Question:

Assalamu alaikum wa Rahmatullah wa Barakatahu. I pray to Allah Almighty that my message finds you in the best of health. My question, esteemed Sheikh, is this:

This hadith is authentically narrated in the two Sahihs (Bukhari and Muslim) from the Prophet (saw) with the wording:  "وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَيُؤَيِّدُ هَذَا الدِّينَ بِالرَّجُلِ الْفَاجِرِ "“Indeed, Allah supports this religion even with a wicked man.”

Since our rulers are wicked, why are they excluded from the request for support when the hadith explicitly states they could support this religion?

From observing the current situation, and while acknowledging that armies are the source of strength and protection these days, I believe that addressing the ruler and receiving his response is easier than addressing subservient armies that obey the ruler's orders, killing, slaughtering, and exterminating people. What we see is evidence of this.

How did the Aws and Khazraj tribes support the cause? Was it through the individual members and knights of the tribe, or through the leaders of the two tribes?

I request clarification, along with relevant Islamic legal evidence if possible.

Answer:

Wa Assalamu alaikum wa Rahmatullah wa Barakatahu,

1-  Regarding the hadith you mentioned, it does not pertain to supporting the establishment of a state, but rather to the permissibility for a person who is a dhimmi (protected non-Muslim) or under treaty who lives in the Khilafah (Caliphate) to fight alongside the Muslims in their army against their enemies. To clarify the matter for you, I will quote some relevant texts:

The hadith you mentioned was narrated by Bukhari and Muslim: 

«... ثُمَّ أَمَرَ بِلَالاً فَنَادَى بِالنَّاسِ إِنَّهُ لَا يَدْخُلُ الْجَنَّةَ إِلَّا نَفْسٌ مُسْلِمَةٌ، وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَيُؤَيِّدُ هَذَا الدِّينَ بِالرَّجُلِ الْفَاجِرِ»

“...Then he ordered Bilal to call out to the people, ‘None but a Muslim will enter Paradise, and indeed, Allah supports this religion even with a wicked man’” (The wording is from Bukhari). This means that it is permissible for a non-Muslim or a sinner living in an Islamic state, such as a dhimmi, to fight in the Islamic army if he is skilled in the arts of war. Among the evidence for this is the following:

A- It was mentioned in The Islamic Personality Volume 2, Chapter on seeking help from non-Muslims in fighting:

It is permitted to seek assistance from the disbelievers in their capacity as individuals on condition that they are under the Islamic flag irrespective of whether they are dhimmis or not, or whether they are citizens of the Islamic State or not. As for seeking assistance from them as a specific nation with an entity independent from the Islamic State, this is absolutely not allowed. So it is forbidden to seek their assistance in their capacity as an independent State. The evidence for permitting the seeking of assistance of disbelievers as individuals is “Qazman went out with the companions of the Messenger of Allah (saw) on the day of Uhud while he was a polytheist, and he killed three of the Banu Abd al-Dar, the standard-bearers of the polytheists, until the Prophet (saw) said: “Indeed, God strengthens this religion even with a wicked man” (Narrated by al-Tabari in his history).

B- It is also mentioned in Nayl al-Awtar by al-Shawkani, Chapter on what has been said about seeking help from polytheists: [B- Similarly, in Nayl al-Awtar by al-Shawkani, in the chapter on seeking help from polytheists, it is stated: [Among the things that indicate the permissibility of seeking help from polytheists is the following: “That Qazman went out with the companions of the Messenger of Allah (saw) on the day of Uhud, while he was a polytheist, and he killed three men from Banu Abd al-Dar, the standard-bearers of the polytheists. Until the Prophet (saw) said: «إنَّ اللَّهَ لَيَأْزُرُ هَذَا الدِّينَ بِالرَّجُلِ الْفَاجِرِ»‘Indeed, Allah strengthens this religion even with a wicked man.’” This is confirmed by the biographers.]

As you can see, the hadith is evidence that it is permissible for a person who is a dhimmi or a treaty-bound person to fight with the Muslims in their army against their enemies... and it has no relation to supporting the establishment of the Khilafah.

2-  Regarding your question about the permissibility of seeking support from Muslim rulers these days, this matter is discussed in detail in our private messages to those working in the field of seeking support. However, I will quote from them what pertains to your question about seeking support from rulers in Muslim countries these days:

[…

If a territory has a governing authority that, in relation to surrounding entities—whether a tribe or a state—oversees the affairs of its people, manages their lives, rewards the virtuous among them, punishes the wrongdoers, and so forth...And if it possesses the strength and resilience to defend itself against surrounding entities, then it is indeed an entity to which the request for support applies.

• There are two ways to seek help:

The first method: Requesting support from the head of the entity, whether a tribal chief or the head of state...

The second method: Requesting support from a group of the people of power within the entity...

The application of this method in both cases depends on the nature of these entities, whether they are states or tribes:

* If the entity is independent in its affairs, it is permissible to request support from either of the above methods: from its leader or from a number of the people of power within it.

* If it is linked to a foreign power and does not wish to sever ties, and we are aware of this, we will not accept its support unless it cuts its relationship with the foreign power. In this case, we will only resort to the second method (if necessary), i.e., from a group within the people of power.

• By studying and reflecting upon the Seerah (Biography of the Prophet (saw)), these matters become clear: ...

We have explained it in detail for those working to seek victory, along with its evidence... However, I will mention one point from it that relates to your question:

[As for tribes with ties to foreign powers, and states with foreign connections, we do not seek their support if we know of their foreign affiliations. Nor do we accept their support in one matter and their withholding it in another to appease the foreign state they support. Rather, if necessary, the approach in the second case is the one followed: seeking the support of men from among them who, together, would form a force capable of bringing about change. This is what happened with the tribe of Shayban ibn Tha'labah, as mentioned in 'Uyun al-Athar (1/202):

[Qasim ibn Thabit mentioned, in what I saw from him, a hadith narrated by Abdullah ibn Abbas on the authority of Ali ibn Abi Talib, concerning his and Abu Bakr's departure with the Messenger of Allah (saw) for that purpose. Ali said: Abu Bakr was always at the forefront of good deeds, so he asked: "Who are these people?" They replied: "They are from the tribe of Shayban ibn Tha'labah." Abu Bakr turned to the Messenger of Allah (saw) and said: "May my father and mother be sacrificed for you! These are distinguished men among their people, and among them are Mafruq ibn Amr, Hani ibn Qubaysah, Muthanna ibn Harithah, and Nu'man ibn Sharik. Mafruq ibn Amr surpassed them in beauty and eloquence..."

Mafruq said, “Perhaps you are a brother of Quraysh?” Abu Bakr replied, “Have you heard that he is the Messenger of Allah? Here he is.” Mafruq said, “We have heard that he says so. So, what do you call to, O brother of Quraysh?” Then the Messenger of Allah (saw) stepped forward and said, “I call to bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone, without partner, and that I am the Messenger of Allah, and that you give me refuge and support me, for Quraysh has conspired against Allah’s command, denied His messengers, and turned to falsehood instead of truth. And Allah is the Self-Sufficient, the Praiseworthy.”

Then Mafruq said: By Allah, O brother of Quraysh, you have called for noble morals and virtuous deeds, and indeed, a people have lied about you and conspired against you...

It was as if he wanted to include Al-Muthanna ibn Haritha in the conversation, so he said...

(We only came here because of a covenant made with us by Chosroes that we would not cause any trouble nor harbor any troublemaker. And I see that this matter to which you are calling us is something that kings dislike. If you wish us to shelter you and support you from the direction of the Arabian waters, we will do so. The Messenger of Allah (saw), said: «ما أسأتم في الرد إذ أفصحتم في الصدق وإن دين الله لن ينصره إلا من حاطه من جميع جوانبه»“You did not err in your response, for you spoke the truth, and Allah’s religion will only be victorious through those who protect it from all sides”…)]

When the Prophet (saw) learned that there was a treaty between the Banu Shayban and the Persians, and that the Banu Shayban would support him against the Arabs but not against the Persians, he did not accept this condition from them, even though they had agreed to support him against Quraysh and the Arabs.They stipulated that this support be separate from the Persians because of the treaty they had made with the Persians. Although the Prophet (saw) needed support against the Quraysh, he did not agree unless they support him against all disbelievers.]

This, in brief, is how the call for support was made during the time of the Messenger of Allah (saw). And this is what we follow, with Allah's help, and we ask Him, the Exalted, to grant us success in resuming Islamic life by establishing the Khilafah Rashidah (Rightly Guided Caliphate) according to the Prophetic methodology...

And this is sufficient, and Allah Knows Best.

The link to the answer from the Ameer’s Facebook page.