Individuals carry the duty of holding the rulers accountable, which has been ordered by Allah (swt), in their capacity as individuals and by groups and parties in their capacity as groups and parties.

In addition to ordering the Muslims to invite to the Good (Al-Khair), enjoin the Ma’ruf and forbid the Munkar and to hold the rulers accountable, Allah (swt) has also ordered them to establish political parties from among themselves. These political parties would carry out, as groups, the call to the Good, that is, to Islam, to enjoining Ma’ruf, to forbid the Munkar and to hold the rulers accountable. Allah (swt) says; “Let there arise from amongst you a group which calls to the good, enjoins Ma’ruf and forbids Munkar.” [TMQ Al-’Imran: 104]

This means that the Muslims should establish a group from among themselves, which would have the quality of a group and would perform two actions. These are the call to Islam and to enjoin Ma’ruf and forbid Munkar.

This command of establishing a group is decisive because the task that the verse commands the group to perform is an obligation that Muslims must perform as confirmed by the numerous Ayaat and Ahadith. This serves as a Qareenah that the command of establishing a group is decisive. The command mentioned in the verse is thus also decisive. It is a duty of sufficiency upon Muslims. If it is performed by some of them, others would be exempted, as it is not an individual duty. Allah (swt) has ordered the Muslims to establish from among themselves a group to carry out the duty of calling to the Good, to enjoin Ma’ruf and forbid Munkar. He (swt) did not command all the Muslims, in the verse, to carry out such a duty. He only ordered them to establish a group that carries out that duty. The order is thus focussed on the establishing of a group and not on the performing of the two tasks.

The two tasks just determine the duty of the group that has to be established and it is thus a description of the nature of the group.

The group, in order for it to carry out its duty as a group and to continue as a group while carrying out its duty, should fulfil certain requirements.

What makes it a group is the presence of a bond that links all its members. They thus form a single body, like a bloc. Without this bond the group that Allah (swt) has ordered to be established would not be working as a group.What maintains it, as a group that functions properly is the presence of an Ameer whose obedience is obligatory. The Shar’a ordered every group of three people or over to appoint an Ameer over it. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said; “It would be forbidden for three people who are in an open country, not to appoint one from among them as Ameer.” [Narrated by Ahmed from ‘Abdullah bin ‘Amru] These two qualities, the presence of a bond among the group and the presence of an Ameer who must be obeyed, indicate that a group that has a bond and an Ameer who must be obeyed must be established when Allah (swt) says; “Let there arise from amongst you a group.” [TMQ Al-’Imran: 104] The group, or the bloc, or the party, or the association or any other name used to refer to a group, would fulfil the requirements of a group and maintain it as a group at work. This indicates that the verse orders the founding of groups, or parties, or blocs, or organisations or the like.

The order to establish a group is an order to establish political parties. This is deduced from the fact that the verse has determined the duty of this group that is the call to Islam, enjoining the Ma’ruf, and forbidding the Munkar. The duty of enjoining Ma’ruf and forbidding Munkar is general and not restricted. It therefore includes the rulers and this implies holding them accountable. The holding of the rulers accountable is a political task performed by the political parties and it is the most important task of the political parties.

Thus the verse indicates the duty of establishing political parties which would call to Islam, enjoin Ma’ruf and forbid Munkar, and would hold the rulers accountable for their actions and conduct.

The verse also indicates that the parties should be Islamic, be based on the Islamic ‘aqeedah and adopt the divine rules. It is forbidden for these parties to be communist, socialist, capitalist, nationalist, or parties calling for democracy, secularism, masonism, or to be founded on anything other than the Islamic ‘aqeedah, or adopting other than the divine rules. This is because the verse has determined the quality of these parties by way of determining their tasks. These tasks are the call to Islam, enjoining Ma’ruf and forbidding Munkar, and any party that performs such tasks must carry Islam and be founded on the basis of Islam. Any group founded on a communist, socialist, capitalist, democratic, secular, masonic, nationalist, patriotic, or regional basis would not be founded on an Islamic basis, nor carrying Islam, nor adopting the rules of Islam. Such a party would rather be founded on a basis of disbelief and structured around concepts of disbelief.

It is thus forbidden for the Muslims to gather on the basis of communism, socialism, capitalism, democracy, secularism, masonism, patriotism, nationalism or any basis other than Islam.

These parties must be overt and not secret. The call for the Good and enjoining Ma’ruf and forbidding Munkar, as well as holding the rulers accountable and the work towards the seizing of power via the Ummah should be carried out openly and explicitly and not confidentially and secretly, in order to achieve the purpose demanded of it.

These parties should not carry out physical activities. They should call to Islam verbally and enjoin Ma’ruf and forbid Munkar verbally. Their styles must be peaceful; they should not take up arms, nor use violence. This is because the use of force towards the ruler is forbidden, and the Ahadith have stressed this. Enjoining Ma’ruf and forbidding Munkar as well as holding the rulers accountable can thus be carried out without the use of force. The styles and means must be peaceful. It is forbidden to use force and confront the ruler with weapons except in case He showed the flagrant disbelief of which we have proof from Allah (swt), as mentioned in the Hadith of ‘Ubadah Ibnus-Samit; “And not to dispute with the people their authority unless you witness an act of flagrant disbelief about which you have proof from Allah.”