What is the ruling on some young men entering national service, given that it leads to committing some forbidden acts, such as shaving the beard and saluting the flag?

The questioner : I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Shaytan. In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. All praise is due to Allah alone, and may blessings and peace be upon the one after whom there is no prophet. As for what follows, I believe that the pleasant discourse of His EminenceThe Shaykh : Al-Albani (may Allah preserve him) is sufficient to answer this question which I wish to ask. However, I would like to specify this question because there is much confusion and much disagreement regarding it. What is the ruling on joining the army, knowing that it inevitably leads to some concessions in religion, such as shaving the beards, taking an oath of loyalty, and the wording of the oath of loyalty is as follows: "I, so-and-so, have been conscripted as a soldier in the armed forces. I swear by the Great Allah, and I declare sincerely that I will dedicate my life to Allah, the homeland, and the interest of the people...

The Shaykh : What Allah willed.

The questioner : ...and that I will devote all my time and obedience throughout my period of service to carrying out the duties placed upon my shoulders, and that I will proceed to any sector to which I am ordered to be directed, whether by land, sea, or air, and that I will obey all orders issued to me by a higher-ranking officer, even if that leads to risking my life under the law of the armed forces, the law of civil procedures, or any other law in force. Then, among the concessions, is standing up for the flag, saluting the flag, and then standing up for the higher-ranking officers, such as a general or a field marshal, and likewise all people stand up for him, and other such concessions. Is it permissible, on the pretext of the benefit of da'wah and spreading da'wah, and that there are cadres and elements that lead to serving da'wah in these places? Is that permissible?

The Shaykh : The truth, my brother, as I said, is that this question was already answered in my previous speech. But as I mentioned, you want a clear answer, so I say: It is not permissible. However, I mention that joining the army in some Arab countries is either voluntary or compulsory. What is voluntary is what the question should be directed to, and it is what the previous answer applies to.

The questioner : It is voluntary.

The Shaykh : And it is that it is not permissible. As for what is compulsory, the one in dire necessity says the word of disbelief and is not held accountable for it. But the truth is that those who go by the rule of the disbelieving creed, "the end justifies the means," allow all these concessions in order to achieve a benefit they claim. And as I said previously, this is treating the disease with the disease, and treating with what was the disease itself. The establishment of the edifice of Islam, the Islamic society, and the Islamic state will never be built upon conceding some or many of the rulings of the Shari'ah. Rather, it is obligatory upon us to be patient, to encourage one another to patience, and to fear Allah (Mighty and Majestic). The matter is as Allah the Exalted said: And it is possible for such groups, if they wish to engage in politics that does not contradict the Shari'ah, to direct these governments, especially since they claim to be Islamic governments, to draw their attention to the fact that many of these matters that I mentioned and quoted are contrary to the Shari'ah. For example, the first of these is shaving the beard. It is one of the wonders of some Arab countries that some European countries are better than them in this matter. In some Islamic countries, the Muslim young man is forced into the army, and the first punishment for his Islam is that they shave his beard. Whereas in some European countries, and I saw with my own eyes, when I was written to go to some European countries, and we passed through Italy and then the Alps in Switzerland, military cars passed by us, and it caught my attention that some of the soldiers had beards. So we asked about the reason? He said: Here freedom is clear with the army personnel; whoever wishes shaves, and whoever wishes lets it grow. Whereas the English system, which used to colonize some Arab countries, the Muslim rulers still impose on Muslim soldiers the shaving of the beard. If they want reform, I mean these political groups, let them submit their requests to this state. They may respond to some of them and may refuse many of them. But that it should be said that it is permissible to enter and concede some of the rulings of the Shari'ah, perhaps and maybe there will be a benefit for the Muslim da'wah from this person, and this is also ignorance of Islam.