بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Narrated upon the authority of Auf ibn Malik:
Allah’s Messenger -sallahu alayhi wa sallam- said, “The best of your leaders are those whom you love and they love you, they supplicate for you and you for them. The worse of your leaders are those whom you hate and they hate you, you curse them and they curse you.”
Someone said, “O Messenger of Allah! Should we not revolt against them with the sword?”
He -sallahu alayhi wa sallam- replied, “No not while they establish the prayer amongst you. If you see something within your leader that causes you to hate him, than hate the action and do not remove your hands from obedience (to him). (1)
Sheikh Muhammad ibn Salih Al Uthaymin said, “The worse of leaders are those whom you hate and they hate you, you loathe them due to not executing what Allah has made binding upon them from good conduct towards the citizens, and bestowing entitlements towards its rightful people. If they operate in that manner the people will hate them, as a result hatred occurs between them. Due to the lack of the ruler implementing binding duties, hatred for him emanates within the citizens. Moreover, hatred towards the subjects manifest within the ruler because of their hatred for him. As a consequence of if they hate their ruler, revolts will occur against him, the loathing of him, disobedience to his command, and the enacting of what he prohibits.
At this point you curse them and they you, and Allah’s refuge is sought. The intent is that you insult them and they insult you, or you supplicate against them and they against you. Thus the Muslim rulers are divided into two types. A type that is in accordance with and implements what has been made binding upon them, consequently the people love them and they love the people. Everyone among them supplicates for the other. In contrast to the other type who are the worse of leaders. They dislike the people and vice versa, likewise they revile the people and vice versa.” (2)
What Sheikh Al Uthaymin illustrated in his elucidation of the Prophet’s -sallahu alayhi wa sallam- statement, is the exact description and behavior of many of our leaders today, yet the Messenger -sallahu alayhi wa sallam- after being asked about rebelling against them, gave a clear, distinct, and unambiguous answer, “No not while they establish the prayer among you.” So how is it that one can magnify the wrongs of the Muslim ruler in order to legitimize revolting against him, and claim that he is in accordance with the prophetic methodology and its directives?!
Imam Al Barbahaari in his book “Sharh-us-Sunnah” stated in point number 130, “Enjoining good and forbidding evil is by way of the hand, tongue, and heart, but not by the sword.” Sheikh Salih Al Fawzan states, while expounding on this point, “The clarification related to enjoining good and forbidding evil has already preceded and is implemented according to ability. However his statement, ‘But not by the sword’ means that it is impermissible to raise the sword against the ruler, even though it is alleged that this is from enjoining good and forbidding evil. Actually, this is the way of the Khawaarij and Mu’tazilah who rebel against the Muslim ruler. They say the ruler is sinful and that rebellion is disapproval of his evil. In reality, this (rebellion) is evil, because it is disobedience to the Messenger -sallahu alayhi wa sallam. Likewise due to that which results from it of major harms namely, shedding Muslim blood, deficient security, disunity, and extreme corruption that is more severe than being patient with his sinfulness and opposition, due to them being a harm for him alone (and not a harm to the general masses).
As for rebellion with the sword, its harm affects the Muslims, and is the way of the Mu’tazilah and Khawaarij. The main tenets of the Mu’tazilah are as follows:
1: Enjoining good and forbidding evil
They mean revolting against the Muslim ruler while alleging it to be from enjoining good and forbidding evil.
2: Tawheed
The intent is to negate Allah’s names and attributes because affirmation of them is to associate a partner with Him, in their view.
3: Justice
It means to negate Allah’s preordainment, as they allege that He decreed that man commits sins, so if he punishes them (for their sins) in effect He oppresses them.
4: The station between two stations
It is to say that the committer of major sins is neither a disbeliever nor Muslim. On the contrary he is on a station between this two.
5: Execution of the threat
It is declaring the committer of major sins, that are less than polytheism, to be a disbeliever. (3)
Compiled by Najeeb ibn Yusuf Al Anjelesi
1- Muslim 1855
2- Explanation of Riyadh-us-Saliheen.
3- Explanation of Sharh-us-Sunnah.