Anyone traveling through the liberated areas in northern Syria will experience feelings of joy and sadness simultaneously: joy at being far removed from Assad’s authority and his intelligence services, and sadness at the state of our regions outside his control. If preachers and reformers remain silent about this state of affairs, we may see countless versions of Bashar and those who revolve around him. Because God has commanded scholars to explain the truth to people, as He says: {And [mention] when God took a covenant from those who were given the Scripture, “You shall make it clear to the people and not conceal it.”} (Surat Al Imran, 187), it is incumbent upon us to speak out for reform and expose shortcomings, in accordance with the prophetic guidance that says: {By Him in Whose Hand is my soul, you must enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong, or God will soon send upon you a punishment from Him. Then you will call upon Him, but He will not respond to you.}
A Non-Connecting Compass:
The Assad regime’s policy has been to address everything except the criticism of the regime. Directing it at the people and their daily problems is one thing, but advising the authorities and the ruler is quite another! Unfortunately, our reality tells us that the specter of that policy, from which we fled, now haunts us in our liberated areas. Perhaps this brings us to the crux of the matter (which is) the absence of religious discourse directed at the nation according to its needs and what its interests require, in a way that improves its condition and corrects its deviation. Imam al-‘Izz ibn ‘Abd al-Salam said: “Whoever enters a village where usury is widespread and preaches therein about adultery has betrayed God and His Messenger!” Therefore, attention must be paid to directing the discourse to the authorities and those in authority with the aim of reform and achieving righteousness. This is reflected in the prophetic guidance: “The best jihad is a word of justice in the presence of a tyrannical ruler.” Here we recall the story of the man who asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), while he had planted his foot in the ground of jihad: “Which jihad is best?” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) replied: “A word of truth in the presence of a tyrannical ruler.”
Hence, The ink of scholars is better on the scale than the blood of martyrs themselves, as the Messenger of God said: “Three will intercede on the Day of Resurrection: the prophets, then the scholars, then the martyrs.” He also said: “The ink of the scholars and the blood of the martyrs will be weighed on the Day of Resurrection.” He also said: “The prophets have two ranks above the scholars, and the scholars have one rank above the martyrs.” This rank and status is due only to the scholar identifying the areas of weakness and addressing them, directing people to avoid them and straying from the paths that lead to them.
O people of knowledge and those who hold the pulpits of guidance and counsel, give the people’s issues their due, through research and study, along with constructive criticism and directives. Direct your attacks toward those in authority, for they are the people most deserving of receiving advice and gratitude for it (if their intentions are sincere and their resolve is sound). It has been narrated in the hadith: “If the shepherd is righteous, the flock will be righteous, and if the shepherd is corrupt, the flock will be corrupt.”
O our officials (after the time of revolt against our executioners):
We have begun to hear and see in our editors tyrants who see themselves as Senior leaders are immune to criticism. We see officials who are indifferent to people’s rights. We see checkpoints tearing down the liberated areas and unjustly and aggressively collecting taxes from people, backed by powerful officials and individuals. We see courts arresting people on suspicion and presumption, flogging them. We see leaders who refuse to submit to the law and circumvent it. They believe they are the law, perhaps above it, while they are the state and the authority. We see officials who have taken public money and begun dividing it among themselves and those in their orbit. Our Prophet said, “Whoever takes people’s money, intending to repay it, God will repay it on his behalf. Whoever takes it, intending to waste it, God will waste it.”
Finally…
Our message to scholars, preachers, and callers, and everyone with a voice and platform—even poets, writers, and artists—is to devote the greatest portion of their efforts to advising the rulers in private. Openly, Abu Na’im narrated in Hilyat al-Awliya’ the following: “He said, I heard al-Fudayl ibn ‘Iyad say: ‘If I had a prayer that would be answered, I would only direct it toward the Imam (the one with authority and power).’ He was asked, ‘How is that, Abu Ali?’ He said, ‘In the righteousness of the Imam lies the righteousness of the servants and the country.'”
All media practitioners should refrain from misleading people by speaking about matters that do not concern their lives and livelihoods. For justice is the foundation of the earth and the heavens, as the tradition says. They should focus on establishing the scales of justice in word and deed, and work to protect it with ink and ink, in every plain, mountain, and valley.
According to the religious vision of the Syrian Future Movement, which is based on the objectives of the true religion and the morals of the sublime religions, we recommend paying attention to guiding those in power and influence just as we pay attention to the people. It is our duty to monitor and advise every official and person in authority, for if Assad had remained in power in the place he is today, you would not have a seat to sit on in the positions you hold.
Ahmed Bahaa El-Din.
Religious Office
Syrian Future Movement
