Praying for the Muslim Rulers
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103 — Praying for the Muslim Rulers

Praying for goodness and forgiveness for Muslims generally is a matter of immense importance. It brings abundant rewards and manifold blessings in this world and the Hereafter, and is one of the requirements of the brotherhood of faith that unites and binds them together. Some of the evidence for this has already been mentioned. Here, however, the discussion will focus specifically on praying for the Muslim rulers, through whom—by Allah’s enabling grace—their affairs are set in order, their unity is maintained, their roads are secured, their prayers are established, and their enemy is fought. Without them, rulings go unenforced, chaos becomes widespread, security breaks down, robbery, plunder, and every form of aggression increase, the edifice of Islam is breached, and people are no longer safe in their lives, property, or honor.

Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyya—may Allah have mercy on him—said: “It must be understood that governing people’s affairs is among the greatest obligations of the religion; indeed, the religion cannot stand without it. Human welfare can be fully secured only through collective life, since people need one another, and whenever they come together, they must have a leader. … He later said: This is also because Allah Most High has made enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong obligatory, and this cannot be accomplished without power and authority. The same applies to everything else He has made obligatory, including jihad, justice, the observance of Hajj, Friday and Eid prayers, aiding the wronged, and enforcing prescribed penalties: none of these can be accomplished without power and authority. … He later said: It is therefore obligatory to regard governance as a religious function and an act of devotion through which one draws near to Allah. Indeed, drawing near to Him through it by obeying Him and His Messenger is among the finest acts of devotion.”1.