nor will he come to me at the Cistern. Whoever does not believe their lies or assist them in their injustice is of me, and I am of him, and he will come to me at the Cistern.”

When a person fully understands both the jihad commanded by the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, which rulers will conduct until the Day of Resurrection, and his prohibition against assisting oppressors in their injustice, he will recognize the middle course that constitutes the religion of pure Islam: to wage jihad against those against whom it is warranted, such as the people asked about here, alongside any ruler and any group closer to Islam than they are, if fighting them is possible only in this way, while avoiding assistance to the group alongside whom he campaigns in any act of disobedience to Allah. Rather, he obeys them in obedience to Allah but does not obey them in disobedience to Allah, for no created being may be obeyed in disobedience to the Creator.

This is the way of the best members of this community, past and present, and it is obligatory upon every legally accountable person. It is the middle course between the way of the Harūriyyah and those like them, who follow a path of misguided scrupulousness arising from insufficient knowledge, and the way of the Murji’ah and those like them, who follow a path of unconditional obedience to rulers, even when they are not righteous.

We ask Allah to guide us and our fellow Muslims to the words and deeds that He loves and is pleased with. Allah knows best. May Allah bless our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions, and grant them peace.