heart.’”
ألا و إن لكل ملك حمى ، ألا وإن حمى الله محارمه ، ألا ومن حام حول الحمى يوشك أن يقع فيه
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.