Shaykh 'Abdul-'Azeez al-Bura'ee responds to Practice of Giving Bay'aa` (Pledge of Allegiance) to Imaams in the West

[Maher.ibn.Ahmad.Attiyeh]

Bismillaah Al-Hamdulillaah wa salatu wa salaamu 'ala rasulullaah
Amma-ba'd

Shaykh 'Abdul-'Azeez al-Bura'ee responds to Practice of Giving Bay'aa` (Pledge of Allegiance) to Imaams in the West

Questions:

[Q]: Some Imaams in the West, whether it be in the USA or England - and I bear witness that this does indeed happen in the USA - they call their congregation and invite them to give the bay'aa (pledge of allegiance) and they use ahaadeeth from the sunnah to "prove" the permissibility of the action. Like the hadeeth where the prophet (sallAllaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said: He who dies without a binding pledge of allegiance on his neck then he dies a death of jahiliyyah (non-Islamic death), or as the narration goes, and similar ahaadeeth. What is the ruling on this matter noble Shaykh, baarakAllaahu feekum?

[Answer by Shaykh 'Abdul-'Azeez al-Bura'ee (hafidhahullaah)]: What I know is that this is something practiced by the sect known as al-Ikhwaan al-muslimeen (The Muslim Brotherhood) or something that is practised by sub-sects that have sprung from this sect, such as the followers of Muhammad ibn Suroor. Also perhaps it may be something that is practised by the Shee'ah, but Allaah knows best. But surely this is practised by The Muslim Brotherhood.


For this reason I advise the Muslims to not give such a pledge of allegiance to any Imaam that requests one; rather the Muslims should remain as is, and should be patient until Allaah 'Azza wa Jal alleviates the problems that they are in today, baarakAllaahu Feekum.


[Q]: ...In our current time and especially in regards to those Muslims that have been afflicted and tested with having to live far away from the Muslims to live in the West. How do we apply and how do we understand these texts such as the hadeeth of the Messenger (sallAllaahu 'alayhi wa sallam): He who dies with no binding pledge of allegiance upon his neck then he dies a death of jahiliyyah, and such similar ahaadeeth?

[Answer by Shaykh 'Abdul-'Azeez al-Bura'ee (hafidhahullaah)]: Every individual that is residing in a Muslim country has already established pledge of allegiance to the Muslim ruler of that land. Other situations can be understood accordingly.

Source: [Taken from a tele-link Q&A session with Shaykh 'Abdul-'Azeez al-Bura'ee (hafidhahullaah) and the brothers at Mpubs, Tobago on July 7th 2010]