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2. REVOLTING AGAINST IMPIOUS RULERS (2)

Among the arguments of the majority of Muslim scholars who

hold the view that rebellion against impious rulers is prohibited are as

follows:

1. Allah says in the Qur’ān,

ر منأكمأ يا أي ها الذين آمنوا أطيعوا مأ (95)النساء: الله وأطيعوا الرسول وأولي الأO you who believe, obey Allah and obey the

Messenger and those in authority among you…

(Q. 4:59)

This verse is supported with the Prophet’s statement, narrated by

Abū Hurayrah, as follows:

منأ أطاعني ف قدأ أطاع الله ومنأ عصاني ف قدأ عصى الله ومنأ أطاع أميري ف قدأ أطاعني ومنأ عصى أميري ف قدأ عصاني

(و البيهقي و النسائي )رواه أحمدWhoever obeys me, obeys Allah, and whoever disobeys me,

disobeys Allah. Whoever obeys my commander, obeys me,

and whoever disobeys my commander, disobeys me.

(Reported by Ahmad, al-Bayhaqī, and al-Nasā’ī)

In this verse Allah mentions the term “obey” before the

word “Allah” and “the Messenger”, not before “those in

authority among you” to indicate that obeying Allah and the

Messenger is unconditional, whereas obeying those in authority

among the believers is conditional that they do not command to

sin. The Prophet s.a.w. said, الأمعأروأف )رواه أحمد(...إنما الطاعة في

... obedience is only in righteousness

(Reported by Ahmad)

Disobeying them does not imply fighting them. Several

hadiths stated that the Prophet s.a.w. ordered the Muslims to be

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patient in obeying their rulers although they did not like them, as

follows: رهه ف لأيصأبرأعليأه منأ رأى منأ أميره شيأئا يكأ

را فمات إال ميأتة جاهلية فإنه منأ فارق الأجماعة شب أ (أحمد والدارمي و مسلم و البخاري رواه)

Whoever sees something from his leader that he

does not like, let him be patient. The one who separates

a hand span from the community and then dies, dies

not except a death of the Days of Ignorance.

(Reported by Bukhārī, Muslim, al-Dārimī, and Aḥmad)

2. In several ḥadīths the Prophet s.a.w. warned us against fighting

each other and civil war and tribulations as the consequence of

rebellion against oppressive and impious Muslim rulers, such as

follows:

ر لم فسوق وقتاله كفأ سباب الأمسأ( مسلم والترمذي و النسائي و أحمد رواه البخاري و )

Abusing a Muslim is wickedness and fighting

him is kufr (infidelity)

(Reported by Bukhārī, Muslim, al-Tirmidhī,

al-Nasā’ī and Aḥmad) تول في النار ، فيأهما فالقاتل والمقأ لمان بسي أ ف قلأت يا رسول الله إذا الت قى المسأ

تول قال: إنه كان حريصا على ق تأل صاحبه هذا القاتل فما بال المقأ (رواه البخاري و مسلم و أحمد)

“If two Muslims engage each other with

their swords, the killer and the killed will be

in the Hell-fire. I [Abū Bakrah] said: “O Messenger

of Allah, that is for the killer but what is the case

with the killed?” He replied, “He was

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anxious to kill his fellow [Muslim].

(Reported by Bukhārī, Muslim, and Aḥmad) رب ب عأضكمأ رقاب ب عأض ال ت رأجعوا ب عأدي كفارا يضأ (رواه البخاري ومسلم)

Do not return after me to be disbelievers,

striking the necks of one another.

(Reported by Bukhārī, and Muslim)

There is insinuation here that killing each other is like

returning to infidelity, and not the behaviour of good Muslims.

The Prophet s.a.w. also advised us not to be involved in

fighting among ourselves during tribulation. He said, as narrated

by Abū Hurayrah, as follows: ر منأ الأماشي ر منأ الأقائم والأقائم فيها خي أ ستكون فتن الأقاعد فيها خي أ

را من رفأه فمنأ وجد والأماشي فيها خي أ تشأ الساعي منأ تشرف لها تسأها ملأجأ أوأ مهاذا ف لأي عذأ به )رواه البخاري (ومسلممن أ

There will be trials and tribulations wherein the one

sitting is better than the one standing. The one standing

will be better than the one walking. The one walking will

be better than the one running. Whoever will expose

himself to these afflictions, they will destroy him.

So whoever can find a place or protection or

refuge from them should take shelter in it.

(Reported by Bukhārī, and Muslim)

What the Prophet means is, in a simple language, keep away

from being involved in fighting among Muslims, or you will

become victims of this tribulation.

3. The Prophet s.a.w. had prophesised what some rulers would do, but

at the same time he did not order people to rebel against them.

‘Amr ibn Yaḥyā ibn Sa‘īd said that while he was sitting in the

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mosque of Madinah with others among whom was Marwān, Abū

Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet s.a.w. said,

ف قال مرأوان: لعأنة الله عليأهمأ غلأمة. « هلكة أمتي على يديأ غلأمة منأ ق ريأش »رج ، لفعلأت. فكنأت أخأ ، وبني فالن ف قال أبو هري أرة: لوأ شئأت أنأ أقول: بني فالن

داثا قال لنا مع جدي إلى بني مرأ :وان حين ملكوا بالشأأم، فإذا رآهمأ غلأمانا أحأهمأ؟ ق لأنا: أنأت أعألم )رواه البخاري ومسلم( عسى هؤالء أنأ يكونوا من أ

“The destruction of my Nation will be at the hands of

young men from the Quraysh.” Marwān then said: ‘The

curse of Allah be upon the young men.’ Abū Hurayrah

said, ‘If I willed to say the tribe of so and so and the tribe

of so and so, I could do so.’ Then I [Amr] went with my

grand-father [Sa‘īd] to the Clan of Marwān after they

gained control of al-Shām. When he [Marwān] saw

that they were young, inexperienced men, he said

to us, ‘Perhaps these are from among them.’

We said, ‘You know best.’

(Reported by Bukhārī, and Muslim)

In another ḥadīth, the Prophet s.a.w. said: ن ب عأدي أث رة وأمورا ت نأكرون ها قال ل اهلل ما تأأمرنا وا ف إنكمأ ست روأ يا رسوأ

(وا إليأهمأ حقهمأ وسلوا الله حقكمأ )رواه البخاريأد قال ‘After me, you shall see selfishness and some matters

that you will disapprove of’. They said, ‘What do you

order us to do [at that time], O Messenger of Allah?’ He

said, ‘Fulfill their rights and ask Allah for your rights.’

(Reported by Bukhārī)

4. The Prophet s.a.w. did not order the Muslims to revolt against

impious or oppressing rulers, as he knew that this would lead them

to destruction more than if they obeyed them. It is what we call

the lesser of two evils”. Ibn Taymiyyah (1263–1328“ , أخف الضرريأن

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CE),) said: “Perhaps, no group is known to have revolted against a

ruler except that it resulted with more evils than what they sought

to remove.” He also said that the Prophet’s order to be patient with

the injustice of rulers instead of fighting or rebelling against them

is the best for the affairs of the humans in this life and the

Hereafter. Going against this command, intentionally or

mistakenly, will achieve nothing but evil. In other words, rebellion

against unjust rulers will create instability and disturbance in the

society.

5. Historical evidence indicates that rebellion achieved nothing

except evil. Ibn Taymiyyah gives many examples of revolts

against rulers with power resulting with greater evil than any good.

Some examples of these revolts are:

(a) Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr’s revolt against Yazīd ibn Mu‘āwiyah

ibn Abī Sufyān in Madinah (23 July 647 – 14 November 683),

who was the Caliph as appointed by his father Muawiyah I

and ruled for three years from 680 CE until his death in 683

CE. Ibn Zubayr ibn al-Awwam was the son of Asmā bin Abū

Bakr. He and al-Ḥusayn ibn ‘Ali refused to swear allegiance

to Yazīd ibn Mu‘āwiyah. When al-Ḥusayn was assassinated in

Karbala, Ibn al-Zubayr revolted against Yazīd who later

invaded Hejaz, took Madinah after the battle of al-Harrah.

Tihamah was invaded and Makkah was sieged. After Yazīd’s

sudden death civil war broke out, but Ibn al-Zubayr lost Egypt

and whatever he had in Syria to Marwān I. He was finally

defeated by Abdul Malik ibn Marwān who sent al-Ḥajjāj ibn

Yūsuf, who was notorious for his brutality, killed Ibn al-

Zubayr in the battlefield in 692, beheaded him and crucified

his body.

(b) In June 15, 747, Abu Muslim al-Khurasānī who revolted

against the Umayyad caliph in Khorasan and other provinces

eventually succeeded in overthrowing it. Marwan II, the last

Umayyad caliph was defeated and killed in 750. In reward or

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his services, al-Saffaḥ, the first Abbasid caliph in 749, gave

Abu Muslim the governorship of Khorasan. Due to his

popularity as a leading politician, a powerful military leader,

especially among non-Arabs, despite many services he

rendered to the Abbasids, they became more suspicious of

him, especially his inclination to separate his native country

Khorasan from the rest of the Abbasid states. The caliph al-

Manṣūr betrayed him, invited him to his court and put him to

death. It was reported that realizing the betrayal, he had said

condemning this dirty politics against him, يسوس لعأنة اللهأ على ساس

ت قاته Allah’s curse upon [the words] ‘ruling, and its“ ,ومشأ

derivatives’, [meaning سياسة policy, politics, diplomacy].”

The companions of the Prophet who had been given the

glad tidings of Paradise were not immune from taking part in

rebellion, such as Ṭalḥah and al-Zubayr, who joined ‘Ᾱ’ishah

against ‘Ali in the battle of Jamal where both of them murdered.

Imām Abū ’l-Ḥasan al-Ash‘arī (d. 324/936) the founder of

Ash‘arī school of theology) listed 25 members of the Prophet’s

descendants who revolted against the corrupt rulers, but none of

them succeeded.

6. The Prophet s.a.w. said,

ين بالرجل الأفاجر )رواه البخاري ومسلم والدارمي( إن الله لي ؤيد هذا الدVerily, Allah supports this religion [even with]

a wicked man.

(Reported by Bukhārī, Muslim, and al-Dārimī)

In line with this ḥadīth Ibn Taymiyyah said, “The

oppressive king is used by Allah to repel harm greater than his

own wrongdoing. It is said, ‘Sixty years under an oppressive

ruler is better than one night without a leader.’ And if He

decrees to increase his oppression, that is something harmful to

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the religion, (and) it is like an affliction that acts as expiation for

their (people’s) sins…”

What our scholars mean is that although rebellion against

oppressive rulers is not justified to avoid blood-shed, the attempt

to end their oppression or their rules by peaceful means should

never end. The order of doing good deeds and prohibiting from

doing bad deeds (amr bi ‘l-ma‘rūf wa ‘l-nahy ‘an al-munkar)

remains. It has to be done by people who have knowledge,

gentleness and patience. It is part of the jihad.

A man asked the Prophet s.a.w., “What is the best jihad?” He

answered,

ل عنأد إمام جائر )رواه أحمد و النسائي و الترمذي(كلمة عدأ [The best jihad is] a statement of justice in the

presence of unjust ruler.

(Reported by al-Tirmidhī, al-Nasā’ī and Aḥmad)

In conclusion, we should not stand idle witnessing any

misbehavior, injustice, oppression, and corruption in our society. We

have to do something based on our ability, with knowledge,

gentleness, and patient, avoiding bloodshed among our Muslim

brothers and sisters. (CIVIC, 6.9.13)

Bibliography:

1. Tafsīr Ibn Kathīr

2. Al-Mutairi, Dr.Abdul Rahman (trans. Jamaal al-Din Zarabozo),

Religious Extremism in the Lives of Contemporary Muslims.

Denver: al-Basheer Publication & Translation, 2001

3. Al-Maktabah al-Shāmilah

4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdullah_ibn_Zubayr