If the rulers rule by other than what Allah has revealed, while they believe that ruling by Allah is obligatory, what is the ruling?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : O Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with you), if a ruler repeatedly rules by other than what Allah has revealed, meaning frequently, even though he believes in his heart that it is obligatory to refer to what Allah has revealed, what is the ruling in this matter?
The Shaykh : This matter, my son or my brother, is not a trivial one, and it is not possible to issue a ruling on it in general terms, because if a ruling is issued on it in general terms, or a fatwa is given on it in general terms, some people will understand it in a way that was not intended.
So if a ruler contradicts something that this man believes to be the law of Allah, he says: "He is a disbeliever," just as is found now in the groups that declare the rulers to be disbelievers and say: "Because they ruled by other than what Allah has revealed," while they have not examined the matter or clarified it. Therefore, I see that closing the door on this matter is preferable. Closing the door on this matter is preferable so that people do not understand it in a way other than what the mufti intended, and so that a person does not take it as a means to rise up against the rulers in their lands.
And this is a major matter, as you know, and the scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) have spoken about this matter regarding the verses in Surat al-Ma'idah. So you can refer to what the scholars said about this. Yes.
The Shaykh : This matter, my son or my brother, is not a trivial one, and it is not possible to issue a ruling on it in general terms, because if a ruling is issued on it in general terms, or a fatwa is given on it in general terms, some people will understand it in a way that was not intended.
So if a ruler contradicts something that this man believes to be the law of Allah, he says: "He is a disbeliever," just as is found now in the groups that declare the rulers to be disbelievers and say: "Because they ruled by other than what Allah has revealed," while they have not examined the matter or clarified it. Therefore, I see that closing the door on this matter is preferable. Closing the door on this matter is preferable so that people do not understand it in a way other than what the mufti intended, and so that a person does not take it as a means to rise up against the rulers in their lands.
And this is a major matter, as you know, and the scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) have spoken about this matter regarding the verses in Surat al-Ma'idah. So you can refer to what the scholars said about this. Yes.