The Fifth Issue

Whoever asserts that it is obligatory to listen to and obey the rulers, even if they are unjust, has left the Murji’ah This is because the Murji'ah do not recognise the legitimacy of obedience to unjust rulers; instead, they advocate for armed rebellion. ’Abdullāh ibn Ṭāhir, may Allāh have mercy on him, said about the Murji’ah: «لا يرون للسلطان طاعة» "They do not believe in obedience to the ruler" [’Aqīdat As-Salaf wa Aṣ- ḥāb Al-Ḥadīth by Aṣ-Ṣābūni, p. 68]. Sufyān ibn ’Uyaynah and Al-Awzā’ē , may Allāh have mercy on them, said: «إنَّ قول المرجئة؛ يُخْرِجُ إلى السيف» "The doctrine of the Murji’ah leads to armed rebellion." [As-Sunnah by ’Abdullāh ibn Aḥmad (1/368/218)]. Sufyān Ath-Thawri, may Allāh have mercy on him, said: «يرون السيف على أهل القبلة» "They advocate the use of the sword against the people of the Qiblah." [Ash-Sharī’ah by Al-Ājurri 2062, and see Sharḥ Usūl I’tiqād Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jamā’ah by Al-Lālakā'ē 1834, may Allāh have mercy on them]. Below are some statements from the three scholars on this issue: Ibn Bāz, may Allāh have mercy on him, said: «ويجب على المسلمين طاعة ولاة الأمور في المعروف، لا في المعصية، فإذا أمروا بالمعصية؛ فلا يطاعون في المعصية، لكن لا يجوز الخروج عليهم بأسبابها» "Muslims must obey their rulers in what is right, not in what is sinful. If rulers command something sinful, they should not be obeyed in that, but it is not permissible to rebel against them for this reason." [Fatāwā 8/203]. Al-Albāni, may Allāh have mercy on him, commented on the statement in the ’Aqīdah of Aṭ-Ṭaḥāwiyyah, 'We believe that obeying them is part of obeying Allāh Almighty and is obligatory', saying: «ومن الواضح أن ذلك خاص بحُكّام المسلمين منهم، لقوله تعالى: أَطِيعُوا الله وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَأُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنكُمْ [النساء ٥٩]» "It is clear that this applies specifically to Muslim rulers, as indicated by Allāh's words: 'Obey Allāh and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you.' [An-Nisā' 59]" [Aṭ-Ṭaḥāwiyyah (1/58)]. Ibn ’Uthaymīn, may Allāh have mercy on him, said: «مهما فَسَقَ ولاة الأمور: لا يجوز الخروج عليهم. لو شربوا الخمر، لو زَنَوا، لو ظلموا الناس: لا يجوز الخروج عليهم» "No matter how sinful the rulers are, it is not permissible to rebel against them. Even if they drink alcohol, commit adultery, or oppress the people, it is still not permissible to rebel against them." [Sharḥ Riyāḍh Aṣ-Ṣāliḥīn (1/702)]. I say: These are the principles of the Murji’ah as relayed from them and refuted by Ahlus-Sunnah, which many students of knowledge have overlooked. As a result, they accuse others of holding Murji’ah beliefs, even if those individuals do not adhere to any of the views of the Murji’ah. You will find that the reports from the Salaf exonerate a person from the accusation of Murji’ah, yet some of our contemporaries hastily label them as such. So, who is more knowledgeable about Irjā' and its principles—the Imams of the Salaf or these students of knowledge? Furthermore, some students of knowledge have taken their own ijtihād on certain issues and turned them into fundamental principles of the Sunnah, considering them as criteria to distinguish between Ahlus-Sunnah and the Murji’ah. Consequently, they accuse anyone who disagrees with them of being a Murji'. An example of this is the issue of declaring someone who neglects prayer out of laziness as a disbeliever—a matter concerning which the early scholars of Ahlus-Sunnah disagreed. This issue has no connection to Irjā', either directly or indirectly, as long as the disagreement is based on evidence(1). This is something to be aware of. ___ (1) Note: The disagreement on the ruling of someone who neglects prayer out of laziness may be related to the views of the Murji'ism and the Khawarijism if the disagreement stems from faulty principles.