Let us discuss the stand taken by our revered ancestors in order to establish peace and harmony and prevent sedition at times of strife and dissension.
Abdullah ibn Omar was one of the great Islamic scholars of his time. During the period of strife, every governor prayed behind him and paid him zakah, the compulsory wealth tax to be paid by well-to-do Muslims.
The famous Hadith collector Al-Bukhari reported that Abdullah ibn Dinar had seen Abdullah ibn Omar pledging allegiance to Abdul Malik ibn Marwan (646-705), fifth caliph of the Arab Umayyad dynasty, when people joined hands with the caliph.
“Ibn Omar told me that I declare that Abdul Malik be obeyed as the Amir Al-Muemineen or the leader of the faithful as per the tradition of God as well as His Prophet, as far as possible, and my children have also done the same,” Abdullah ibn Dinar said in a statement.
While explaining the words of Abdullah ibn Omar, Ibn Hajar said: “By people joining hands with Abdul Malik ibn Marwan, he means that they stood united with the ruler as there was division before that. Two people — Abdul Malik ibn Marwan and Abdullah ibn Al-Zubair — were claiming power.”
He continues: “Abdullah ibn Omar at that time refused to offer a pledge of allegiance to Ibn Al-Zubair or Abdul Malik. But when Abdul Malik triumphed and controlled the situation, he offered him a pledge of allegiance.
Al-Baihaqi reports in Manaqib (Virtues of Al-Shafie) quoting Harmala: “I have heard Al-Shafie as saying that whoever becomes caliph by force and people stand united with him is a real caliph,” Harmala said.
Ibn Hajar says: “Experts in Islamic jurisprudence have the unanimous opinion that a victorious ruler must be obeyed and his orders for jihad must be accepted and implemented.”
Sheikh Abdul Lateef ibn Abdul Rahman has mentioned that the Al-Marwan dynasty came to power defeating his rivals. At the same time, all people in villages and towns obeyed them. The same was the case of Abbasid dynasty. Then he continued: “Men of knowledge, in light of these events, are united on the necessity of obeying those who come to power in the right manner. They also agree with implementing the ruler’s orders and the validity of their leadership. There is no two opinions on that.”
Imam Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahab says: Leading Islamic scholars from all schools of thought are united that those who take over leadership of a country or two will have the status of an Islamic ruler in all matters. If that was not the case then there would have been chaos and instability in the world. For a long time, even before the time of Imam Ahmed until our time, people have not united behind a single imam and no Islamic scholar has ever said that the laws issued by these rulers would not be acceptable.”
From the words of Sheikh Abdul Wahab, we can learn one important point, that is the validity of having more than one imam under compulsion, and every imam in his country will have the status of a genuine imam.
Sheikh Al-Islam Ibn Taimiyya also emphasizes the same point. “The tradition is that Muslims should have a single imam and all others should serve as his deputies. Supposedly, if the imams violate this tradition by committing sins and the rest prove inept, then there will be a number of imams, each upholding the power to impose Islamic law and restore public rights,” Ibn Taimiyya says.
When Ibn Kathir, another famous scholar known for his commentary of the Holy Qur’an, spoke on this issue, he said: “This case is similar to the status of the caliphs of Umayyads in Damascus, the Abbasids in Iraq, Fatimids in Egypt and the Omawis in the Maghreb.”
— Abdul Mohsen Al-Obaikan is a well-known Saudi Islamic scholar.
