Continuation of the explanation of the statement of Imam al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) regarding what he quoted: "."
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The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful:
The discussion has already been presented regarding the saying of Allah the Exalted:[An-Nisa 4:59]: and that it indicates the obligation of obeying the rulers, the scholars and the princes, but in matters other than disobedience.
As for the hadiths: From 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sunan an-Nasa'i 4206Sahih (Darussalam).
: This word indicates obligation, and that it is obligatory for the Muslim man, by virtue of his Islam, to listen and obey the rulers in what he loves and in what he hates. Even if he is commanded to do something he hates, it is obligatory for him to carry it out, even if he does not see it as correct, even if he sees the opposite, and even if he hates to implement it. It is obligatory for him to implement it, except if he is commanded to do a sin. If he is commanded to do a sin against Allah, then obedience to Allah the Exalted is above all obedience, Mishkat al-Masabih 3696.
And in this is evidence for the invalidity of the approach of the one who says: "We do not obey the rulers except in what Allah has commanded": meaning, if they command us to pray, we pray; if they command us to give zakah, we give zakah; if they command us to do something that is not a religious command, then it is not obligatory for us to obey them, because if obedience to them were obligatory, they would be legislators. This is a false view that contradicts the Qur'an and the Sunnah, because if we said: We do not obey them except in what Allah commanded us to do, then there would be no difference between them and others. Every person who commands what is right and forbids what is wrong is to be obeyed. Then we say: Rather, we have been commanded to obey them in what Allah the Mighty and Majestic has not commanded us to do, provided that it is not forbidden or prohibited. We obey them, even in organization. If they organize something of the affairs, it is obligatory for us to obey them. This is because obeying them is fulfilling the command of Allah the Mighty and Majestic, and fulfilling the command of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), and preserving security, and staying away from rebellion against the rulers and from division. If we say: We do not obey them except in something we were commanded to do, then this means that there is no obedience to them.
Some regulations come, for example, where the government organizes something, a regulation that does not contradict the Shari'ah but which the Shari'ah did not specifically bring. Some people come and say: We do not obey it in this. It is said: Rather, you must obey. If you disobey, you are sinful, deserving of the punishment of Allah and deserving of the punishment of the rulers. And it is upon the rulers to impose discretionary punishment on such people who disobey their orders which they are obligated to carry out. Because if they disobey the orders of the rulers, and Allah has commanded them to obey them in that, then this is disobedience to Allah. And every person who disobeys Allah deserves discretionary punishment, meaning discipline by what the ruler sees fit. An example of this is traffic regulations. These traffic regulations are what the ruler has organized, and there is no sin in them. If a person violates them, he is a sinner and sinful. For example, driving on the left, driving on the right, driving in a certain direction, driving must stop when the signal turns red, and the like. All of this must be implemented obligatorily. For example, if the red light hits, you must stop. Do not say: Allah did not command me! They organized this regulation for you and told you to follow it. If you exceed it, you are a sinner and sinful, because you said to your Lord: No listening and no obedience, may Allah protect us. For Allah says:[An-Nisa 4:59].
Likewise, in intersections, it is known that the one in the main road has the right to pass. If you are in the side road and you find a person coming from the main road, do not pass, because the regulation requires preventing that. And likewise, the regulations in the emirate, the regulations in the judiciary, all regulations that do not contradict the Shari'ah, it is obligatory for us to obey the rulers in them. Otherwise, the matter would become chaos, and every person would have an opinion, and every person would judge as he wishes, and the rulers would have no value. Rather, they would be princes without command and judges without judgment. It is obligatory that a person fulfills the orders of the rulers, except in what is in disobedience to Allah. If they said to us, for example: Do not go out to the mosques to pray Jumu'ah and congregation, we would say to them: No listening and no obedience. If they said: Oppress the people with something, we would say: No listening and no obedience. Everything that Allah has forbidden, there is no obedience to them in it ever. If they said, for example: Shave your beards, like some countries say to their subjects, especially their soldiers who are with them, if they said: Shave your beards, we would say: No, no listening to you and no obedience. And they are sinful in saying to their soldiers, for example, shave your beards. They are sinful, opposing Allah and His Messenger, rejecting Allah and His Messenger. Likewise, if they said, for example: Let your clothes hang below the ankles, then we would say: No, no listening and no obedience, because this is what Allah has forbidden and threatened for. If you command us to do a sin, then we do not listen to you and have no obedience. We and you have a Lord whose judgment is above our judgment and your judgment.
So the orders of the rulers are divided into three categories:
That they command what Allah has commanded. Here, obedience to them is obligatory for two reasons: The first reason is that it is what Allah has commanded, and the second reason is that it is what they have commanded, like other people. If a person commands you to do what is right and it is obligatory, it is obligatory for you to carry it out.
The second: That they command disobedience to Allah. Here, there is no listening to them and no obedience, no matter what. And if you are afflicted with punishment from them because of this, they will be punished for it on the Day of Resurrection. First: For the right of Allah, and second: For your right. For the right of Allah, because their command to do a sin against Allah is rejecting Allah the Mighty and Majestic. And for your right, because they have transgressed against you. You and they, all of you are servants of Allah. You do not disobey Allah, and it is not permissible for you to disobey Allah.
The third category: If they command something in which there is no command and no prohibition, it is obligatory for you to obey them. If you do not do so, you are sinful, and they have the right to impose discretionary punishment on you and discipline you with what they see of discretionary punishment and discipline. Because you have contradicted the command of Allah in obeying them. For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sunan an-Nasa'i 4206Sahih (Darussalam).
Then, more severe than that is the one who does not believe in the pledge of allegiance to the Imam, the one who says: I have not pledged allegiance to the Imam, and he has no pledge of allegiance over me. Because the substance of this statement is that there is no listening to him and no obedience and no authority. And this is also a great abominable matter. For the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said:: meaning, it is not an Islamic death, but a death of the people of ignorance, may Allah protect us. And he will find his reward with Allah the Mighty and Majestic.
So it is obligatory that a person believes that he has an Imam, that he has a prince to whom he owes obedience in matters other than disobedience to Allah. If he says: I have not pledged allegiance, we say: The pledge of allegiance does not happen with the common people and the ordinary people. It is only for the people of authority and decision. For this reason, we say: Did the people pledge allegiance to Abu Bakr, 'Umar, 'Uthman, and 'Ali? Did all the people pledge allegiance to him, even the old woman and the woman in her seclusion? Absolutely not. They did not pledge allegiance to him. The people of Mecca did not come to pledge allegiance to Abu Bakr, nor the people of Ta'if, nor others. The people of authority and decision in Medina pledged allegiance to him, and the pledge of allegiance was completed. The pledge of allegiance is not obligatory for every person. It is not necessary for him to come and pledge allegiance. Is this correct? It is not possible. The common people and the ordinary people are followers of the people of authority and decision. When the pledge of allegiance is completed by the people of authority and decision, the one pledged to becomes an Imam, and becomes the ruler whose obedience is obligatory in matters other than disobedience to Allah. So whoever dies while believing that he has no ruler, and that he has no pledge of allegiance, he will die a death of ignorance. We ask Allah for safety and protection. And Allah is the One who grants success.
The discussion has already been presented regarding the saying of Allah the Exalted:
O you who have believed, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you
يا أيها الذين آمنوا أطيعوا الله وأطيعوا الرسول وأولي الأمر منكمAs for the hadiths: From 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
The Muslim must hear and obey whether he likes it or not, unless he is commanded to commit an act of disobedience. If he is commanded to commit an act of disobedience, then he is not required to hear and obey.
على المرء المسلم السمع والطاعة فيما أحب وفيما كره، إلا أن يؤمر بمعصية فإذا أمر بمعصية فلا سمع ولا طاعةIt is obligatory for the man
على المرءA creature is not to be obeyed when it involves disobedience to the "Creator.”
ولا طاعة لمخلوق في معصية الخالقAnd in this is evidence for the invalidity of the approach of the one who says: "We do not obey the rulers except in what Allah has commanded": meaning, if they command us to pray, we pray; if they command us to give zakah, we give zakah; if they command us to do something that is not a religious command, then it is not obligatory for us to obey them, because if obedience to them were obligatory, they would be legislators. This is a false view that contradicts the Qur'an and the Sunnah, because if we said: We do not obey them except in what Allah commanded us to do, then there would be no difference between them and others. Every person who commands what is right and forbids what is wrong is to be obeyed. Then we say: Rather, we have been commanded to obey them in what Allah the Mighty and Majestic has not commanded us to do, provided that it is not forbidden or prohibited. We obey them, even in organization. If they organize something of the affairs, it is obligatory for us to obey them. This is because obeying them is fulfilling the command of Allah the Mighty and Majestic, and fulfilling the command of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), and preserving security, and staying away from rebellion against the rulers and from division. If we say: We do not obey them except in something we were commanded to do, then this means that there is no obedience to them.
Some regulations come, for example, where the government organizes something, a regulation that does not contradict the Shari'ah but which the Shari'ah did not specifically bring. Some people come and say: We do not obey it in this. It is said: Rather, you must obey. If you disobey, you are sinful, deserving of the punishment of Allah and deserving of the punishment of the rulers. And it is upon the rulers to impose discretionary punishment on such people who disobey their orders which they are obligated to carry out. Because if they disobey the orders of the rulers, and Allah has commanded them to obey them in that, then this is disobedience to Allah. And every person who disobeys Allah deserves discretionary punishment, meaning discipline by what the ruler sees fit. An example of this is traffic regulations. These traffic regulations are what the ruler has organized, and there is no sin in them. If a person violates them, he is a sinner and sinful. For example, driving on the left, driving on the right, driving in a certain direction, driving must stop when the signal turns red, and the like. All of this must be implemented obligatorily. For example, if the red light hits, you must stop. Do not say: Allah did not command me! They organized this regulation for you and told you to follow it. If you exceed it, you are a sinner and sinful, because you said to your Lord: No listening and no obedience, may Allah protect us. For Allah says:
O you who have believed, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you
يا أيها الذين آمنوا أطيعوا الله وأطيعوا الرسول وأولي الأمر منكمLikewise, in intersections, it is known that the one in the main road has the right to pass. If you are in the side road and you find a person coming from the main road, do not pass, because the regulation requires preventing that. And likewise, the regulations in the emirate, the regulations in the judiciary, all regulations that do not contradict the Shari'ah, it is obligatory for us to obey the rulers in them. Otherwise, the matter would become chaos, and every person would have an opinion, and every person would judge as he wishes, and the rulers would have no value. Rather, they would be princes without command and judges without judgment. It is obligatory that a person fulfills the orders of the rulers, except in what is in disobedience to Allah. If they said to us, for example: Do not go out to the mosques to pray Jumu'ah and congregation, we would say to them: No listening and no obedience. If they said: Oppress the people with something, we would say: No listening and no obedience. Everything that Allah has forbidden, there is no obedience to them in it ever. If they said, for example: Shave your beards, like some countries say to their subjects, especially their soldiers who are with them, if they said: Shave your beards, we would say: No, no listening to you and no obedience. And they are sinful in saying to their soldiers, for example, shave your beards. They are sinful, opposing Allah and His Messenger, rejecting Allah and His Messenger. Likewise, if they said, for example: Let your clothes hang below the ankles, then we would say: No, no listening and no obedience, because this is what Allah has forbidden and threatened for. If you command us to do a sin, then we do not listen to you and have no obedience. We and you have a Lord whose judgment is above our judgment and your judgment.
So the orders of the rulers are divided into three categories:
That they command what Allah has commanded. Here, obedience to them is obligatory for two reasons: The first reason is that it is what Allah has commanded, and the second reason is that it is what they have commanded, like other people. If a person commands you to do what is right and it is obligatory, it is obligatory for you to carry it out.
The second: That they command disobedience to Allah. Here, there is no listening to them and no obedience, no matter what. And if you are afflicted with punishment from them because of this, they will be punished for it on the Day of Resurrection. First: For the right of Allah, and second: For your right. For the right of Allah, because their command to do a sin against Allah is rejecting Allah the Mighty and Majestic. And for your right, because they have transgressed against you. You and they, all of you are servants of Allah. You do not disobey Allah, and it is not permissible for you to disobey Allah.
The third category: If they command something in which there is no command and no prohibition, it is obligatory for you to obey them. If you do not do so, you are sinful, and they have the right to impose discretionary punishment on you and discipline you with what they see of discretionary punishment and discipline. Because you have contradicted the command of Allah in obeying them. For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
The Muslim must hear and obey whether he likes it or not, unless he is commanded to commit an act of disobedience. If he is commanded to commit an act of disobedience, then he is not required to hear and obey.
على المرء المسلم السمع والطاعة فيما أحبّ وكره، إلا أن يؤمر بمعصية، فإذا أمر بمعصية فلا سمع ولا طاعةThen, more severe than that is the one who does not believe in the pledge of allegiance to the Imam, the one who says: I have not pledged allegiance to the Imam, and he has no pledge of allegiance over me. Because the substance of this statement is that there is no listening to him and no obedience and no authority. And this is also a great abominable matter. For the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
He informed that whoever dies without a pledge of allegiance and has no imam, he dies the death of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance.
أخبر أن من مات من غير بيعة وليس له إمام فإنه يموت ميتة جاهليّةSo it is obligatory that a person believes that he has an Imam, that he has a prince to whom he owes obedience in matters other than disobedience to Allah. If he says: I have not pledged allegiance, we say: The pledge of allegiance does not happen with the common people and the ordinary people. It is only for the people of authority and decision. For this reason, we say: Did the people pledge allegiance to Abu Bakr, 'Umar, 'Uthman, and 'Ali? Did all the people pledge allegiance to him, even the old woman and the woman in her seclusion? Absolutely not. They did not pledge allegiance to him. The people of Mecca did not come to pledge allegiance to Abu Bakr, nor the people of Ta'if, nor others. The people of authority and decision in Medina pledged allegiance to him, and the pledge of allegiance was completed. The pledge of allegiance is not obligatory for every person. It is not necessary for him to come and pledge allegiance. Is this correct? It is not possible. The common people and the ordinary people are followers of the people of authority and decision. When the pledge of allegiance is completed by the people of authority and decision, the one pledged to becomes an Imam, and becomes the ruler whose obedience is obligatory in matters other than disobedience to Allah. So whoever dies while believing that he has no ruler, and that he has no pledge of allegiance, he will die a death of ignorance. We ask Allah for safety and protection. And Allah is the One who grants success.