What is the ruling on working under one of the groups that each claims to be on the truth and giving the pledge of allegiance to its leader?

The questioner : Your Eminence, looking at the Islamic world today, we find that there are many groups that call to Islam, and each of them says, "I am on the methodology of the Salaf, and I have the Book and the Sunnah with me." What is our position toward these groups, and what is the ruling on giving the pledge of allegiance to one of the leaders of these groups?

The Shaykh : The ruling regarding these groups, where each faction claims to be on the truth, is very easy. We ask them: What is the truth? The truth is what the Book and the Sunnah indicate. Returning to the Book and the Sunnah settles the dispute for whoever is a believer.
As for the one who follows his desire, nothing will benefit him. Allah the Exalted said: .
So we say to these groups: Gather, and let each one remove the desire that is in his heart, and let him intend a good intention that he will take what the Qur'an and the Sunnah indicate, based on being free from desire, not based on following a scholar without knowing his evidence and fanaticism. Because a person's understanding of the Qur'an and the Sunnah according to his own creed does not benefit him, because he will return to his creed.
For this reason, the scholars said a good word: They said it is obligatory for a person to seek evidence and then build his ruling, not to build his ruling and then seek evidence. Because the evidence is the root and the ruling is the branch. It is not possible to reverse the situation and make the ruling, which is the branch, the root, and the root, which is the evidence, the branch. And if a person believes before he seeks evidence,
and he does not have a good intention, he will twist the necks of the texts from the Book and the Sunnah to what he believes, and as a result, he remains on his desire and does not follow the guidance. So we say to these factions that each claims to be on the truth: Please, come with a good intention free from desire and fanaticism. This is the Book of Allah, and this is the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). If there were not a solution to the dispute in them, Allah would not have referred to them. For Allah does not refer to anything except that there is benefit in it. Refer them to Allah and the Messenger.
But the calamity that occurs from not agreeing on the Book and the Sunnah is the condition in the verse: . For some people may return to the Book and the Sunnah, but not out of faith, but out of desire and fanaticism from which they do not move. So there is no benefit in that.
But those who are on the Book and the Sunnah should seek help from Allah (Mighty and Majestic) against these factions, and the truth will become clear from the falsehood. Indeed, Allah the Exalted said: .

The questioner : Regarding giving the pledge of allegiance

The Shaykh : As for giving the pledge of allegiance to a man, this is not permissible, because the pledge of allegiance is for the general ruler of the country.

The questioner : ... the ruler ...

The Shaykh : And if we were to say that every person has a pledge of allegiance, the nations would be divided. The country that has a hundred districts, how many imams would it have? A hundred imams, a hundred rulers. This is division. As long as there is a legitimate ruler in the country, it is not permissible to give the pledge of allegiance to any person.
But if the ruler does not rule with what Allah has revealed, then this has states. It may be disbelief, it may be oppression, or it may be open sinfulness, according to what the legal texts require. If this ruler is persistent in open disbelief and we have proof from Allah regarding him, it is upon us to strive to remove him as much as we can. But it is not upon us to rise against him when we do not have strength, because this is recklessness that contradicts the Shari'ah and wisdom.
For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was not commanded to fight in Makkah. Why? Because he did not have the strength to be able to drive these people out of Makkah or to kill them.
So the fact that these few people, who are unarmed, are the counterpart to the government's weapons, and that they rise against the government, there is no doubt that this is recklessness that contradicts wisdom.
If you see open disbelief and you have proof from Allah regarding it, wait for the fifth condition, which is:
Capability. Because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not permit rising against the rulers except with these conditions: that you see open disbelief and we have proof from Allah regarding it. These are four conditions. The fifth condition is the condition of obligation. Because the first conditions are conditions of permissibility. The condition of obligation is that we have the capability to remove this ruler and his government. But without capability, a person must wait for relief from Allah the Exalted and not oppose the one who rules over him and his faction and others. The five conditions, perhaps you have understood them now?
"That you see" means that you yourselves know, without transmission, because something may be transmitted in a way that is not its reality, as disbelief rather than open sinfulness. It is not permissible to rise against the ruler even if he commits the greatest open sinfulness, except in the case of disbelief. That is, if he commits unlawful sexual intercourse, drinks intoxicants, or kills without right, not by declaring it lawful, but by oppression, it is not permissible for us to rise against him.
Open disbelief, "open" means explicit, without figurative interpretation. As for the disbelief that has figurative interpretation, this ruler may be interpreting it, and we have proof from Allah regarding it, meaning we have evidence from the Book and the Sunnah, not the analogies that may err and hit. These are four conditions. The fifth condition for the obligation of rising against him is capability. And this condition, which I mean capability, is a condition in every obligatory act, by the saying of Allah the Exalted: and His saying: . So these brothers who want to be factions, with each faction having a leader, based on the fact that the ruler is not a legitimate ruler in their view, we say: This is not permissible for you to fragment the Muslim community. For each faction to have a leader is a great error. And Allah commanded His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), or rather Allah informed His Prophet that he is not of these people. But they must prepare to remove this ruler who meets the conditions for the permissibility of rising against him, until Allah establishes him and helps them to remove him. Yes.