Is the address in the saying of the Exalted, (So fight in the cause of Allah; you are not held accountable except for yourself), directed to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) or to the general public?

The Shaykh: Go ahead.

The questioner : Our Shaykh, the Exalted says: I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Shaytan: , is the one addressed by this verse the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) or the general Muslims?

The Shaykh : Before answering the question, I want to draw attention to a common error, which is for a person to say: The Exalted says: I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Shaytan, or after. This is an error, and you are not the first traveler to be deceived by the moon. All broadcasters and all speakers say it this way... The speaker must say, if he wants to cite or ask: What do you say, so-and-so, regarding the saying of the Exalted: ? Do not say: What do you say regarding the saying of Allah after I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Shaytan? Allah did not say it after I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Shaytan. And some say Allah said: I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Shaytan. This is more problematic and more problematic.
The Shaykh: The important thing is that there is no doubt that the address is directed to the person of the Messenger (peace be upon him), but we know that when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) is addressed with a matter, the general Muslims are addressed with the same address, especially in a verse like this. Does it occur to anyone that he (peace be upon him), if he said: , means you alone? Suppose such a question; it is reasonable that it would be directed to something like the saying of the Exalted: , because shirk (associating partners with Allah) is not a social or cooperative act, but rather something related to the heart of every person of legal age. So if Allah (Mighty and Majestic) said: , addressing the Messenger (peace be upon him), , here it can be said, such a question: Does this address directed to the Messenger (peace be upon him) extend to every individual of the Ummah or not?
The Shaykh: Regarding the verse you recited, we say without doubt that if Allah (Mighty and Majestic) addresses His sinless Prophet, not only about shirk (associating partners with Allah) but about all sins, addressing him with His saying and this severe threat: , then the general Muslims are even more so. As for His saying: , it is not possible for his (peace be upon him) fighting in the cause of Allah to be without the majority of Muslims with him. In addition to this observation required by the act of jihad, which is what we mentioned earlier, that the address directed to the Messenger (peace be upon him) is an address to the entire Ummah. Indeed, they mentioned in the science of usul al-fiqh (the principles of jurisprudence) that the address directed to an individual of the Ummah includes every individual of the Ummah. The Companion, for example, who is Ali ibn Abi Talib, said: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) forbade me from wearing a gold ring." No one says this prohibition is specific to Ali (may Allah be pleased with him); because the address directed to an individual of the Ummah is directed to every individual of the Ummah. So it is even more so and more fitting that such an address: , be directed to the Messenger and those who will fight with the Messenger (peace be upon him), who are the Muslims.

The questioner : ... The ones addressed are Muslims as a group and as individuals as Muslims, meaning today there is no Islamic group.

The Shaykh : This is another question, may Allah reward you.

The questioner : ... As individuals of legal age alone and not under an Islamic group?

The Shaykh : No, they are not individuals of legal age alone. This is a second discussion. Jihad in the cause of Allah must be under an Islamic banner that has an Amir (leader) and a system, and this system does not go outside the circle of Islam and the established system of Islam in the Book and the Sunnah. But here is something: Jihad is divided into two parts: jihad to convey the call, and jihad to defend oneself. So jihad in the cause of defending oneself, every individual at that time is obligated to fight with whatever strength he can. As for the jihad that should be as a means to convey the call of Islam to those around the Muslims, this is not permissible except that it be under an Islamic banner with an Amir who has been pledged allegiance to. As they say: every place has an answer. If we are attacked in our own homes, if a man is attacked in his own home, does he not defend himself?

The questioner : He defends himself.

The Shaykh : So if a town is attacked, he defends himself. We do not wait here for the organization that Islam commands, which is establishing a responsible leader who organizes and prepares, and so on. Therefore, it is necessary to distinguish between the jihad that is in the cause of defense and the jihad that is intended to activate the movement of the Islamic call and to limit the enemies who stand as a stumbling block in the way of spreading the Islamic call.