THE FOUNDATION of Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jamāʿah in da`wah is to call people to the Tawḥīd of Allāh, then uniting the hearts by calling to unity in the religion on the basis of this Tawḥīd and sound creed, and then, calling to unity behind the ruler so that the religion and its adherents have strength through all these types and layers of unity and thereby, preserve their beneficial interests in the world and the hereafter.

With the above in mind, there is a legislated politics (siyāsah sharʿiyyah) which is part of Islām that is unlike the reprehensible politics (siyāsah madhmūmah) intended by the ḥarakiyyīn, siyāsiyyīn (political activists)—among groups such as al-Ikhwān and Ḥizb al-Taḥrīr and their offshoots—which revolves around deposing and gaining leadership, democracy, elections, marches, demonstrations, mobilising people to that end, and involving the common people in these types of affairs, with much speech about events and occurrences that do not benefit the people, rather misguide them and take them away from their rectification. Shaykh ʿUbayd al-Jābirī said: “We teach people Tawḥīd and do not engross them in affairs of politics.” (20/03/16).

At the same time, the scholars explain that the Siyāsah Sharʿiyyah, the legislated politics, is from Islām, and from it are mighty foundations that serve the above objectives (unity and strength) and relate to rulership, governance, obedience, loyalty, rebellion, jihād, war, bloodshed, state relations, safety, security and so on.

These foundations intersect with and are inseparable from the affairs of creed and methodology and are found in the most basic books of creed such as Uṣūl al-Sunnah of Imām Aḥmad (رحمه الله), and Sharḥ al-Sunnah of al-Barbahārī (رحمه الله), or al-Uṣūl al-Sittah of Ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb (رحمه الله). The scholars speak about these affairs with emphasis because violations therein lead to great harm, bloodshed and corruption in the land, as well as splitting and weakness, leading to domination of the enemies.

Shaykh Muqbil bin Hādī (رحمه الله) said:^[1]

Notes

01  Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah (رحمه الله) wrote a book titled “al-Siyāsah al-Sharʿiyyah” in which he states at the beginning:

He then states that the entire treatise is based on two verses from the Qurʾān (4:58-)(4:59-), the first of which is directed to the rulers primarily, to fulfil their trust and judge between people with justice, and the second is directed to the subjects, to obey those in authority.

He went on to say:

And from what enters into the legislated politics for those in authority is fighting the Khārijites and rebels and matters of war and bloodshed, which Ibn Taymiyyah also mentions in the work.

02  Shaykh Bin Bāz (رحمه الله), while commenting on the ḥadīth cited by Shaykh Muqbil (رحمه الله) regarding the Prophets governing Banī Isrāʾīl, said the following:

03  From the above, it is clear there is an intersection between aspects of the legislated politics, and the affairs of creed and methodology, specifically, the issues of rulership, obedience, and those who rebel, or split from the main body of the Muslims, and matters of jihād, war, bloodshed and so on, in which there are clear foundations in the Sunnah and which are signposts of Salafiyyah.

So from the aspect of creed and methodology, the scholars explain these affairs, and they are in the books of creed as we have mentioned, they are from the clearest of affairs in which there is no ambiguity or confusion, and they are not outside the reach of the fruitseller or roadsweeper among the Muslims to comprehend.

Further, as and when required, the scholars of Ahl al-Sunnah, or some of them, will speak about these foundations in relation to actual events since these foundations are not merely theoretical, without connection to reality. Rather, they are conceived and spoken of in relation to actual events, and this is why the scholars, past and present, always bring examples from early history, from the era of the Companions onwards, to illustrate these foundations which are part of the legislated politics.

Recent examples which can be given are the fitnah of the Quṭbiyyah Surūriyyah in the 1990s and the “Arab Spring” revolutions in the early 2010s in which the scholars spoke and clarified these foundations, and the shaykhs and students followed after them, conveying these truths to the people so they can distinguish between what agrees with the Sunnah and what opposes the Sunnah, and so that they can distinguish between the true Salafīs on the one hand, who in all circumstances, adhere to the foundations of Ahl al-Sunnah, and those who pay lip-service but during tribulations, oppose senior scholars, oppose legitimate authority, manifest taḥazzub, join the aḥzāb and support their activities. In other words, enter into the blameworthy politics.

Shaykh Rabīʿ wrote on this topic, during the era of the “Arab Spring” revolutions and he spoke about obedience to the ruler, and issues of rebellion and the tribulations caused thereby, and cited many of the known revealed texts regarding those who disobey the ruler, raise the sword, separate from the jamāʿah, rebel and shed blood. He (رحمه الله) said after that: “This advice emanates from a clear Islamic principle, supported by evidence from the Qurʾān and the Sunnah. Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah and the scholars of his time had preceded us in such a position.”^[2]

03  From the evil speech of the people of desires who display Salafiyyah but align themselves with the aḥzāb (politicised factions), taking wealth from them and being compromised by them, in opposition to legitimate authority is that they say that these are mere affairs of politics, and they are of no concern to those foreign to the land because they are internal affairs of administration. That these things have happened in history and they try to divorce them from the foundations of Sunnah and Salafiyyah. This is errant speech.

Shaykh Muqbil was referring to those secularists who want to separate religion from politics (meaning the state) and it seems that these people are trying to separate what they are doing from the affairs of religion to justify their misguided actions in separating from the state and legitimate authority.

04  One other important matter to note is that whenever you see people embroiled in the blameworthy politics, you will inevitably see a corruption of scales. Hence, they will praise innovators, shield them and direct others to them, while at the same time, speak ill of the scholars of Ahl al-Sunnah, and those besides them, sometimes even trying to destroy them, especially if they are obstacles to their goals and ambitions. Sometimes these signs might be observed before the underlying, hidden corruption of blameworthy politics and deviation in methodology even comes to surface.

05  Once we have understood all the above, then the speech of those who say, “don’t drag us into politics” and “politics is not from our religion” and they may refer, for example, to when the scholars clarify the fitnah of the Surūriyyah, or the callers to the Arab Spring, or matters of rulership, civil war, rebellion, war, bloodshed and so on, and they criticise those who clarify the foundations of the Sunnah, or in other words, speak regarding the legislated politics to the extent that it intersects with the affairs mentioned in the books of creed and methodology, and enables right to be distinguished from wrong, and guidance from misguidance, and the guided from the misguided, then such people speak with ignorance, not knowledge.

Those whom they criticise are the ones who speak about the legislated politics in refutation of those who fall into the blameworthy politics. Thus when they say “do not drag us into politics”, this is what those whom they defend have fallen into, the blameworthy politics which is opposed to the legislated politics, while those whom they speak ill of, call to the legislated politics, which are also matters of creed and methodology.

From the legislated politics is:

• Obedience to legitimate authority.
• Not contending with a ruler in his leadership.
• Disavowing the one who wishes to split the Muslim nation.
• Fighting Khārijites and rebels.
• Remaining behind the ruler in affairs of jihād.

Given that often, these aspects of the legislated politics are targeted by hostile external third-party actors with their own agendas, the situation becomes even more dire, from doctrinal, methodological, political and economic perspectives.

This is why these affairs receive great attention from Ahl al-Sunnah and why, when attempts are made to pollute, distort and divert this intersection of legislated politics, creed and methodology, scholars and shaykhs arise to halt them and clarify them, in protection of the servant, the land, the creed and the methodology, and the rest of Ahl al-Sunnah become more learned, more alert and wiser regarding these issues, because what is doctrinal has been applied to real life and verse versa.^[3]

This is not “delving into blameworthy politics”.

Thus when one scholar or more brings clear evidence that someone ascribing to Salafiyyah has entered into these affairs, joining or supporting the aḥzāb and their methods (marches, demonstrations) and their goals, taking wealth from them, dividing the Muslims, removing the hand of obedience against legitimate authority and so on, then it is obligatory to accept that, in affirmation of the legislated politics (siyāsah sharʿiyyah) which intersects with creed and methodology.

06  Ahl al-Sunnah are known for clarity and consistency and uniformity of scales, because their following is always based on whoever brings the truth with its evidences from the people of knowledge.

Ḥudhayfah bin al-Yamān (رضي الله عنه) advised Ibn Masʿūd (رضي الله عنه):^[4]

May Allāh grant us knowledge and understanding.

Arabic text:

Footnotes