there is no treaty left between us,’ and do not revoke the pact without first informing them.

The third category consists of those who have broken the treaty: “So fight the leaders of disbelief, for they have no faithfulness; perhaps they will desist” (al-Tawbah 9:12). Once they have violated the agreement, they forfeit every claim to it. What matters is that the faith belongs to Allah, and that this faith is itself politics—sacred politics prescribed by the Law, social politics, politics in dealings with foreigners, with peaceful parties, in short, with everyone.

Whoever separates religion from politics has gone astray, and such a person is in one of two states:

1. He is ignorant of the religion and does not grasp it, imagining that it is limited to acts of worship between a servant and his Lord and to personal rights, and thinks that this alone constitutes religion;
2. Or he has been dazzled by the unbelievers and their material power and therefore assumes that they are in the right.

Whoever truly knows Islam knows that it is both law and polity. Allah grants success.

5/657 – ʿĀʾidh ibn ʿAmr (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that he entered upon ʿUbayd Allah ibn Ziyād and said to him, “My son, I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say, ‘The worst shepherds are the ruthless ones (al-ḥuṭama); so beware of being one of them.’” Agreed upon.

6/658 – Abū Maryam al-Azdī (may Allah be pleased with him) said to Muʿāwiyah (may Allah be pleased with him), “I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say, ‘Whoever Allah places in charge of any affair of the Muslims…’”