came to Ali and said, “O Ali, why is it that the people have turned against you, whereas they never turned against Abu Bakr or ʿUmar?” Ali answered, “Because the men who stood with Abu Bakr and ʿUmar were people like me, whereas the men who stand with me are people like you.” This was an astute reply, meaning: “You yourself have no good in you; that is why the people have changed toward us.” In the time of Abu Bakr and ʿUmar, their supporters were men such as Ali ibn Abi Talib, ʿUthman ibn ʿAffan, and other distinguished Companions, so the populace never rose against their rulers.

Likewise, the subjects must offer sincere counsel to the ruler. They must not lie to him, deceive him, or cheat him. Regrettably, many people today traffic in falsehood, manipulate government regulations, give bribes, and engage in other practices unbefitting a rational person—let alone a Muslim. When non-Muslim nations punish bribery even among their highest officials, how much more should we fear the punishment of Allah, for it is He who ultimately punishes the one who gives or receives a bribe. We believe in Allah and in what has come on the tongue of His Messenger ﷺ, who said, “Allah has cursed the one who gives a bribe and the one who takes it.” The punishment Allah metes out is far more severe than any human penalty.

You also find people lying to and defrauding the government in other ways—for instance, a farmer who registers another man’s crop under his own name, knowingly fabricating claims for the sake of worldly gain. Sometimes the state has already received the grain and only the cash payment remains; then a person comes along and sells that payment to someone else, exchanging money for money along with