By Ubaidullah
Islamic Sharia has laid out a comprehensive system for organizing the individual and collective life of Muslims. Within this system, the question of obedience to the ruler, and the limits of that obedience, is among the most sensitive and important discussions in Islamic political jurisprudence. At a time when certain groups, under various names and under the cover of religious slogans, are rebelling against Afghanistan’s Islamic system, there’s a serious need for a precise, deep, and thorough examination of this issue in light of the Holy Quran and the Prophetic Sunnah.
The question is this: are such acts considered jihad in the path of Allah, or are they fitna that spills Muslim blood and threatens the security and stability of society?
The Holy Quran, alongside obedience to Allah and His Messenger, also lays out the basic principle of obedience to those in authority, saying:
«أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَأُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنكُمْ»
“Obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you.”
This obedience, of course, is not absolute or unconditional. The great scholars of Ahl al-Sunnah hold that as long as a ruler has not fallen into clear and open disbelief (kufr bawwāh), and has not destroyed the fundamental principles of Islam, taking up arms against him and rebelling against him is not permissible.
On this point, the authentic Prophetic hadiths carry a stern and cautionary warning. The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said:
«مَنْ خَرَجَ مِنَ السُّلْطَانِ شِبْرًا مَاتَ مِیتَةً جَاهِلِیَّةً»
“Whoever distances himself from obedience to his ruler even by a handspan dies the death of Jahiliyyah.”
In another narration, the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said:
«مَنْ خَرَجَ مِنَ الطَّاعَةِ وَفَارَقَ الْجَمَاعَةَ فَمَاتَ مَاتَ مِیتَةً جَاهِلِیَّةً»
“Whoever parts from obedience, and splits away from the Jama’ah and dies, then he has died a death of Jahiliyyah.” (Sahih Muslim)
The main reason behind this strong emphasis on preserving unity and avoiding rebellion and armed uprising is that rising up against a ruler, in many cases, causes corruption even greater than the oppression carried out by the ruler himself. Imam Nawawi (rh) says that even where a ruler is unjust, armed rebellion in many cases causes even greater corruption. For this reason, protecting Muslim blood takes priority over uprising.
Ibn Taymiyya (rh) insists on this same principle too, that any action whose corruption is greater than its reform is prohibited under Sharia, because civil war in many cases brings consequences worse and more damaging than the ruler’s oppression.
Of course, none of this means staying silent in the face of injustice. Commanding good and forbidding evil are among the lasting duties of Muslims, and calling the ruler toward correction and reform can be done through lawful, legitimate, and peaceful means. The scholars of Ahl al-Sunnah have stressed on this point that armed rebellion is not only not a solution to problems, but opens the door to an even greater fitna, one that spills innocent blood and destroys the stability of the country.
As the Holy Quran says in Surah al-Hujurat, verse 9:
«وَإِن طَائِفَتَانِ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ اقْتَتَلُوا فَأَصْلِحُوا بَيْنَهُمَا»
“And if two factions among the believers should fight, then make settlement between the two.”
The Islamic system currently in place in Afghanistan, brought into being through the Afghan people’s vast sacrifices, is a system for which implementing the divine commands takes priority above all else. Armed rebellion against such a system is considered an obvious example of armed rebellion (baghy) and of stepping outside obedience to the legitimate ruler, an act the Prophetic narrations warn against sternly, with the death of Jahiliyyah.
Rebels should, before any action is taken, be called toward truth, peace, and reconciliation. If they refuse to abandon their positions, the Islamic government should stand against their fitna. But the door to repentance, return, and reform must always remain open to them.
For this reason, rebellion against a legitimate ruler is not jihad. It is fitna, the kind that spills Muslim blood, destroys the security and stability of society, and creates an opening for foreign enemies to interfere. Historical experience, from the past right up to today, has clearly shown that preserving Muslim unity and obeying a Sharia ruler, so long as he acts within the framework of Islam, are among the important foundations of a nation’s survival, dignity, and stability.
