Fighting rebels

FIGHTING REBELS

(those who draw away from the leader)

Rebels: are a group of Muslims who oppose the JUST leader that Muslims have chosen.

As for their fighting: Their captives are not killed and their money are not taken as a booty.

A person becomes a leader or a ruler by one of the following:

①Decision makers give their pledge to him (as in the pledge of allegiance to Abu-Bakr AL-Seddik).

②The leader appoints a person as successor (as Abu-Bakr did when he appointed ᶦUmar ibn AL-Khttab as successor).

③A strong person, who is expert of leadership, seizes power in order to manage disorders.

Conditions of the just leader:

He must be a Muslim, male, adult, just, hard worker, brave, with unimpaired senses.

The leader should consider the grievances of those who have drawn away from him and remove them first.

But, if they insisted on fighting him, Muslims should assist him against those rebels, in order that the affairs of the country be organized.

For example: When Imam Ali went to fight Muᶦawiya and his allies who refused the consensus of the nation on choosing Imam Ali as a caliph, and engaged against them in the battle of AL Jamal and the battle of Safeen.

− Also, Imam Ali’s fight against the Dissenters (AL-Khwarij) in the battle of AL Nahrawaan.

The Prophet foresaw that earlier when he said to the son of his parental aunt AL Zubair ibn AL Awaam, “You will fight Ali and you will oppress him.” 
And indeed, AL Zubair engaged in the battle against Ali, and then he retreated from that, so Marawaan ibn AL Hakam killed him.

●Abu-Saᶦid AL-Khudri reported: We carried the adobe for construction of the mosque of the Prophet We were carrying one brick at a time while ᶦAmmar was carrying two.
The Prophet passed by ᶦAmmar and removed the dust off his head and said, “May Allah be Merciful to ᶦAmmar. He will be killed by a rebellious aggressive group. He will invite them (i.e. his murderers, the rebellious group) to Paradise and they will invite him to Hell-fire.” [AL-Bukhari].

And indeed, ᶦAmmar was killed in the battle of Safeen while he was fighting with Imam Ali against them (Muᶦawiya and his allies).

¨Many traditions have forbidden drawing away from the leader and have urged respecting public order.

●It was narrated from Abi-Hurairah that the Prophet said, “Whoever rebels against my nation (Ummah), killing the righteous and the wicked of them, does not try to avoid killing the believers, and does not fulfill his promise made with those who have been given a pledge (of security), is not from me (i.e. is not my follower), and I am not from him (i.e. I have nothing to do with him).”

●It was narrated from Ibn ᶦUmar that the Prophet (P.P.B.U.H) said, “It is obligatory upon a Muslim to listen (to the ruler) and obey whether he likes it or not, except when he is ordered to do a sin, in such case, there is no obligation to listen or to obey.” [Muslim].

●It was narrated from ᶦAuf ibn Malik that the Messenger of Allah (P.P.B.U.H) said, “The best of your rulers those whom you love and who love you, who invoke God’s blessings upon you and you invoke His blessings upon them. And the worst of your rulers are those whom you hate and who hate you and whom you curse and who curse you.”
It was asked (by those present): “Shouldn’t we overthrow them with the help of the sword?” He said: “No, as long as they establish prayer among you.” [Muslim].

●It was narrated from Ibn ᶦAbbas that the Prophet (P.P.B.U.H) said, “Whoever noticed something which he disliked done by his ruler, then he should be patient, for one who separated from the company of Muslims even for a span and then died, he would die as those who died in the pre-Islamic period of Ignorance (as rebellious sinner).” [AL-Bukhari].