What is the correct meaning of the hadith: “The best jihad is a word of truth in the presence of a tyrannical ruler”?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The Shaykh : It is of extreme precision.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh :Al-Mustadrak lil-Hakim 48:281 .
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : This is the best jihad.
The questioner : There is no doubt.
The Shaykh : But this jihad is what this mujahid directs toward the ruler; he advises him. However, it does not follow from his fulfilling the obligation of advising the ruler that the people should revolt and fitnah (trial, discord or temptation) should occur between the ruler and the ruled. So the hadith is about what you asked about.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : It has no relation to the issue of enjoining good and forbidding evil; one may be killed, as mentioned in the hadith cited earlier.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : One may also be imprisoned, but the matter is as he (peace and blessings be upon him) said in one of his battles when he was injured in his finger: “It is only a finger that has bled, and what I have encountered is in the path of Allah.” The issue is one of a major harm that outweighs a minor benefit. So if the matter turns between a minor benefit and a major harm, the major harm is prioritized over the minor benefit, and the benefit is abandoned in order to avert the major harm. Yes, these are principles of Islamic jurisprudence.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : In reality, in my opinion, this is not hidden from strong students of knowledge, but it is not easy to adhere to and apply it.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : One may end up with excess or deficiency, and the middle path is very rare.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : I mean, one who thinks, for example, “I want to speak a word; what do you think? What are the consequences, good and bad? Which is greater?” The one that outweighs the other prevails. This is very rare. Therefore, the issue in Saudi Arabia now requires matters of correct knowledge.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : And correct thinking, and literary courage, and these rarely come together in some people.
The questioner : We sat, our Shaykh, in a gathering with some of our brothers.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh :
The best jihad is a word of truth in the presence of a tyrannical ruler
أفضل الجهاد كلمة حق عند سلطان جائرThe questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : This is the best jihad.
The questioner : There is no doubt.
The Shaykh : But this jihad is what this mujahid directs toward the ruler; he advises him. However, it does not follow from his fulfilling the obligation of advising the ruler that the people should revolt and fitnah (trial, discord or temptation) should occur between the ruler and the ruled. So the hadith is about what you asked about.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : It has no relation to the issue of enjoining good and forbidding evil; one may be killed, as mentioned in the hadith cited earlier.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : One may also be imprisoned, but the matter is as he (peace and blessings be upon him) said in one of his battles when he was injured in his finger: “It is only a finger that has bled, and what I have encountered is in the path of Allah.” The issue is one of a major harm that outweighs a minor benefit. So if the matter turns between a minor benefit and a major harm, the major harm is prioritized over the minor benefit, and the benefit is abandoned in order to avert the major harm. Yes, these are principles of Islamic jurisprudence.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : In reality, in my opinion, this is not hidden from strong students of knowledge, but it is not easy to adhere to and apply it.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : One may end up with excess or deficiency, and the middle path is very rare.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : I mean, one who thinks, for example, “I want to speak a word; what do you think? What are the consequences, good and bad? Which is greater?” The one that outweighs the other prevails. This is very rare. Therefore, the issue in Saudi Arabia now requires matters of correct knowledge.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : And correct thinking, and literary courage, and these rarely come together in some people.
The questioner : We sat, our Shaykh, in a gathering with some of our brothers.
Source
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The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.