Questioner:

Some say, ‘the leader of Saudi Arabia is not my ruler and therefore it is alright for me to speak ill of him.’

Shaykh Muḥammad Bāzmūl:

That’s it then! The leader of Saudi Arabia is not his ruler so he should go ahead and speak ill of him. And I, the head of Egypt is not my ruler so let us speak ill of him, and the leader of Kuwait is not his ruler either so let him go ahead and speak ill of him as well. And like that, a Believer sits around speaking ill of the heads of governments. No, my brother, this is not part of the Sunnah. This is not part of the religion. This is a matter that is, how do you say, forbidden by the principles of the religion, because it is a bridge leading to evil. Allāh forbade the Muslims to insult the gods of the unbelievers so that they do not insult Allāh in return, while you aim to forge a path to be able to insult his ruler, if he is a Muslim king or Muslim leader. Do you want to give people an excuse to insult your ruler due to the fact that you insult theirs? So each person insults the ruler of the other?

My brother, the Prophet ﷺ was never given to excessive cursing or abuse. Moreover, what is the point of these insults? What is the point of this chatter? It neither achieves the aim of enjoining good, forbidding wrong, upholding religious law or upholding the religion. Instead, it leads to spiritual ruin and a Muslim’s appearance and image being sullied, and lands Islām’s followers in the ugly situation of trading insults amongst themselves. And I make a distinction between talking about and naming a specific ruler of some country and between talking about some error and warning against it.

That is one thing and this is another. Feel free to warn against any error that may have been committed by any individual, even if is a ruler – but without pointing him out or naming him – because it is an error and you want to correct it. There is no harm in this. However, to name a ruler, shame him and speak ill of him? No!

Furthermore – and I my praise of the ruler of these Saudi Arabian lands is not in spite of what Allāh knows – they are followers of Islām and good people who call for the implementation of Islamic law. In fact, the scholars vouch for that and we can see the reality for ourselves and we are aware of it without even the need for the scholars’ testimony. The fact is that our country is distinguished by its upholding of Islamic law, penal laws, religious traits, and the fact that its people feel safe and secure, by virtue of Allāh’s favour, and thereafter by virtue of the ruler. Islamic law is in place, and there is safety and stability due to our rulers’ upholding of this Islamic law.

The scholars also have their place and their say with the rulers and no one opposes this except the misguided, the unjust, the heretics, the separatists. We ask Allāh to save us and save you all from all evil.