What are the conditions of the caliph?
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The questioner : Now, the whole world, I mean, and the people today, in the matter of the state, for example, the state, the ruler, the ruler does not rule by what Allah has revealed, nor by the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah, and so rebelling against him has become, legally speaking,
The Shaykh : Rebelling against him?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Against whom?
The questioner : Against the ruler.
The Shaykh : Not against him, then.
The questioner : Against him.
The Shaykh : Against him, alright.
The questioner : So now, we as Muslims, who testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, are in need of an imam to pledge allegiance to.
The Shaykh : Yes, exactly.
The questioner : So I have been saying for a long time, and I hope to Allah that I will seeThe Shaykh : Nasser al-Din
The Shaykh : Welcome.
The questioner : I even have his phone number with me, to be honest, from two years ago.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : One of the brothers gave it to me. We were at the brother's house, or in the mosque, and we went to another person's house. I say, I mean, do not ask us for a pledge of allegiance, for example, or... And I am in a state of confusion about why we Muslims do not have an imam to pledge allegiance to, who would implement Allah's rulings among us, and who would be a model for us to follow, and we would follow his command, and we would refer all our matters to the matters of the Shari'ah, from which he guides us, from marriage and divorce...
The Shaykh : Yes, I do not know, you are as if you are not living in this world?
The questioner : As if I am...
The Shaykh : That is how it appears.
The questioner : Living in the wilderness, that is how it is. I am a bit far from here, with some goats, and far from...
The Shaykh : That is the problem.
Another questioner : Allah is the helper. That is why I am carrying a stick, or are you afraid, O our Shaykh?
The Shaykh : Alright, is the one who is to be pledged allegiance to present?
The questioner : Yes, he is present.
The Shaykh : Where is he?
The questioner : The Shaykh : Nasser
The Shaykh : The Shaykh : Nasser says he is not qualified, and he does not possess any harm or benefit. So be at ease regarding him. Do you have someone else?
The questioner : One of these Muslims.
The Shaykh : One of the Muslims.
The questioner : Yes, I mean the scholars...
The Shaykh : Do you know the conditions of the person to whom one should pledge allegiance? Tell me, no.
The questioner : Of course, no.
The Shaykh : Therefore, do not blame me if I tell you, in the Syrian expression, "You are coming to beat and you want to take the leadership." Do you see? My brother, first of all, the person who is pledged to, or the one who is to be pledged to, must possess many conditions. It is not enough for these conditions to be present in a scholar.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : I mean, a man may possess the qualities of a scholar, but the qualities of leadership may not be present in that scholar.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Did you understand this? Alright, so the conditions that must be present in the one pledged to, the first is that he does not desire the pledge of allegiance. The first is that he does not desire the pledge of allegiance. The second is that he is knowledgeable of the Book and the Sunnah, and this is not enough. In addition to his knowledge, he must be one who acts upon his knowledge, and he must be known among the Muslims for this. And thirdly, and fourthly, and many, many things: he must be resolute, possessing strong will, such that if he is surrounded by trials, he does not waver, and he remains steadfast in the path of the truth for which he was appointed to defend. These are some of the qualities that must be present in the person pledged to. The second aspect: those who want to pledge to him, are they only persons from his relatives, his friends, his brothers? Or should these people be from the various Muslims, from their different races and classes, excluding the shepherds and the common people, and specifically the people of knowledge and virtue? They are the ones who choose that imam and impose upon him, as an obligation, that he be the imam. So now, if you know these conditions, and these conditions, do you imagine that the Muslim world today, regardless of the rulers you referred to, but looking only at the conditions of the Muslims and their proximity to the Shari'ah and their distance from it, do you find them able to pledge allegiance to a person in the East or in the West, or in the North, the South, from the various scholars of the Muslims? Or do you know that the scholars of the Muslims themselves are in the greatest state of disagreement among themselves? Do you not know this fact?
The questioner : Yes, I know.
The Shaykh : Then how do you think now about the existence of a caliph to be pledged to, while the Muslims are scattered into sects and parties? And you must have heard, a little or a lot, that we always sing around the saying of Allah the Exalted, warning us with it:[Ar-Rum 30:31-32] So then, may Allah reward you. Before you think about pledging allegiance to a person from among the scholars of the Muslims, think about the path that these Muslims must take and pursue to remove the stumbling blocks and obstacles that stand in their way to reaching the pledge of allegiance to a man from among the scholars of the Muslims.
The Shaykh : Rebelling against him?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Against whom?
The questioner : Against the ruler.
The Shaykh : Not against him, then.
The questioner : Against him.
The Shaykh : Against him, alright.
The questioner : So now, we as Muslims, who testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, are in need of an imam to pledge allegiance to.
The Shaykh : Yes, exactly.
The questioner : So I have been saying for a long time, and I hope to Allah that I will seeThe Shaykh : Nasser al-Din
The Shaykh : Welcome.
The questioner : I even have his phone number with me, to be honest, from two years ago.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : One of the brothers gave it to me. We were at the brother's house, or in the mosque, and we went to another person's house. I say, I mean, do not ask us for a pledge of allegiance, for example, or... And I am in a state of confusion about why we Muslims do not have an imam to pledge allegiance to, who would implement Allah's rulings among us, and who would be a model for us to follow, and we would follow his command, and we would refer all our matters to the matters of the Shari'ah, from which he guides us, from marriage and divorce...
The Shaykh : Yes, I do not know, you are as if you are not living in this world?
The questioner : As if I am...
The Shaykh : That is how it appears.
The questioner : Living in the wilderness, that is how it is. I am a bit far from here, with some goats, and far from...
The Shaykh : That is the problem.
Another questioner : Allah is the helper. That is why I am carrying a stick, or are you afraid, O our Shaykh?
The Shaykh : Alright, is the one who is to be pledged allegiance to present?
The questioner : Yes, he is present.
The Shaykh : Where is he?
The questioner : The Shaykh : Nasser
The Shaykh : The Shaykh : Nasser says he is not qualified, and he does not possess any harm or benefit. So be at ease regarding him. Do you have someone else?
The questioner : One of these Muslims.
The Shaykh : One of the Muslims.
The questioner : Yes, I mean the scholars...
The Shaykh : Do you know the conditions of the person to whom one should pledge allegiance? Tell me, no.
The questioner : Of course, no.
The Shaykh : Therefore, do not blame me if I tell you, in the Syrian expression, "You are coming to beat and you want to take the leadership." Do you see? My brother, first of all, the person who is pledged to, or the one who is to be pledged to, must possess many conditions. It is not enough for these conditions to be present in a scholar.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : I mean, a man may possess the qualities of a scholar, but the qualities of leadership may not be present in that scholar.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Did you understand this? Alright, so the conditions that must be present in the one pledged to, the first is that he does not desire the pledge of allegiance. The first is that he does not desire the pledge of allegiance. The second is that he is knowledgeable of the Book and the Sunnah, and this is not enough. In addition to his knowledge, he must be one who acts upon his knowledge, and he must be known among the Muslims for this. And thirdly, and fourthly, and many, many things: he must be resolute, possessing strong will, such that if he is surrounded by trials, he does not waver, and he remains steadfast in the path of the truth for which he was appointed to defend. These are some of the qualities that must be present in the person pledged to. The second aspect: those who want to pledge to him, are they only persons from his relatives, his friends, his brothers? Or should these people be from the various Muslims, from their different races and classes, excluding the shepherds and the common people, and specifically the people of knowledge and virtue? They are the ones who choose that imam and impose upon him, as an obligation, that he be the imam. So now, if you know these conditions, and these conditions, do you imagine that the Muslim world today, regardless of the rulers you referred to, but looking only at the conditions of the Muslims and their proximity to the Shari'ah and their distance from it, do you find them able to pledge allegiance to a person in the East or in the West, or in the North, the South, from the various scholars of the Muslims? Or do you know that the scholars of the Muslims themselves are in the greatest state of disagreement among themselves? Do you not know this fact?
The questioner : Yes, I know.
The Shaykh : Then how do you think now about the existence of a caliph to be pledged to, while the Muslims are scattered into sects and parties? And you must have heard, a little or a lot, that we always sing around the saying of Allah the Exalted, warning us with it:
and do not be of those who associate others with Allah (32) [Or] of those who have divided their religion and become sects, every faction rejoicing in what it has.
ولا تكونوا من المشركين من الذين فرقوا دينهم وكانوا شيعا كل حزب بما لديهم فرحون
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.