What is the ruling on entering parliaments, with evidence?

The questioner : Here is a real issue regarding Muslims, or some parties, or Islamic groups entering parliaments. Is this permissible?

The Shaykh : Absolutely not permissible.

The questioner : What is the evidence?

The Shaykh : The evidence, may Allah reward you, is that these parliaments were not established on the Islamic constitution... Muslim rulers have become accustomed to deceiving their people by saying that the religion of the state is Islam, in name only. These parliaments are not established on Islam, and experience confirms that the Muslims' dealings with these parliaments are among the setbacks that befall them. Now, we have elections and democracy, and, what Allah willed, the overwhelming majority of Muslims succeeded, but they were unable to do anything. So the evidence that it is not permissible is clearer than the sun at midday, because it is not permissible to support a rule that governs by other than what Allah has revealed. It is enough of a calamity that we are forced, against our will, to be governed by laws that contradict the Shari'ah of our Lord. But for us to organize ourselves into a council that enforces these laws upon us, that is a greater calamity than the first. Then, another piece of evidence is that this provides a numbing effect for Muslims and diverts them from what they must continue to do, namely, first, learning Islam, and specifically, in our expression, the first Islam, the Salafi Islam, based on the Book and the Sunnah, and applying it in our souls. This occupies people, and some parties still exist today; more than half a century has passed for them, and they have not been able to produce anything, not even to correct some of the concepts we inherited from our fathers and grandfathers. Unlike those who adopted the best plan, who held fast to his saying (peace and blessings be upon him) in his definition of the saved group: These people, what Allah willed, rectified their souls and rectified and improved the upbringing of their children, brothers, and sisters, and goodness spread, what Allah willed, until it reached the lands of the West, disbelief, and misguidance. Meanwhile, the political groups have not produced anything, not even in their own souls. Therefore, it is not permissible to participate in these elections, especially since the principle in these elections is defective, because there is nothing in Islam called an election. Yes, the elections today in all countries where elections take place, we do not exclude Islamic countries or European countries, they are all bought with money, status, and so on. Therefore, the open sinner, the wicked, the drunkard, the one who drinks intoxicants, and the wicked woman come out of them, and so on. These people want to rectify the people and rectify the Ummah, especially the Islamic Ummah! Never, never, you will not be promised that.

The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.

The Shaykh : And beware of it.

The questioner : My brother, when you confront some people with these facts and this good speech, they say to you, "This is a matter of ijtihad (independent legal reasoning)." Is this acceptable speech?

The Shaykh : It is rejected a hundred million percent. First, we say to those who say this is a matter of ijtihad, who is the mujtahid (a scholar qualified to derive rulings) in it? Where are these mujtahids when they have closed the door of ijtihad? None of them is competent to pray the prayer of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), which is repeated five times every day. Where is this mujtahid? Allah is the helper. Allah is the helper.
Abu Layla : Our Shaykh, to complete the discussion, sometimes some people raise an objection and say, "Do we leave these things to the Christians, or the communists, or the Marxists?"

The Shaykh : What did the Messenger do?

The questioner : He left Makkah to the disbelievers.

The Shaykh : Or what did he do?
Abu Layla : He left Makkah to the disbelievers.

The Shaykh : They think that this speech contains a very strong argument. If they knew the truth, they would have followed the path of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and then there would remain on the face of the earth no communist, disbeliever, or atheist who could stand against the da'wah (calling others to Islam). It is true that Islam does not eliminate these individuals because it is all justice but they cannot do anything against the Islamic system. So they think that with such rough methods, the communists, the Ba'athists, and the atheists can be eliminated, and the matter is not so, because he who lacks a thing cannot give it.

The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.