Shaykh al-Islām also said, after an earlier discussion:

The foundation of this is knowledge, for justice and injustice can only be recognized through knowledge. Thus, religion in its entirety consists of knowledge and justice; their opposites are injustice and ignorance.

Allah Most High said:

“But man undertook it; indeed, he was unjust and ignorant.”

Since man is unjust and ignorant—and this occurs sometimes among rulers, sometimes among their subjects, and sometimes among others—the knowledge and justice that we are commanded to observe include patiently enduring the injustice and oppression of rulers. This is among the fundamental principles of Ahl al-Sunnah wa-l-Jamāʿah, and the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, commanded it in the well-known hadiths reported from him. He said:

“After me, you will encounter preferential treatment given to others, so be patient until you meet me at the Cistern.”

He also said:

“Whoever sees something he dislikes in his ruler should patiently endure it.”

There are other similar statements. He also said:

“Give them what is due to them, and ask Allah for what is due to you.”

And forbid fighting them so long as they continue to pray. This is because they retain the foundation that religion seeks to establish—affirming Allah’s oneness and worshipping Him—and they perform good deeds and refrain from many evil deeds. As for the injustice and oppression they commit, whether on the basis of a defensible interpretation or an indefensible one, it is not permissible to remove it through measures that entail injustice and oppression. Yet this is the habit of most people: they remove evil with something worse, and aggression with something more aggressive;