The Department of Internal security is responsible for anything pertaining to security. It undertakes to maintain security within the country by the use of the armed forces. The police are, in fact, the main body responsible for maintaining security. The Internal Security Department can use the police whenever they see it fit and their order is immediately binding. If the police require the help of the armed forces, submit a request to the Khaleefah. He can order the army to help the internal security department or to provide it with a military force to help it in maintaining the security, or He can issue any order He sees fit. He is also entitled to refuse such requests and demand that the police carry out the task themselves. The Internal Security Department is the body responsible for maintaining the security of the state. The actions that could lead to a breach of internal security are apostasy from Islam, rebellion against the state manifested in destructive activities and actions of sabotage like strikes or the occupation of vital centres of the state, as well as aggression against private, public, or state property.

Rebellion against the state can also take the form of using arms to fight against it. Other actions that undermine the internal security are the Hirabah that is the highway robbery as well as the interference with the people by manner of robbing their property and endangering their lives.

Other actions which undermine internal security include the attack on the property of people by theft, looting, robbery, misappropriations, as well as attacks on people through assault, injuring and killing in addition to attacks on their honour through lying, slandering and raping. These are some of the actions that can lead to a threat to internal security.

The department of internal security protects the state and the people from all these actions. Therefore, whoever is declared an apostate and sentenced to death if He did not repent is dealt with by this department and executed. If those who declare apostasy are a group, then they have to be asked to return to Islam, and the state should not punish them. If however, they insist on apostasy then they are fought against. If they are small in number and the police force alone is able to fight against them then it has to do so. But if they are large in number and the police force is unable to fight against them then they have to request the Khaleefah to provide them with a military force to help them. If this military force is insufficient, then they have to request the Khaleefah to order the army to provide assistance. This is concerning apostates.

With regards to people who rebelled against the state; if they do not use arms and limit themselves to destruction and sabotage by strikes, demonstrations, occupation of vital centres of the state or aggression against private, public and state properties through demolition, then the internal security department restricts itself to using the police force in order to prevent such destructive actions. If it is not able to prevent the aggression it request the Khaleefah to provide it with a military force in order to stop the destruction and sabotage.

However, if the people who rebelled against the state used weapons and were able to establish themselves in an area and became a force which the department of internal security was unable to subdue through the use of the police force alone. In that case they must request the Khaleefah to provide it with a military force or an army force according to the need, to face the rebels. Before it initiates fighting against them, the department must determine whether they have complaints they may have. It should ask them to return to obedience and the Jama’ah and to surrender their arms. If they responded favourably and returned back, then the state should restrain itself from fighting them. If they rejected and insisted on rebelling, then it should fight against them in order to discipline them and not to annihilate and destroy them. It fights against them so that they return back to obedience and give up rebellion and surrender their arms. An example of this is the way Imam ‘Ali bin Abi Talib fought against the Khawarij. He called them to surrender first and if they left the rebellion He would not fight against them, but if they insisted on rebelling He fought against them to discipline them so that they might return to obedience, stop the rebellion and surrender their arms.

Regarding the fighters, such as the highway robbers, who attack people, forcibly obstruct the highways, steal property and kill, the department of internal security will despatch a police force to chase them and impose the punishment on them, which is either killing and crucifying, killing, amputating their opposite limbs, or deporting them to another place, according to the Ayah:

“The punishment of those who fight against Allah’s Messenger and who walk in the land with corruption is that they should be killed or crucified, or their opposite hands and legs should be amputated, or they should be deported from the land.” [TMQ Al- Ma’idah: 33]

The fighting against these people is not like fighting against rebels who fight against the state. Fighting against the rebels is to discipline them, while fighting against the highway robbers is to kill and crucify, so they are fought against when they fight and when they turn back. They are treated as outlined in the Ayah. Whoever killed and took property, He is killed and crucified; and whoever killed and did not take property, He is killed but not crucified; and whoever took property without killing, his hand and leg must be amputated from opposite sides without killing; and whoever raised arms and scared the people and did not kill or take property He is only exiled from his area to another place.

The department of internal security restricts itself to using the police force in maintaining security. It does not use other than the police force except when the police force is unable to maintain internal security. In that case it requests the Khaleefah to provide it with a military force or an army, according to what the need requires.

With regards to aggression against property by stealing, misappropriation, robbing or looting; or aggression against lives by assault, injury or killing; or aggression against honour by lying, slandering, or raping; the department of internal security prevents these things by its vigilance, guards and patrols, also by implementing the verdicts of the judges against those who perform aggression against the property, lives and honour. All of this requires the use of the police force alone.