By Adil
In the political system of Islam, security and stability are two basic pillars, for the implementation of the divine commands and for the protection of the foundations of Muslim society; they carry such strategic weight that the Holy Quran gives them priority over many individual and social rites.
Allah (SWT) says:
«یَا أَیُّهَا الَّذِینَ آمَنُواْ أَوْفُواْ بِالْعُقُودِ».
“O you who have believed, fulfill [all] contracts.” (Surah al-Ma’idah: 1)
Among these most important contracts is the contract of obedience to the Islamic ruler and of guarding the boundary of national security. In the light of this view, rebellion and armed uprising against the Islamic system is not merely a political crime; it is a red line, crossing which will bring about the collapse of social order and the destruction of the Muslim ummah.
For a deep understanding of this red line, one must first look at the linguistic and fiqhi roots of this concept. Baghawat, linguistically, is derived from the root “baghaa,” which means transgression and exceeding a limit and measure. In the terminology of Islamic fiqh, “baghy” refers to an uprising and armed revolt carried out against a legitimate imam and ruler, in a situation where the rebels have some ta’wil or plausible interpretation for their action. This definition makes it clear that rebellion, from a fiqhi standpoint, is a political-security crime that targets the fundamental pillars of Islamic governance and diverts society from the path of security and calm.
Indeed, Islam is a comprehensive and coherent system, and any disturbance within its structure, particularly through uprising and rebellion, shakes all its foundations.
Allah (SWT) commands the Islamic ruler in clear words to fight the rebels.
«قَاتِلُوا الَّتِي تَبْغِي»
“Fight the one that transgresses.” (Surah al-Hujurat: 9)
This is not an option, but a divine obligation; an obligation carried by every ruler who considers himself an enforcer of sharia.
A point worth noting is that Allah (SWT), in this very verse, after the command to fight the rebels, says:
«حَتَّى تَفِيءَ إِلَى أَمْرِ اللَّهِ»
(until it returns to the ordinance of Allah.)
It means that war against the rebels will continue until they turn back from their transgression and submit to the divine command. This insistence makes clear that rebellion is not an ordinary political dispute to be resolved through empty talk; rather, it is a matter that targets the entire existence of the Islamic system, and the only way back is complete surrender before sharia authority.
When we turn our attention to the prophetic Sunnah, we are met with even more jolting warnings. The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said in an authentic Hadith:
«سَتَکُونُ بَعْدِي أُمَرَاءُ فَمَنْ دَخَلَ عَلَيْهِمْ فَصَدَّقَهُمْ بِكَذِبِهِمْ وَأَعَانَهُمْ عَلَى ظُلْمِهِمْ فَلَيْسَ مِنِّي وَلَسْتُ مِنْهُ»
(There will be, after me, rulers; whoever enters upon them and condones to their lies, and supports them in their oppression, then he is not from me and I am not from him).
But on the other hand, Imam Nawawi, in his commentary on these hadiths, insists that even if the ruler is oppressive, armed uprising against him is not permitted, unless his clear kufr is established.
This is a firm principle in the fiqh of Ahl al-Sunnah, that no one may cast it aside under the pretext of defending the Islamic system. From these premises we can clearly understand that rebellion, within the Islamic system, is a complex crime with various dimensions. On one hand, the rebels, through their uprising, commit a crime against the authority, the punishment for which is war and severe suppression until they return to the truth. On the other hand, this act disrupts public security, sheds the blood of defenseless people, and destroys national wealth.
Today, the Islamic system of Afghanistan, whose foundation was laid with the blood of tens of thousands of martyrs and with heavy, tireless sacrifices, is recognized as sharia authority. Whoever, under the shadow of any name or title, raises arms against this system must understand that he is betraying not only the system, but also Islam and the history of this land.
Rebellion is not merely a threat against authority; it is a threat against everything that Islam has come to protect: the protection of religion, life, intellect, lineage, and wealth. The rebels, even if they call themselves reformers, in practice, by weakening security, pave the way for enemies to gain influence and dominance, and call into question the value of the reconstruction efforts of recent decades. That is why the jurists have called rebellion not only a political crime, but also a form of muharabah and corruption on earth, whose punishment is among the harshest of punishments.
Let us repeat this message once more to all those who think they can advance their demands through uprising and violence: prosperity can never be built through destruction. Rebellion brings nothing to society except hardship and bloodshed. The red line against the Islamic system is any armed uprising. Those who cross this line must understand that they stand against the whole of society and its values; and this society will never withdraw from standing firm and resisting the rebels, in defense of its own existence.
