With Elections at the Door and the Calls to Intensify Participation in Its Sin

[مَعْذِرَةً إِلَى رَبِّكُمْ وَلَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَّقُونَ]

“To be absolved before your Lord and perhaps they may fear Him.” [Al-A’raf: 164]
(Translated)

 After the expatriates’ vote ended, and with the upcoming elections in Lebanon on 15/5/2022, calls were issued to the people to “widely participate and elect their representatives in the Parliament. People were urged to go to the polls to vote, which is an opportunity for change by voting”! This is despite the general atmosphere among the self-appointed representatives of Muslims was to boycott the elections, especially after Saad Hariri announced his withdrawal or the suspension of his political work!

O Muslims, our address to you, with Allah’s permission, is by those who do not lie to their people, for we are not a part of this political class and its parties so that we lie to you or deceive you, as do the leaders of the political class and its parties, or those who want to share power without guidance! All they will do is patchwork of what is worn out, extending the life of the regime and the system, and continuing to implement its laws that facilitated the looting of your money and the displacement of your children!

O Muslims, we say to you once again, as we have said over and over again, which was confirmed by reality:

Lebanon is politically subordinate to America. The youngest politician in Lebanon has come to know that the embassy runs Lebanon’s affairs politically from top to bottom, either directly, or through political forces directly affiliated to it, or affiliated to regional countries affiliated to America. Do you think that something as vital as the elections, is left by this hegemonic force, its agents, and those who follow in its wake? America, which is seeking to extend its economic hegemony over Lebanon above its political hegemony, especially after the discovery of large quantities of gas and oil on its shores, is working to rearrange the cards in the region in general, and in Lebanon in particular, to bring its men from the old corrupt political class but with new faces, especially from your circles, O Sunni Muslims, after your arenas were confused by closing their doors to those who claim to be your leaders, so they suspended, withdrew, or did not participate in the electoral process, then after this confusion, it is pushing its political centre to encourage you to vote! And here it is reopening the doors, although slightly, to the Saudi movement in your arenas! You should be aware of this and not respond to these calls.

The politicians are striving hard to recycle themselves, and they will not come up with anything new, but will continue to plunder the country and the people. As for the new faces, we have not seen or heard that one of them has a real radical project for change, rather their goal and their best programs states: Participate in the regime and the system, and introduce the best and most efficient in it, or elect the son of the city, or the unknown revolution project, or elect someone who repairs electricity, water and roads, or vote to prevent sedition, or those with loud drums calling for the worn-out patriotism and nationalism, and some of them even included the cause of Palestine and their support for it in their resonant speeches to rouse the emotions of Muslims!! Which project do you choose?! All of them, old and new, are based on the same regime and system. In the nutshell, this is the reality of the elections and its political candidates, whether old or new faces.

But more importantly today, who are you going to listen to? Will you listen to the politicians from the corrupt political class, or will you listen to the new faces that live on what the old system has planted, or will you listen to the call of your Lord, His rulings and your Deen, which is best for your Deen and your honour?!

We believe it is our duty to elucidate the matter clearly, so generalities and flowery words are not useful in situations of separation between truth and falsehood.

We say: The origin of actions of a Muslim must be according to the Shariah ruling, the elections are a specific action, and there is no doubt that this action has a ruling. In order to know the ruling, it is necessary to know the action of the representative specifically. Also, the action of the one who elects him follows it. The action of the Lebanese representative, especially under the relative law, is clear and unambiguous:

Legislation, is forbidden, because this belongs to Allah (swt) and His Messenger (saw) only. The election of the President of the Lebanese Republic, is forbidden, because it is an election of a kaffir and those who rule by kufr. Adoption of man-made laws, is forbidden, as it is an action other than what Allah (swt) has revealed. Giving confidence to the government is forbidden, because it will implement man-made law. Accountability of the authority on the basis of man- made law, is forbidden, because it accounts for something other than what the Shariah required. Participation of the representative in lists that lead kuffar or secularists to power or perverts, is forbidden, because it makes a way (authority) for the kuffar over the Muslims. If the representative entered the Parliament on this basis, then his act is forbidden, and his election is forbidden.

But if the Muslim representative declares that he does not do all of this, and that he is entering the Parliament to demand the rule and system of Allah (swt), which Allah (swt) has established for you Muslims, and to hold the corrupt accountable on the basis of Allah’s law, then his action is permissible, and it is permissible to elect him. Have you heard that there is a male and female Muslim representative in all of Lebanon who announced this, or can he do this based on the proportional election law? Of course not, none of them did that, and he/she cannot enter independently with his/her project, rather he/she has to enter into lists that include who and what goes against the Muslim in belief, understanding and project! After knowing this, is it permissible to elect one of these candidates in the position they are in?! No, it is not permissible to elect someone in this state, even if he prays, fasts, performs Hajj and pays zakat.

This will not be justified by the argument of interest and necessity, and the lesser of two evils and the lesser of two harms. Elections and candidacy are not a necessity that if abandoned they lead to destruction. If we accept that it applies to something other than what it came for, then it came for permitting the Muslim to eat or drink what Allah has forbidden from forbidden foods in case of necessity, and it is a license established by Shariah. There is no license without a text, so whoever wants a license to commit the forbidden action of election on the basis of proportional law, let him produce the text of his license... Elections are not from the Shariah interests.

Rather, it is one of the ones that its advocates call the Masalih Mursala, that is, it is the one for which there is no evidence, rather it is taken from the generality of the fact that Shariah came to bring interests and ward off evil. That is, there is no evidence to indicate its authenticity, and this alone is sufficient not to consider it as Shariah evidence. Nevertheless, the reality of the Masalih Mursala as they are, according to their definition, indicates that they are not authentic in several ways: they contradict the definition of the Shariah ruling, that is, they contradict the reality of the Shariah ruling, for Allah (swt) says:

[وَمَا آتَاكُمُ الرَّسُولُ فَخُذُوهُ وَمَا نَهَاكُمْ عَنْهُ فَانتَهُوا]

“And whatever the Messenger has given you - take; and what he has forbidden you - refrain from” [Al-Hashr: 7]. 

The Masalih Mursala was brought by reason, using it as Shariah evidence is making other than what the Messenger (saw) has brought, the Book and Sunnah, and it is following other than the Shariah because it is following the mind and making it the judge. We are commanded to follow what was brought by Revelation, and we are forbidden to follow other than what was brought by revelation. i.e., from following someone other than the Messenger (saw) and making the Masalih Mursala as a Shariah evidence, that is to follow reason, not the Messenger (saw) or Revelation. So, what is referred to it is not a Shariah ruling. Allah (swt) has perfected the Deen, so taking the interests indicated by the mind means that the Shariah is not perfected and is incomplete, so the mind came and showed its evidence of the interest in it! So, the Masalih Mursala according to them would have perfected the Shariah after it has been proven to be deficient! This contradicts the explicit text of the verse

[الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِي...]

“This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favour upon you” [Al-Ma’ida: 3].

Nor are elections the lesser of the two evils and the lesser of two harms. Rather, the principle is to eliminate the harm, and to search the Halal or Haram ruling of the action carried out by the Muslim representative or whoever elects him on the basis of this relative law.

After this, O Muslims, isn’t all this enough for you to leave the doubts, and to abide by what is permitted by Allah (swt) and to avoid what is forbidden, that are clear?! The Messenger of Allah (saw) said in an agreed upon Hadith:

«إِنَّ الْحَلَالَ بَيِّنٌ، والْحَرَامَ بَيِّنٌ، وبَيْنَهُمَا مُشْتَبِهَاتٌ لَا يَعْلَمُهُنَّ كَثِيرٌ مِنَ النَّاسِ، فَمَنِ اتَّقَى الشُّبُهَاتِ فَقَدِ اسْتَبْرَأَ لِدِينِهِ، وعِرْضِهِ، ومَنْ وقَعَ فِي الشُّبُهَاتِ وقَعَ فِي الْحَرَامِ...»

“The halal is clear and the haram is clear, and between them are matters unclear that are unknown to most people. Whoever is wary of these unclear matters has absolved his religion and honour. And whoever indulges in them has indulged in the haram.”

We are in no doubt that you, the people of Islam, will listen to the caller to Allah (swt) and His Messenger (saw), and thus turn away from the political class with all its old and new faces, and avoid suspicions, and reassure your souls, and support your Deen and your honour, especially after this confusion that America, its men, and its agents have caused you in Lebanon, but rather in your Ummah to which you belong.

[هَذَا بَيَانٌ لِّلنَّاسِ وَهُدًى وَمَوْعِظَةٌ لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ * وَلَا تَهِنُوا وَلَا تَحْزَنُوا وَأَنتُمُ الْأَعْلَوْنَ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُّؤْمِنِينَ]

“This [Qur'an] is a clear statement to [all] the people and a guidance and instruction for those conscious of Allah * So do not weaken and do not grieve, and you will be superior if you are [true] believers” [Aal-i-Imran: 138-139].