Allah, the Exalted, created the world for humanity and established a system, then sent the pure religion and the belief in monotheism for the welfare and happiness of mankind. Allah endowed this system with the power to respect the dissemination of opinions and the implementation of people’s affairs. However, this power was not granted to the public. Therefore, Allah Almighty has reserved for the public the right to hold accountable those entrusted with the affairs of the Ummah, allowing them to demand an impeachment if a ruler commits a fault in overseeing the people’s affairs or is negligent in implementing and promoting Islam.
Islam has made the rightful rights and observance of Islamic affairs from the ruler free for the general public and an absolute obligation for the scholars, because the true leaders of the Ummah are scholars.
The divine verses also refer to the same:
«وَلْتَكُنْ مِنْكُمْ أُمَّةٌ يَدْعُونَ إِلَى الْخَيْرِ وَيَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ» “There should be a group from among you who (get the necessary training and learn the Qur’an, Sunnah, and the rules of the Sharia, and invite people to do well and enjoin good and forbid bad.”
Many verses have introduced the superiority of this nation depending on enjoining good and forbidding evil and calling to Allah’s religion, otherwise its superiority is meaningless. The benevolent rulers of Salaf understood this fact and accepted it.
By observing through the pages of history, we find the mention of many of these rulers who themselves request the nation to reprimand him and bring his every action and possession to the accounting table and remind him to every mistake he makes.
The best example to express this fact is the performance of Hazrat Siddiq Akbar, may Allah be pleased with him, after taking over the reins of government, he said in his lecture: “If I did well, help me, and if I did wrong, reprimand me.” Obey me as long as I follow Allah and His Messenger among you…”
And for a practical example, let’s look at the actions of Hazrat Umar after taking over the government. He said in one of his Speeches: “Anyone of you who sees a fault in me should correct it.” An Arab stands up and says with a sword: “By Allah, O Umar, if we see a fault in your acts, I will correct it by this sword.” Hazrat Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, was very happy and pleased to hear this answer and praised Allah.
But today’s rulers are not ready to be criticized despite their shortcomings. They forbid criticism and going further, like the popes, consider themselves sacred. And if someone criticizes, they treat him with the most severe punishment or kill him and claim to nip sedition in the bud.
But the scholars of Islam have proven that they have always questioned the rulers in different ways and demanded the rights of the subjects with the honesty that have been recorded in history from the time of the rightful caliphs until today.
Keynote
The reprimand of the rulers is actually the rejection of their actions against Sharia and their contradictory statements about Islam; otherwise, the intention is not to slander the rulers’ personalities. Because every human except the prophets is subject to mistakes. Therefore, criticizing the rulers corrects them and corrects their mistakes, and the lucky one is the one who is given advice and receives it, is reprimanded, and because of that, his actions are strengthened.
The righteous scholars have always tried to give advice to the rulers, and they are so interested in this work that they bear the hardships of it, but they do not back down, and this is a Shariah ideal, as the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: “Religion is advice. We said for whom? He said: because of Allah and His Book and His Prophet and for the Imams of Muslims and the generality of Muslims”.
Advice and kindness to rulers is always better than rebellion against them, of course, as long as they do not show open disbelief and atheism to Allah’s revelations or change the rules of Sharia. Imam Hasan Basri, may Allah have mercy on him, says: “The rulers who are in charge of our affairs in collecting and equipping army, clarifying the borders of the Islamic land, and the religion cannot be established except by these; Even if they commit injustice. By Allah, the reformation that Allah brings through them is more than their corruption”.
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