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Ruling on elections and voting The eminent scholar Muḥammad Nāṣir ud-Dīn al-Albānī was asked the following question: What is the ruling on elections and voting in them, and what is the evidence for that? And what is the alternative if they are not permissible? Questioner: "The first question, our Shaikh, is a bit long but has an explanation, in shā Allāh. It says, we are now approaching parliamentary elections -may Allāh grant us and you well-being-. Most people in this era are living through a period where tribulations have swept over them. We can almost say that these tribulations are shaping society and leading it with its severe currents, causing people to adapt in a non-Islamic way. As a result, even the scholar, before the layman, points to the legitimacy of these elections, claiming that if we leave the matter like this, the Muslim who should not be in power will have complete dominance." Shaikh al-Albānī: It is not suitable that ...? Questioner: A Muslim who is either a socialist or like him, -that is to say- a disbeliever, and they want to change things. The disbeliever will have complete dominance—and I emphasize the word complete—while participation for Muslims grants us a share of authority that gives the Muslim some of his demands and preserves some of his rights. Therefore, based on the principle that "What is necessary to fulfill an obligation is itself an obligation," participating in elections almost becomes obligatory. So, I would like you -may Allāh reward you-, to clarify for us the Sharia evidence on the issue of elections, participation in them, and voting. And what is the alternative in this case? May Allāh reward you. Shaikh al-Albānī: We have discussed this matter repeatedly and said: Participation in elections is a form of inclination towards those who oppress. This is because the system of parliaments and elections, is believed, as far as I know, by every Muslim who has a sound understanding of Islamic education, every Muslim knows that it is not an Islamic system. However, at the same time, I believe that many who have some degree of engagement with Islamic education mistakenly think that the parliament is like the consultative council (Shura) of Muslims. This is not the case at all. Some mistakenly think that the parliament, translated as the "Council of the Nation," resembles the Shura council, the consultative body that we are commanded to uphold in the Book of Allāh and the hadīth of the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ and it's not like that at all. This becomes evident to every insightful Muslim in many ways, the most important of which is that these parliaments are not based on the Book of Allāh and the Sunnah of His Messenger ﷺ. Rather, we can say that they are not based on any of the recognized Islamic schools of thought, as was the case in the Ottoman era. During the Ottoman era, they governed according to the school of al-Imām Abū Hanīfah -may Allāh have mercy on him-. While we neither prefer nor favor this over what we call people to — which is to judge according to the Book and the Sunnah — there is a significant difference between that system, which was based on the opinion of one of the trusted independent jurists (mujtahidīn), and these parliaments based on non-Islamic systems that do not believe in Allāh and His Messenger, from one perspective. Rather, they are the foremost who fall under the category described in the saying of the Most High: { قَـٰتِلُوا۟ ٱلَّذِینَ لَا یُؤۡمِنُونَ بِٱللَّهِ وَلَا بِٱلۡیَوۡمِ ٱلۡـَٔاخِرِ وَلَا یُحَرِّمُونَ مَا حَرَّمَ ٱللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُۥ وَلَا یَدِینُونَ دِینَ ٱلۡحَقِّ مِنَ ٱلَّذِینَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلۡكِتَـٰبَ حَتَّىٰ یُعۡطُوا۟ ٱلۡجِزۡیَةَ عَن یَدࣲ وَهُمۡ صَـٰغِرُونَ } Fight against those who do not believe in Allāh or in the Last Day and who do not consider unlawful what Allāh and His Messenger have made unlawful and who do not adopt the religion of truth [i.e., Islām] from those who were given the Scripture - [fight] until they give the jizyah willingly while they are humbled. [9:29]