What is the ruling on demonstrations with the intention of changing evil, on the claim that the ruler permits it?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : His EminenceThe Shaykh : We have been afflicted in our lands with those who see the permissibility of demonstrations in forbidding evil. So when they see a specific evil, they gather and hold a demonstration, and they argue that the one in authority allows them to do such things?
The Shaykh : First: Demonstrations are of no benefit, without a doubt; rather, they open the door to evil and chaos. These crowds pass by, and they may pass by shops and things that are stolen and taken. There may be free mixing of men and women among the young, the middle-aged, and sometimes women. So it is an evil and there is no good in it. But it was mentioned to me that in some Western Christian lands, one cannot obtain one’s right except through demonstrations. And they, I mean the Christians and the Westerners, if they want to silence an opponent, they demonstrate. If it is used in this way, and these are lands of disbelief, and they see no harm in it, and a Muslim cannot reach his right, or Muslims cannot reach their right, except through this, then I hope there is no harm in it. As for in Islamic lands, I see that it is forbidden and not permissible. And I am amazed at some rulers, if it is as I said, that they allow it, given the chaos in it. What is the benefit of it? Yes, perhaps some rulers want to do something that, if they did it, the West would criticize them. For example, they flatter the West and favor the West, so they allow the people to demonstrate so that they can say to the Westerners: Look, the people are demonstrating, they want such and such, or they are demonstrating, they do not want such and such. So this may be a means to something else, and one looks at whether its benefits are greater or its harms are greater?
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : What?
The questioner : So an evil occurred, and a demonstration was held, and it was beneficial.
The Shaykh : But it causes more harm. If it benefited this time, it will harm the next time. Yes, that is right.
The Shaykh : First: Demonstrations are of no benefit, without a doubt; rather, they open the door to evil and chaos. These crowds pass by, and they may pass by shops and things that are stolen and taken. There may be free mixing of men and women among the young, the middle-aged, and sometimes women. So it is an evil and there is no good in it. But it was mentioned to me that in some Western Christian lands, one cannot obtain one’s right except through demonstrations. And they, I mean the Christians and the Westerners, if they want to silence an opponent, they demonstrate. If it is used in this way, and these are lands of disbelief, and they see no harm in it, and a Muslim cannot reach his right, or Muslims cannot reach their right, except through this, then I hope there is no harm in it. As for in Islamic lands, I see that it is forbidden and not permissible. And I am amazed at some rulers, if it is as I said, that they allow it, given the chaos in it. What is the benefit of it? Yes, perhaps some rulers want to do something that, if they did it, the West would criticize them. For example, they flatter the West and favor the West, so they allow the people to demonstrate so that they can say to the Westerners: Look, the people are demonstrating, they want such and such, or they are demonstrating, they do not want such and such. So this may be a means to something else, and one looks at whether its benefits are greater or its harms are greater?
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : What?
The questioner : So an evil occurred, and a demonstration was held, and it was beneficial.
The Shaykh : But it causes more harm. If it benefited this time, it will harm the next time. Yes, that is right.