And in the hadith, the last of the hadiths: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Whoever sees something in his ruler that he dislikes, let him be patient.
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The Shaykh : And in the hadith, the last of the hadiths: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: Sahih Muslim 1849a: Let him be patient and endure, and not rebel, and not speak, : meaning it is not a death of Islam, refuge with Allah. This can carry two meanings: It can mean that he dies a death of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance: that his heart turns away, refuge with Allah, until this sin becomes the cause of his apostasy. And it can mean another thing: that he dies a death of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance because the people of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance had no imam and no ruler; they had chiefs and leaders, but they did not have an authority like the authority of Islam. So this person dies a death of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance. The important thing, my brothers, is that it is obligatory for us to listen and obey the rulers, except in one case: we do not obey them if they order us to do what?
The student : To commit a sin.
The Shaykh : To commit a sin against the Creator. Then we do not obey. If they said: Shave your beards, we would say: No, neither listening nor obedience. If they said: Lower your garments or your trousers below the ankles, we would say: No, neither listening nor obedience, because this is a sin. If they said: Do not establish prayer in congregation, we would say: No, neither listening nor obedience. If they said: Do not fast Ramadan, we would say: No, neither listening nor obedience. Every sin, we do not obey them in it, whatever it is. But if they order something that is not a sin, it is obligatory for us to obey them.
Second: It is not permissible for us to rebel against the rulers.
Third: It is not permissible for us to speak among the general public in a way that stirs up hatred against the rulers, or in a way that causes enmity toward them, because in that there is great harm. It may appear to a person that this is zeal and that this is speaking the truth. But speaking the truth is not done behind a veil. Speaking the truth is when the ruler is in front of you, and you say: You did such and such, and this is not permissible; you left this, and this is obligatory. But to speak behind a veil, cursing the ruler and exposing him, this is not speaking the truth. This is corruption. This is what necessitates filling hearts with hatred, disliking the rulers, and rebelling against them. And it may lead to something greater, to rising up against them and casting off their pledge of allegiance, refuge with Allah. All these are matters we must be wary of, and we must proceed in them according to the way of the people of the Sunnah and the community. Whoever wants to know that should read the books of the Sunnah written on this. He will find how the imams of the people of knowledge from this ummah (the Muslim community) exalt the rulers, how they exalt the rulers, and how they fulfill what the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered: leaving rebellion, and listening and obeying in other than sin. And the Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned at the end of the book *Al-'Aqidah al-Wasitiyyah*, which is a concise creed, but it is very large in meaning: "That among the guidance of the people of the Sunnah and the community and their way is that they profess loyalty to the rulers, and that they see establishing Hajj, jihad, the festivals, and Jumu'ah (the Friday prayer) with the rulers, whether they are righteous or sinful" : Even if the ruler is a sinner, the people of the Sunnah and the community see establishing jihad with him, establishing Hajj, establishing Jumu'ah, and establishing the festivals. Except if we see clear, explicit disbelief from him, with proof from Allah regarding it, refuge with Allah. Then it is obligatory for us, as much as we are able, to remove this ruler and replace him with someone better. But as for mere sins, monopolizing power, and the like, the people of the Sunnah and the community see that the ruler has authority even with these matters, and that he has the right to listening and obedience, and that it is not permissible to rebel against him, nor to fill hearts with hatred toward him, nor anything else that would be greater corruption. And evil is not repelled by evil. What is repelled by evil? It is good. Repel evil with good. As for repelling evil with evil, if it is like it, there is no benefit. And if it is worse than it, as is usually the case in such matters, then that is great harm. We ask Allah to guide our rulers, and to guide our subjects to what is required of them, and to grant each of them success in fulfilling what is obligatory upon him.
One who found in his Amir something which he disliked should hold his patience
من رأى من أميره شيئا يكرهه فليصبرFor whoever leaves the group dies a death of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance.
فإن من خرج عن الجماعة مات ميتة جاهليّةThe student : To commit a sin.
The Shaykh : To commit a sin against the Creator. Then we do not obey. If they said: Shave your beards, we would say: No, neither listening nor obedience. If they said: Lower your garments or your trousers below the ankles, we would say: No, neither listening nor obedience, because this is a sin. If they said: Do not establish prayer in congregation, we would say: No, neither listening nor obedience. If they said: Do not fast Ramadan, we would say: No, neither listening nor obedience. Every sin, we do not obey them in it, whatever it is. But if they order something that is not a sin, it is obligatory for us to obey them.
Second: It is not permissible for us to rebel against the rulers.
Third: It is not permissible for us to speak among the general public in a way that stirs up hatred against the rulers, or in a way that causes enmity toward them, because in that there is great harm. It may appear to a person that this is zeal and that this is speaking the truth. But speaking the truth is not done behind a veil. Speaking the truth is when the ruler is in front of you, and you say: You did such and such, and this is not permissible; you left this, and this is obligatory. But to speak behind a veil, cursing the ruler and exposing him, this is not speaking the truth. This is corruption. This is what necessitates filling hearts with hatred, disliking the rulers, and rebelling against them. And it may lead to something greater, to rising up against them and casting off their pledge of allegiance, refuge with Allah. All these are matters we must be wary of, and we must proceed in them according to the way of the people of the Sunnah and the community. Whoever wants to know that should read the books of the Sunnah written on this. He will find how the imams of the people of knowledge from this ummah (the Muslim community) exalt the rulers, how they exalt the rulers, and how they fulfill what the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered: leaving rebellion, and listening and obeying in other than sin. And the Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned at the end of the book *Al-'Aqidah al-Wasitiyyah*, which is a concise creed, but it is very large in meaning: "That among the guidance of the people of the Sunnah and the community and their way is that they profess loyalty to the rulers, and that they see establishing Hajj, jihad, the festivals, and Jumu'ah (the Friday prayer) with the rulers, whether they are righteous or sinful" : Even if the ruler is a sinner, the people of the Sunnah and the community see establishing jihad with him, establishing Hajj, establishing Jumu'ah, and establishing the festivals. Except if we see clear, explicit disbelief from him, with proof from Allah regarding it, refuge with Allah. Then it is obligatory for us, as much as we are able, to remove this ruler and replace him with someone better. But as for mere sins, monopolizing power, and the like, the people of the Sunnah and the community see that the ruler has authority even with these matters, and that he has the right to listening and obedience, and that it is not permissible to rebel against him, nor to fill hearts with hatred toward him, nor anything else that would be greater corruption. And evil is not repelled by evil. What is repelled by evil? It is good. Repel evil with good. As for repelling evil with evil, if it is like it, there is no benefit. And if it is worse than it, as is usually the case in such matters, then that is great harm. We ask Allah to guide our rulers, and to guide our subjects to what is required of them, and to grant each of them success in fulfilling what is obligatory upon him.