Chapter 20

It does not lead to evil, nor does disagreement compel one toward severance and abandonment, as is the case with those who oppose us in matters of fundamental principles (usuliyyah). ¶

This pertains to 'disagreement of contradiction' (khilaf al-tadad) in secondary matters (furu'iyyah). As for 'disagreement of diversity' (ikhtilaf al-tanawwu') in secondary matters, it is a mercy for the Ummah and a source of ease for it; it is not permissible for any Muslim to restrict another in any of these aspects. ¶

From this, we conclude that disagreement in secondary matters is one of the greatest causes of division among Muslims. It has led to a lack of cooperation and mutual support among them, which has enabled the enemies of the Muslims to overcome them, as the poet says: ¶

'Through our divisions (and the loss of the Caliphate), we perished; we became fragmented, and the outsiders came to dominate us.'(1) ¶

(1) See: Shu'ara al-Da'wah al-Islamiyyah, Vol. 2, p. 22. ¶

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Chapter Three: Withdrawal from the Muslim Community. Under this chapter are three sections: Section One: Withdrawal based on the claim of the permissibility of isolation. Section Two: Withdrawal from the believers due to fear of the enemies of the people of faith. Section Three: Scholars between the path of Jihad and the path of isolation. 383 ¶

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First Discussion: The Claim of Permissibility of Withdrawal (I'tizal) ¶

I'tizal (Withdrawal/Neutrality): It means to move away and step aside (1). Allah the Almighty says: {And if you do not believe me, then leave me alone [keep away from me]} (2). A group of people, consisting of both their scholars and laymen, rely on the generality of certain texts from the Quran and Sunnah to argue for the permissibility of withdrawing from both the people of truth and the people of falsehood, and keeping distant from the conflict between them. They take this as a pretext for their refusal to join the people of truth and perform Jihad alongside them against the disbelievers who are at war with Allah, His Messenger, and the believers. ¶

The collection of texts that these people cite as evidence are as follows:- 1- The saying of Allah the Almighty: {And do not throw [yourselves] with your [own] hands into destruction} (3). ¶

(1) See: Al-Mu'jam al-Wasit, Vol. 2, p. 605. (2) Surah Ad-Dukhan, verse (21). (3) Surah Al-Baqarah, verse (195). ¶

2 - The saying of Allah the Almighty: "Upon you is your own soul; those who have gone astray will not harm you when you have been guided." 3 - The saying of Allah the Almighty: "And do not kill yourselves; indeed, Allah is to you ever Merciful." ¶

And regarding what has been narrated from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) in the ahadith pertaining to this subject, they are as follows: ¶

1 - It is narrated from Abu Umayya al-Sha'bani, who said: I came to Abu Tha'labah al-Khushani and asked, "How should we act regarding this verse?" He replied, "Which verse do you mean?" I said, "O you who have believed, upon you is your own soul; those who have gone astray will not harm you when you have been guided." He said, "I asked an expert about it, I asked the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and he said: 'Rather, enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil, until you see stinginess being obeyed, desires being followed, this world being preferred, and everyone with an opinion being impressed with his own opinion. When you see a situation over which you have no power, then hold onto your own soul and leave the affairs of the common people. For indeed, ahead of you are days of patience; patience in them is like holding onto a burning coal, and the one who acts in them will have the reward of fifty men who do the like of his deed.'" ¶

2 - It is narrated from Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: It was asked, "O Messenger of Allah, when should we stop enjoining good and forbidding evil?" He replied, "When that which appeared in the nations before you appears among you." We asked, "O Messenger of Allah, what appeared in the nations before us?" He replied, "Authority in the hands of your youngsters, indecency among your elders, and knowledge in the hands of your ignoble (lowly) people." ¶

Interpretation of the Prophet’s (ﷺ) saying (wa al-‘ilmu fi radha al-tahakkum), meaning: when knowledge is in the hands of the corrupt (fussaq). ¶

3. Narrated by Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him): The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "A time is near when the best wealth of a Muslim will be sheep, which he will follow to the peaks of the mountains and the places of rainfall, fleeing with his religion from the tribulations (fitan)." ¶

4. Narrated by ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "What will you do, O ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr, when you remain among the dregs of the people, whose covenants and trusts have been violated, and they have become like this?" And he interlaced his fingers. I asked: "O Messenger of Allah, what do you command me?" He replied: "Stick to your own affairs (focus on yourself) and leave the common folk alone." ¶

5. Narrated by Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him): The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "It is not befitting for a believer to humiliate himself." They asked: "How would he humiliate himself?" He replied: "By exposing himself to a trial (bala') that he cannot bear." ¶

6. Narrated by Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him): The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "There will be tribulations, during which the one who sits is better than the one who stands, the one who stands is better than the one who walks, and the one who walks is better than the one who runs. Whoever exposes himself to them will be ensnared by them. So, whoever finds a refuge or a place of protection, let him seek it." ¶

Those who argued for the impermissibility of seclusion (i'tizal) have provided responses to these evidences, which we summarize as follows: ¶

First: The intention behind 'destruction' (tahluka) in the verse of Surah al-Baqarah is the abandonment of jihad and spending in the path of Allah. As narrated by Yazid ibn Abi Habib from Aslam ibn Imran, from Abu Ayyub al-Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: 'We were in the city of Rome (Byzantium), and they brought out against us a great rank of Romans. A rank of Muslims went out to meet them, equal to or greater than them. Then a man from the Muslims charged at the Roman rank until he entered among them. The people shouted and said: Subhan Allah! He is throwing himself into destruction (tahluka). Abu Ayyub al-Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him) stood up and said: O people! You are interpreting this verse with this interpretation, whereas this verse was revealed regarding us, the Ansar. When Allah granted Islam honor and its supporters increased, some of us said to others privately, without the Prophet (peace be upon him): Our wealth has been lost, and Allah has honored Islam and its supporters have become numerous, so if we tend to our wealth and repair what has been lost of it (it would be better). Then Allah revealed this verse to His Prophet (peace be upon him) rejecting what we had said. Thus, 'destruction' was staying occupied with wealth and repairing it, while abandoning jihad. Abu Ayyub continued to march in the path of Allah until he was buried in the land of Rome, striving in the path of Allah (1). ¶

Second: The meaning of the verse in Surah al-Ma'idah, 'Upon you is the responsibility for your own souls; those who go astray will not harm you when you have been guided,' is not intended to declare that a believer is not obligated to enjoin good and forbid evil once he is personally guided. This verse does not absolve an individual or a group of individuals from the duty of fighting against evil, resisting misguidance, and combating tyranny. The authors of the Sunan recorded that Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) stood, praised Allah, and then said: O people! You recite this verse, 'O you who have believed, upon you is the responsibility for your own souls; those who go astray will not harm you when you have been guided,' and you are applying it in a context other than its intended one, for I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) say: 'Indeed...' ¶

"If people see evil and do not change it, it is imminent that Allah (Azza wa Jall) will encompass them with a punishment from Himself"(1). Thus, the first Caliph—may Allah be pleased with him—corrected the misconceptions that had reached the minds of some people in his time regarding this noble verse. ¶

We are in greater need of this correction today, because fulfilling the duties of changing evil has become more difficult and burdensome in a society where those who remain idle seek every excuse to exempt themselves from responsibility. How easily the weak resort to interpreting these verses in a way that relieves them from the fatigue of jihad and the hardships of da'wah, and eases them from the distress and trials of jihad(2). ¶

Third: The intent of Surah An-Nisa in the saying of the Almighty: "And do not kill yourselves; indeed, Allah is to you ever Merciful," is a prohibition against Muslims killing one another, and the scholars of Tafsir have reached a consensus on this. It is expressed this way considering that Muslims are like a single body and a single soul, and what harms the whole harms the part, similar to the saying of Allah Almighty: "And do not insult one another"(3). It is inconceivable for a person to insult themselves, but it is an expression that suggests the magnitude of the bond and the greatness of unity among Muslims(4). ¶

As for the response to the aforementioned hadiths, it is as follows: First: They are contradicted by verses from the Holy Quran and by hadiths, most of which have been reported in the two Sahihs (Bukhari and Muslim), which relate to the obligation of enjoining good and forbidding evil, and the necessity of adhering to the community of Muslims. ¶

Second: It is possible to reconcile the proofs indicating the permissibility of 'itizal (seclusion/neutrality) and the proofs forbidding it, by stating that 'itizal is permissible when one of the following reasons exists:- ¶

The First Reason: Inability to distinguish between the party of the truth and the party of falsehood. ¶

It is permissible to adopt neutrality when it becomes impossible for a Muslim to identify who is on the side of truth and who is on the side of falsehood. In a situation where the matter is ambiguous, it is permissible for him to withdraw from the disputing parties, as some of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) did. Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas, Muhammad ibn Maslamah, and Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) withdrew as a group during the conflict between Ali and Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with them). The reason for this was that the evidence for either of the disputing parties was not clear from their perspective. It is narrated from Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) that when a man ordered him to fight, claiming that they (the others) were transgressors (bughat), he replied: 'I do not know who the transgressing faction is; if we knew, neither you nor anyone else would have preceded me in fighting them.' ¶

However, if the truth and the correct position become clear to him, the majority (jumhur) agree on the prohibition of neutrality during times of fitna (civil strife), because it results in abandoning the people of truth and strengthening the people of falsehood. They support this with the actions of some Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) who participated in the fighting at the Battle of the Camel and Siffin, and by the action of Khuzaymah ibn Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him), who was with Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) but did not fight. When Ammar was killed, he then fought and narrated the hadith: 'Ammar will be killed by the transgressing faction.' ¶

The Second Reason: Lack of verbal or physical capability to manifest the truth and suppress (falsehood). ¶

against falsehood. Thus, it is permissible for a person to adopt isolation (i'tizal) if they do not possess the verbal or physical capacity to manifest the truth and suppress falsehood, provided this is based on Shariah-compliant excuses and not on the desires or inclinations of the self(1). The Almighty says: {Allah does not burden a soul beyond that it can bear}(2). ¶

The third reason: If a person is certain that they have no supporters to assist and aid them, should the task require such support. ¶

It is permissible for a Muslim to refrain from confronting the disbelievers and to withhold from fighting them until a suitable opportunity arises, just as the Prophet (peace be upon him) refrained from Jihad in Makkah until he attained strength and supporters in Madinah. Once supporters are found, even if they are few, mutual support among them becomes obligatory. It is not correct for one of them to abandon the other without aid or assistance in pursuit of ease or for the sake of personal safety, as this contradicts the general principles of the message of Islam(3). ¶

Therefore, the jurists (Fuqaha) have reached a consensus that if Muslims are few in number or weak in equipment, to the extent that the scholars and leaders of the community (Ahl al-Hall wal-'Aqd) judge it highly probable that they would be killed without inflicting any damage on their enemies if they were to engage in battle, then the interest of preserving life (hifz al-nafs) should be prioritized here. This is because the competing interest, which is the preservation of religion (hifz al-din), is not likely to be achieved in such a scenario(4). ¶

And Abdul Aziz bin Abd al-Salam(5) declares the prohibition of plunging into such matters without due consideration. ¶

Regarding Jihad, it is stated: (If inflicting harm upon the enemy is not possible, then retreat becomes obligatory, because remaining in the field entails the loss of life, while cooling the chests of the disbelievers and humiliating the people of Islam. Remaining steadfast in such a situation has become a pure corruption (mafsadah) that contains no benefit within it) (1). ¶

Giving precedence to the preservation of life here is not restricted to the self alone as it appears; rather, it is also for the benefit of the religion. For the religious interest requires—in such a situation—that the lives of the Muslims remain intact so that they may advance and perform Jihad in other open arenas. ¶

Since their destruction is considered a harm to the religion itself, for it would open the way for the disbelievers to penetrate the paths that were previously closed to them, and to uproot the people of Islam from their foundations. The summary of this matter is that it is not permissible for a Muslim to isolate himself from the Muslims except under the specific conditions mentioned previously. Even if he isolates himself practically, he must not isolate himself sentimentally in all those cases; rather, the obligation is for him to be with the Muslims, especially with those who uphold the truth, even if only in his feelings, for no one has authority over the heart. Likewise, he must work for Islam in the arenas open to him, even if secretly, if making the Dawah public and declaring affiliation with it would result in harm to the Dawah and its adherents. ¶

Keeping the Dawah secret is a Sunnah when there is a need for it. Noah (peace be upon him) invited his people both secretly and openly; Allah the Almighty said: {Then I invited them openly, and then I announced to them and I confided to them secretly} (2). ¶

Due to his positions, he was stripped of the offices of public speaking and judiciary, but was permitted to teach. Sheikh Izz al-Din ibn Abd al-Salam passed away on the 10th of Jumada al-Ula in the year 660 AH, having exceeded eighty years of age. He was buried at the foot of al-Muqattam, and the Sultan al-Zahir along with a great multitude attended his funeral. (May Allah have vast mercy upon him). Among his works are his Tafsir, Mukhtasar al-Nihayah, al-Qawa'id al-Kubra wa al-Sughra, Kitab al-Salah, al-Fatawa al-Mawsiliyyah, and others. See: Al-Bidayah wa al-Nihayah by Ibn Kathir, Vol. 13, p. 235. And see: Mu'jam al-Mu'allifin by Umar Rida Kahhala, Vol. 5, p. 249. (1) See: Qawa'id al-Ahkam fi Masalih al-Anam, by Izz al-Din ibn Abd al-Salam, Vol. 1, p. 95. (2) Surah Nuh, verse (9). ¶

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ remained in Makkah calling people to Islam secretly for three years, until Allah the Almighty revealed the verse: 'So proclaim that which you are commanded and turn away from the polytheists' (Surah Al-Hijr: 94). ¶

Therefore, when it becomes possible to proclaim the call (Dawah) openly and confront the enemies of Tawhid (Monotheism) with strength, it becomes an obligation to hasten towards this once there is a dominant presumption that the necessary conditions are met and the impediments are removed. ¶

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: 'This religion will continue to exist, and a group of Muslims will fight for it until the Hour is established.' And in another Hadith: 'When the people of Al-Sham become corrupt, there is no good in you. A faction of my Ummah will remain victorious, unharmed by those who abandon them, until the Hour is established.' Thus, patience during trials alongside the people of truth, and interacting with people to convey the message to them, is superior to isolation from them. ¶

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: 'The believer who mixes with people and bears their harm with patience is better than the one who does not mix with people and does not bear their harm with patience.' ¶

Therefore, resorting to supporting the oppressor, announcing dissociation and disavowal from the Muslim group, or attacking it as a means to avoid persecution, imprisonment, or torture is contrary to the fundamental principle (Asl). The fundamental principle is that we must be patient, endure the harm, remain steadfast, and not abandon or deny the path we have chosen and believed to be correct, nor the group we believe is united upon the truth. This is so that the banner of truth may remain raised, carried by men generation after generation. This is the general rule, although it may be permissible for certain individuals and small groups, who face unbearable levels of persecution, to resort to such actions—or some of them—provided their hearts remain at peace. ¶

Through faith and commitment to the Muslim community, however, this remains an exception and not the general rule for the collective. The foundation is 'azimah (firm resolve), while 'rukhsah (concession) is the exception, because movements are built upon those with firm resolve and determination, not upon concessions and those who seek them. ¶

Except for the aforementioned cases, isolationism is not permissible, which is the position of the majority of scholars, based on the principle that enjoining good and forbidding evil is a religious duty (shari'i obligation) upon the Muslim Ummah, represented by its individuals, each according to their capacity. Allah the Almighty says: "And let there be [arising] from you a nation inviting to [all that is] good, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong." The verse comes in one of the forms of command, specifically the present tense prefixed with the lam of command (lam al-amr), and a command implies obligation unless there is a context (qarinah) that shifts the meaning to something less, and there is no such context in this verse. Therefore, the obligation of performing what is requested in the verse is established, thus confirming the obligation of enjoining good and forbidding evil. Allah also indicates the obligation of enjoining good and forbidding evil using the singular form: "O my son, establish prayer, enjoin what is right, forbid what is wrong, and be patient over what befalls you. Indeed, [all] that is of the matters [requiring] determination." Furthermore, Allah says: "Or do you think that you will enter Paradise while Allah has not yet made evident those of you who fight in His cause and made evident those who are steadfast?" And He says: "But the Messenger and those who believed with him fought with their wealth and their lives." Thus, whoever withholds themselves from jihad has opposed the Messenger (peace be upon him) and those who believed with him. Then, Allah clarifies the consequence of failing to forbid evil by saying: "Cursed were those who disbelieved among the Children of Israel..." ¶

‘Cursed were those who disbelieved among the Children of Israel by the tongue of David and of Jesus, the son of Mary. That was because they disobeyed and [habitually] transgressed. They used not to prevent one another from wrongdoing that they did. How wretched was that which they were doing’ (1). Thus, whoever abstains from enjoining good and forbidding evil bears a resemblance to the Children of Israel, unless he has a valid Shariah excuse for doing so. The verses concerning the enjoining of good and forbidding of evil are very numerous, exceeding twenty in total (2). Among the authentic hadiths on this subject is what Muslim narrated in his Sahih, that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘Whoever among you sees an evil, let him change it with his hand; if he cannot, then with his tongue; and if he cannot, then with his heart, and that is the weakest of faith’ (3). It is also narrated in Muslim that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘There was no prophet sent by Allah to a nation before me, but he had disciples and companions from his nation who followed his Sunnah and obeyed his command. Then, successors came after them who said what they did not do and did what they were not commanded to do. So, whoever strives (jahada) against them with his hand is a believer, whoever strives against them with his tongue is a believer, and whoever strives against them with his heart is a believer, and beyond that, there is not even a mustard seed’s weight of faith’ (4). In another hadith, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘The best jihad is a word of truth in the presence of an unjust ruler’ (5). Furthermore, it is narrated that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: ‘When a sin is committed on earth, the one who witnesses it and dislikes it’—or in one narration, ‘denies it’—‘is like one who was absent from it, and whoever was absent from it but approved of it is like one who witnessed it’ (6). ¶

There are numerous hadiths regarding this meaning, foremost among them being the saying of the Messenger (ﷺ): 'Help your brother, whether he is an oppressor or oppressed.' A man asked: 'O Messenger of Allah, I help him when he is oppressed, but if he is an oppressor, how do I help him?' He replied: 'Restrain him—or prevent him—from oppression, for that is his help' (1). ¶

For this reason, the majority of scholars have held that enjoining good and forbidding evil (al-amr bil-ma'ruf wa al-nahy 'an al-munkar) is obligatory in an absolute sense, citing the aforementioned evidences. ¶

Another group has argued that forbidding evil is conditional upon the person not being subjected to a tribulation they cannot bear, such as killing or torture, and their argument rests on the verses and hadiths whose apparent meaning may suggest the permissibility of withdrawal (i'tizal), as previously mentioned. ¶

Furthermore, regarding the hadith of Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported as marfu': 'There will be rulers whose actions you will recognize and disapprove of; whoever recognizes [the evil] is innocent, and whoever disapproves [of it] is safe, but [he is sinful] who is pleased and follows.' They asked: 'Shall we not fight them?' He said: 'No, as long as they pray' (2). This indicates that a person does not commit a sin merely by remaining silent; rather, sin occurs through heart-felt approval and obedience. The hadith also indicates that it is not permissible to rise against the rulers (khuruj) unless they change something of the fundamentals of the religion, with prayer being mentioned as an example and not as an exclusive condition (3). Al-Tabari and others stated: Enjoining good and forbidding evil is obligatory upon whoever has the capacity for it (4). ¶

Ibn Atiyyah (5) said: There is consensus (ijma') that forbidding evil is a duty for whoever is capable of it, has knowledge of it, and is secure from harm to himself and the Muslims. If he fears [harm], he should forbid it with his heart and shun the perpetrator of the evil without associating with him (6). ¶

Sheikh Muhammad bin Abd al-Wahhab (may Allah have mercy on him) states: 'And I hold that commanding the good (al-amr bi-al-ma'ruf) and forbidding the evil (al-nahy 'an al-munkar) is obligatory according to what the pure Muhammadan Shariah mandates.' ¶

Evidence that one who denounces an evil is safe, while one who agrees through contentment or silence becomes sinful, is found in the incident that occurred during the Battle of Tabuk. One of the hypocrites made mocking remarks about the Messenger (ﷺ) and his companions. Two companions were present, who, according to the most reliable accounts, were Makhshi bin Humayyir and Awf bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with them). Makhshi heard the remarks and remained silent, so Allah revealed the verse: 'Do not make excuses; you have disbelieved after your belief. If We pardon one faction of you, We will punish another faction because they were criminals' (Quran 9:66). Consequently, Makhshi was counted among the hypocrites due to his silence and appeasement of them; then Allah exempted him and pardoned him out of His grace and generosity, even though he was nearly included among the criminals. This proves that a person who does not become angry for the sake of Allah and His Messenger, and does not denounce an evil when he hears or witnesses it, is at risk of being grouped with the sinners and sharing in their sin, judgment, and punishment, unless Allah saves him through His pardon and forgiveness. ¶

As for the other companion, Awf bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him), as soon as he heard those words, he became angry for the sake of Allah and His Messenger. He manifested hostility toward those people, labeled them as hypocrites and liars, confronted them with this description, and informed them that he would report it to the Messenger (ﷺ). He went to the Messenger (ﷺ), only to find that the Quran had preceded him with that news. Thus, he was saved from the consequences of that statement by denouncing it and forcefully refuting the falsehood and its proponents. ¶

It is not a condition for the one who denounces an evil that he himself must be free of sins or immune from error; indeed, the command to enjoin good and forbid evil remains mandatory even if the one commanding it is himself partially involved in some sins. ¶

Despite committing sins, as a general rule, one will be rewarded for commanding good and forbidding evil, especially if he is someone obeyed by his people. As for his own personal sins, Allah may forgive him or hold him accountable for them. Regarding the one who says: 'None should command the good or forbid the evil except one who is free from the deficiency of sins,' the answer is that if he means this in the sense of what is most appropriate and virtuous, then it is a good thing; however, if he intends by it to prohibit the act, then it necessitates closing the door to enjoining good and forbidding evil, because it is impossible to find a person or people who are entirely free from sins or errors. ¶

Enjoining good and forbidding evil is an action for one’s own benefit in this world and the Hereafter. Even if a person feels that they are not directly harmed by the sins and evils of others, the truth is that when sin exists and evil occurs, and people fail to perform their duty regarding it, Allah covers them with the calamity of punishment in this world and the Hereafter, as happened to the Children of Israel. Allah Almighty said: 'Cursed were those who disbelieved among the Children of Israel by the tongue of David and of Jesus, the son of Mary. That was because they disobeyed and [habitually] transgressed. They used to not prevent one another from wrongdoing that they did. How wretched was that which they were doing. You see many of them becoming allies of those who disbelieved. How wretched is that which they have put forth for themselves, in that Allah has become angry with them, and in the punishment they will abide eternally.' Allah has warned us against leaving the sinners without rebuke or restraint, saying: 'And fear a trial which will not strike those who have wronged among you exclusively.' The Prophet ﷺ also said: 'The parable of those who uphold the limits of Allah and those who transgress them is like a group of people who drew lots for places on a ship; some settled in the upper deck and others in the lower. When those in the lower part needed water, they had to pass by those above, so they said: "If we make a hole in our portion, we will not bother those above us." If those above let them do what they wanted, they would all perish, but if they held their hands [stopped them], they would be saved and all would be saved.' Therefore, enjoining good... ¶

Enjoining good and forbidding evil is for the reformation of both this world and the hereafter. From this, it is established that a Muslim must join the ranks of the Muslims, perform Jihad with them, incline towards them, and support them with his hand, wealth, and tongue. Allah the Almighty says: 'Do you think that you will be left alone while Allah has not yet made evident those among you who strive [for His cause] and do not take other than Allah, His Messenger, and the believers as intimates? And Allah is [fully] Acquainted with what you do' (At-Tawbah: 16). ¶

Therefore, withdrawal (i'tizal) is permissible only when the three aforementioned reasons are present. Apart from these three scenarios, withdrawal is not permissible, as is the position of the majority of scholars. This is the requirement of the evidences that establish the obligation of enjoining good and forbidding evil. Most of those who resort to claiming the right of withdrawal in this era do not meet the criteria that permit such withdrawal. Consequently, they are sinful in their stance, as they are aligning themselves with the enemies of Islam and failing to support the truth and its people. Allah has warned those who abandon a Muslim or are negligent in supporting them, as narrated by the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him): 'There is no person who abandons a Muslim in a place where his honor is violated and his dignity is disparaged, but that Allah will abandon him in a place where he would love to be supported. And there is no person who supports a Muslim in a place where his honor is violated and his dignity is disparaged, but that Allah will support him in a place where he would love to be supported' (Musnad Ahmad). ¶

It is also narrated that Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: 'I heard the Prophet (peace be upon him) say: There will always be a group from my Ummah standing firm by the command of Allah; those who abandon them or oppose them will not harm them, until the command of Allah comes while they are in that state' (Al-Bukhari). ¶

It is also narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: 'A Muslim is the brother of a Muslim; he does not wrong him, nor does he abandon him. And whoever fulfills the need of his brother, Allah fulfills his need' (Al-Bukhari). ¶

It is narrated by Abu Umamah (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: We went out with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) for Jihad. A man passed by a cave that contained some water, and he thought to himself that he would stay in that cave, eat from the vegetation around it, and renounce the world. He mentioned this to the Prophet (peace be upon him), who said: 'I was not sent with Judaism or Christianity, but I was sent with the tolerant and upright Hanifiyyah. By the One in Whose Hand is the soul of Muhammad, a morning or evening march in the path of Allah is better than the world and all that is in it, and one's standing in the row (of battle) is better than sixty years of prayer.' (1) ¶

And his (peace be upon him) saying: 'Whoever wakes up and is not concerned with the affairs of the Muslims is not one of them.' (2) ¶

All these evidences indicate that it is not permissible to abandon the Muslims or withdraw from them in their struggle against the people of disbelief and misguidance. Anyone who does not stand with the Muslims, join their ranks, strive with them against their enemy, and support them with all the power they possess, is at risk of exiting the fold of Islam. A true Muslim is one who is with the Muslims like a limb of the body, as established by the hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). Whoever isolates themselves from the Muslims in their pains and hopes is like a limb severed from the body or a dead limb within a living body. In such a case, the existence of a limb described as such is considered as if it did not exist, due to its lack of participation with the body in the attribute of life and the responsibilities and duties that follow. Such is the case of one who is concerned only with their own self, indifferent to the affairs of the Muslims. Allah Almighty has mentioned that isolation (from the truth) is contrary to the condition of faith. Allah says, recounting the words of Musa (peace be upon him): 'And if you do not believe me, then withdraw from me.' (3). So whoever withdraws is not a believer, and whoever believes in a prophet is obligated not to isolate themselves from his message or the people of his message, as understood from what Allah Almighty mentioned regarding Musa and his people. ¶