What is the ruling on the general pledge of allegiance that some groups take from those who belong to them?

The questioner : What is the ruling on the general pledge of allegiance that some groups take from those who belong to them, and what is the ruling on the specific pledge that some groups also take regarding jihad in the path of Allah, as they claim, and carrying out assassination operations and the like, under the pretext of wanting to establish the rule of Allah on earth and the like?

The Shaykh : As far as we know, we do not see any pledge of allegiance at all except for one who does not exist today; if he exists, he is pledged to, and he is the Caliph whom the Muslims agree to pledge allegiance to. As for pledging allegiance to one of the parties, to an individual who is their leader, or to one of the groups for their leader, and so on, this is in reality one of the modern innovations that have spread in the present time. This is undoubtedly a cause of many serious trials among the Muslims, because every group finds itself, due to the gravity of the pledge, bound to follow the line that its party is walking on. Thus, the one pledged to has the right to command and prohibit, as if he were the Caliph of the Muslims. And there is another pledge to another person who has another line, and so on. The groups become distant from one another because of these many different pledges. In addition to the fact that we do not know of a pledge except for the Muslim Caliph, we find the effects of these pledges; we find their bad effects in the hearts of those who pledge. Therefore, I see that it is not part of the perfection of a group that wants to act according to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) that there should be a pledge made upon their necks, that they must adhere to it, and that they should consider themselves sinful if they break it. We do not know of any of these pledges that had a basis in the early period. It is true that in the early period, their Imam was one in all the Islamic lands, so he was pledged to, and this was the lawful pledge. But when the Muslims became divided, there were some kings who took pledges from their individuals, from their people, but this was never mentioned in the Book or in the Sunnah as being permissible. I do not say that it is obligatory for them to impose taking a pledge from their people, but as we mentioned, this helps to solidify the division of the Muslims into groups, into parties, into kings of sects, as happened in the past history. This is my belief that a Muslim should not get involved in pledging allegiance to someone in a way that obligates him to obey the one pledged to with blind obedience. Because one of the conditions of the pledge that came in the Sunnah is: "You must obey the Imam you pledge to, even if he beats your back and takes your wealth." Who is this pledge for? For many individuals! This has no basis in Islam at all. ... Regarding the assassinations mentioned in your question, this is one of the worst things being broadcast in the Islamic world now. It is committing [violence] by order of some leaders of some groups, and they may be good people, but goodness does not conflict with negligence. In fact, often the good person is among the negligent. When that is the case, he is among those who are exploited, whether the intention of the one who exploits him is good or bad. The Muslim must be good and also alert, intelligent, and wise, as it came from 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: "I am not a fool, and a fool does not deceive me." So he is alert, he is awake, and he is shrewd and intelligent. This is how the Muslim must be. There are some people who, with the sharpness of their tongues, and perhaps because of their sincerity in their calling, even if they are on the wrong path, dominate some individuals and take hold of their minds and hearts. They order them to kill so-and-so because he is a heretic, or he may not be a heretic, but he is a stumbling block in the path of the calling. And which calling? Their calling, which is based on shedding blood. This is not permissible in Islam. It is not permissible to carry out an order to kill a Muslim except in obedience to that one individual who is pledged to, who is the Caliph of the Muslims, and no one else. Yes.

The Shaykh : We prefer.