its limits, just as many of the innovators and followers of caprice—among them the Kharijites, the Muʿtazilites, the Rafidites, and others—rose up to command, forbid, and wage jihad on that basis, yet the corruption they produced outweighed any rectification. For this reason the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—commanded patience in the face of oppressive rulers and forbade fighting them so long as they maintain the prayer. He said, “Give them their due rights, and ask Allah for your rights.” We have explained this matter at length elsewhere.
Accordingly, one of the principles of Ahl al-Sunnah wa-l-Jamāʿah is to stay with the main body of Muslims, to avoid fighting the rulers, and to refrain from warfare during civil strife. The people of passion, however—such as the Muʿtazilah—consider rebellion against the rulers a cornerstone of their religion. They enumerate five fundamentals:
- “Tawḥīd” (which, in their usage, entails negating the divine attributes);
- “Justice” (which, for them, is the denial of predestination);
- “The intermediate position between two positions”;
- “Carrying out the threat”; and
- “Commanding what is right and forbidding what is wrong,” under which they include armed revolt against the rulers.
I have discussed rebellion against the rulers in other writings. All of this is subsumed under the general rule that when benefits and harms—or good deeds and misdeeds—conflict or compete, preference must be given to what is weightier. If benefits and harms oppose one another, the predominant side must be chosen. Thus, although enjoining right and forbidding wrong aims at securing benefit and removing harm, one must consider the countervailing factors: if the benefits lost or the harms incurred are greater, the act is not commanded—indeed, it becomes forbidden whenever its harm exceeds its benefit.