Is it obligatory to love the Muslim leaders or just obey them and not revolt against them?

The prohibition of revolting against Muslim rulers has been mentioned in many Ahadith. Similarly, there are many statements from the Imams of the Salaf, like Ahmed ibn Hanbal, and others to the same effect.

But nowhere in the Hadith corpus, or in the statements of the Imams of the Salaf do I find that it incumbent upon Muslims like or love their rulers.

In fact, the Ahaadith which prohibit rebellion against rulers point to the fact that the people will not liking their rulers, otherwise they wouldn’t have thought of rebelling against their rulers, would they?

In several narrations there is a mention of:

أَثَرة

i.e. rulers who will take up wealth for themselves and/or their relatives and not give the subjects their share.

The Ahaadith command us to be patient in such times; not that we should like or love them anyways.

In another Hadith, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ mentioned that the worst of rulers would be those whom you would despise and they would despise you. He was asked, shouldn’t we fight against such rulers with our swords? He replied: No, as long as they establish prayer. [Sahih Muslim]

In this Hadith, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ didn’t forbid despising the rulers, he forbade against rebelling against them.

Some people think that in order to prevent people from rebellion we should try and make them love the rulers, and to this end they praise the rulers day-in and day-out, and pretend that people have no genuine grievances against their rulers This can be very counter-productive. People consider such people as sellouts, and thus they increase in their hatred for rulers and their desire to rebel against them.

Instead one should address the people saying, we understand your grievances and we know about the corruption and oppression, but such rulers were prophesied by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and he asked us to be patient and not rebel against them. He asked us to hate their corruption but remain patient and not rebel.

Moreover this constant praise goes against the way of the Imams of the Salaf, despite the fact that the rulers in their time were much better than the rulers today.

To the contrary, it has been reported from the great ascetic and renowned scholar of his time Fudhail ibn ‘Iyaadh (d. 187) that he said about Haroon al-Rashid:

ما على ظهر الأرض أبغض إلي من هارون ولا أحد أحب إلي بقاء منه، لو قيل انتقص من عمرك ويزاد في عمره لفعلت، ولو خيرت بين موته أو موت هذا (يريد ابنه أبا عبيدة) , وإنى لأحبه (يعني أبا عبيدة) قال: وأحبه لأنه جاءني على الكبر= لاخترت موت هذا. فسبحان الذي جمع بين هاتين الخصلتين في قلبي

“There is no one on this earth whom I *despise* more than Haroon, but despite that there is no one for whom I wish a long life except him. If it was said to me, you can subtract years from your life and add it to his, I would do it. If I was given the choice between the death of my son whom I love very much, and the death of Haroon, I would prefer my son’s death over his. Glory be to Allah who has combined together these two (opposing) feelings in my heart!”

[Hilyat al-Awlia 8/104-105]

The narrator who heard this, as well as Imam Ahmed (as narrated by Al-Khallal in “Al-Sunnah” 1/31), explained that Fudhail wished for Haroon’s longevity because he feared that the one who would come after him would be much worse. And that is exactly what happened, Haroon was succeeded by Mamoon who started the Fitnah of Khalq al-Qur’an.

To summarize, Allah has not made it incumbent upon us, nor was it the practice of the Salaf, to constantly praise the rulers, or justify each and every one of their actions and words.

-Via Ustadh Nabeel Nisar Sheikh (Pupil of Shaikh Uzair Shams Rahimahullah) on Facebook.

Ustadh Abdurrahman Hassan mentioned that Imam Muhammad Ameen Shinqeeti(رحمةالله عليه) wrote a very lengthy&excellent poem on Arab Lineages when he was quite young(in Mauritania).

When he grew up he decided to bury the manuscript forever. When his colleagues(in Saudi Arabia) asked as to why he was burying it(such a masterpiece)?

He(رحمةالله عليه) replied: “When I wrote it I had no Niyyah(Ikhlas),I wrote it to compete with my classmates?I’m not in need of it now.*”

(Paraphrased)

(Lecture: Apparent Contradictions in The Quran Part 1)

السلام عليكم و رحمة الله و بركاته

Persia (Faris), i.e, modern day Iran,Azerbaijan, parts of Iraq and Balochistan belonged to The Ahlus Sunnah (and upon the Madhab of Imam Ash-Shafi Rahimahullah).

In 1502 C.E a Shia Rafidi (Ismaili twelver Shia) Shah Ismail bin Haidar 1(of The Safawid Dynasty) captured this whole area and killed all the Sunni Ulama and forcibly converted the population to Shiism, the Sunni populace who opposed them were murdered.

From then onwards till date, Iran has been a bastion of the Shia Rafidhi faith.

May Allah guide the people of Iran to true Islam. Aameen.

(Compiled,Abu Muaaz Mohammed Manna)

If you put a crawling baby in a room, all alone , and throw a ball into the room without the baby noticing the source of the ball. What would the baby do?

The baby wouldn’t just start playing with the ball.He’d lookout here&there for the source of the ball, because he just couldn’t imagine that the ball popped out of nowhere.The innate disposition of the baby agrees to the fact that everything needs a source, an originator.

We will show them Our Signs in the universe, and in their ownselves, until it becomes manifest to them that this (the Quran) is the truth. Is it not sufficient in regard to your Lord that He is a Witness over all things? [Quran 41:53]

The Atheist: The ball came from nothing!

(Reading Atheism, Abu Muaaz Mohammed Manna)

(Source: As narrated by Shaikh Abdul Azeez Al-Uwayyid, a historian from Kuwait, in a YouTube video, and translated by Ustadh Sajid bin Shareef Al-Malibari. Only the most important portion in the video has been translated.)

Muhammad Yousuf Seedhi, was a Sikh who accepted Islam, and his family abandoned him for that.

He was a rich businessman, and he planned to start a center for studying and teaching The Quran.

In 1380 H, he travelled to Makkah, to get teachers. His travel coincided with Ramadan and on one night of Ramadan, the Imam of Masjid ul Haram, Shaikh Abduz Zahir Abu Samah, was on leave for Isha and Taraveeh prayers, due to some illness.

So the Imam of the silent prayers (Dhuhr and Asr) lead the Salah and he made many mistakes in his recitation, perhaps due to stage fear or some reasons, and Allah knows the best.

So Muhammad Yousuf Seedhi, thought that it was more necessary to start a Center for Quran in Makkah, he discussed with the Ulama and the businessesmen of Makkah and they agreed to his plan.

He returned to India and went to Kashmir, to meet some Ulama and students of knowledge. One of them was Shaikh Hafidh Khaleel-ur-Rehman Al-Qari who was only 23 then and was an excellent Qari.

The Shaikh Khaleel rejected initially as he wanted to continue his Talab-ul-Ilm and planned to go to Al-Azhar to seek knowledge. And he was nervous to teach in Makkah. So Muhammad Yousuf Seedhi spoke to him, and persuaded him, from Asr Salah that day to Fajr on the next day. And the Shaikh agreed at last and he travelled to Makkah and he established a Markaz with Muhammad Yousuf Seedhi and the assistance of the famous businessman Muhammad bin Laden.

Later, this Markaz was shifted to Madinah. The branches of this Markaz, Jamiyyat Al-Khairiyyat Li-Tahaffuz Al-Quran, spread throughout The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The Shaikh Khaleel was born in Kashmir in 1940 CE, and he learnt from the Ulama of Kashmir, Quran and other Islamic Sciences.

When he met Shaikh ibn Baaz Rahimahullah, he asked his name, and he replied ‘Khaleel-ur-Rehman bin Abdur Rahman’, so the Shaikh said (correcting him),”No you are Khaleel bin Abdur Rahman”.

[ Shaikh Ibn Baaz perhaps didn’t like the name Khaleel-ur-Rehman(close friend of Ar-Rahman) and considered such a name self praise, hence he named him only ‘Khaleel'(friend)]

And in the span of time, Shaikh Khaleel, started many institutions in Saudi Arabia,and other countries. He spent 53 years teaching the quran in Masjid An-Nabawi.

And Allah blessed him to witness, before his death,that many of his students became Imams at the Haramain (Makkah and Madinah). Some of them were, Muhammad Subayyil, Ali Jabir, Muhammad Ayyub and his own sons Ahmad Al-Qari and Muhammad Khaleel.And a lot of Imams of other Masaajid and other centers around the world.

Shaikh Muhammad Ayyub, was with Shaikh Khaleel since he was 12 years old and Shaikh Khaleel raised him and brought him up till he became the Imam of Masjid An-Nabawi in 1401.

Whenever Shaikh Khaleel, travelled abroad he would listen to the recitations of Muhammad Ayyub or any of his other students and correct them and pray for their good by calling them.

Once an interview was conducted by Muhammad Ayyub and he was asked about the beginning of his relationship with The Quran. So he said that,”I memorized the Quran in the Masjid bin Laden in Makkah at the hands of Shaikh Khaleel”. Seeing this interview, the wealthy bin Laden family contacted Shaikh Khaleel to give him whatever he asked for. Shaikh Khaleel refused the offer by saying ‘Alhamdulillah whatever Allah gave me is sufficient for me’. Upon their persuasion Shaikh Khaleel took the help of that family to establish another institute of the Quran.

Once the former president of Pakistan, General Zia-ul-Haq, did Umrah and prayed behind Shaikh Ali Jabir in Masjid ul Haram in Makkah. After the Salah he greeted the Imam and asked him about his teachers,’Who taught you the Quran?’. He said ‘Shaikh Khaleel Al-Qari’.

Then Zia-ul-Haq went to Madina and met Shaikh Khaleel and requested him to supervise a Madrasa of Quran in Pakistan.The Shaikh Khaleel agreed to that and the President brought a vast land in Islamabad (the capital of Pakistan) close to the Jamiah Malik Faisal Mosque and the center was established.

Shaikh Umar Fullata, an Aalim in Madinah, met Shaikh Khaleel and said that many a times many of our students in Jamiyyah Islamia Madinah recite the Quran nicely in the exams,so we’d ask them where did you learn the Quran, and all of them would answer ‘Shaikh Khaleel’.

Once an Ameer(Prince) called Saud bin Muhammad bin Abdul Azeez met Shaikh Khaleel, and requested him to be an Imam in the palace of Malik Khalid Rahimahullah, who was the ruler of Saudi Arabia at that time. But Shaikh Khaleel refused and he said that, he would send one of his students Ali Jabir, who later on became the Imam of Masjid ul Haram in Makkah.

Shaikh Hassan bin Abdullah Aalus-Shaikh was the education minister in Saudi Arabia, he was very fond of Shaikh Khaleel, and he once said that, ” Shaikh Khaleel you have filled our country with light, with your projects of The Quran (establishing Quran centers)”, whatever project you want to start I am ready to fund you.

Shaikh Khaleel Al-Qari said that the best and one of the most virtuous thing that the education minister,Hassan bin Abdullah, did was that, he made it a rule that whenever there were two(or more) candidates competing for a particular post, the one who had memorized more Quran and would recite it better would be given a preference(and be selected). Ans this is from honouring the Quran.

Shaikh Khaleel passed away on the 23rd of Dhul Hijjah 1439.

We ask Allah to expand his grave and forgive him and grant him and his students Jannat-ul-Firdaws, and we also ask Allah to grant Jannah to all those who assisted him in his endeavours towards memorization and preservation of the Quran.

(Everyting except for the last paragraph is from the video referenced above).

-Shaikh Abdul Azeez Al-Uwaiyyid.