Is It Permissible For Muslims To Vote In Lands Of Kufr

Brief Summary

Ruling on voting in lands where Sharia is not established

The issue of Muslims voting in elections held in non Muslim countries is a modern matter. Scholars today have different views on it. Some forbid it completely because these countries do not follow Allah’s Sharia. Others allow it when clear benefits for the Muslims are expected. The Islamic Fiqh Council of the Muslim World League issued a ruling in its 19th session in Makkah (22–27 Shawwal / 3–8 November 2007) that explained the matter in detail.

Participation is based on benefit and harm

The council ruled that voting in such elections falls under siyasah sharaiyyah (policy matters decided through Sharia principles). These matters depend on weighing benefits and harms, and fatwas can differ depending on time, place, and situation. A Muslim citizen in a non Muslim country may take part in elections if the likely result is benefit for the Muslims.

Conditions for allowed participation

The council outlined three guidelines:

The Muslim must intend to protect or gain benefit for the Muslims and remove harm.
There must be a strong likelihood that voting will help strengthen the Muslims, raise their issues, or meet their needs.
It must not lead to harm in one’s religion (Islamic Fiqh Council, 8 November 2007).

Ibn Uthaymeen’s Fatwa on Voting in Non Muslim Countries

Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen was asked about Muslims voting in US elections. He answered that it is allowed to vote for the candidate who is less harmful to the Muslims. He gave the example of the believers rejoicing when the Romans defeated the Persians because the Romans were less harmful to Muslims, as mentioned in Surah al Rum (1–5). He said the same principle applies here: choose the one less harmful (Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen, US elections fatwa).

Ruling from the Permanent Committee

The Permanent Committee in Saudi Arabia ruled that it is not allowed for a Muslim to nominate himself or vote in a system that rules by other than Sharia.

However, if the Muslim’s intention is to change the system towards Sharia and he only works in roles that do not go against Islam, then this can be allowed. But the aim must be clear: bringing Sharia and avoiding harm to religion. (Fatwa al Lajnah ad Daa’imah lil Buhooth al ‘Ilmiyyah wal Iftaa, 23/406–407).

Shaykh Abdul Rahman al Mahmoud

Shaykh Abdul Rahman ibn Salih al Mahmoud gave a detailed ruling with two cases:

First case: In a country ruled by Islam, where laws, judges, and leaders follow Sharia, taking part in elections is allowed. It is seen as giving trust to those who deserve it, which Allah commanded in Surah al Nisa (58). The Prophet also warned that giving authority to those who do not deserve it leads to corruption (Musnad Ahmad, Sahih al Bukhari 6496).
Second case: In non Islamic systems like democracy or communism, the default ruling is that voting is forbidden due to serious harms. These include mixing with wrongdoers, hiding the truth, and not making the separation between believers and disbelievers clear. He quoted verses from Surah Hud (110), Surah al Nisa (140), and Surah al Fath (25) as proof.

However, he added that if strong scholars see clear benefit in voting to reduce evil or support truth without compromising religion, then it may be allowed. Still, scholars and virtuous people should not involve themselves directly but should guide others toward the lesser harm (Shaykh Abdul Rahman al Mahmoud, official website).

Shaykh al Mahmoud warned that even if voting is allowed in some cases, it must never lead to neglecting the command to show enmity to disbelievers, or abandoning the obligation of hijrah (migration). If voting weakens these duties, it becomes forbidden.

Conclusion

The scholars who allow voting in non Muslim countries do so only under strict conditions: strong expected benefit, no harm to religion, and clear intention to support Muslims. The ruling changes depending on time, place, and situation. Where no benefit is likely, or where it harms the deen it remains forbidden.

The ruling on a Muslim taking part in elections with non Muslims

This issue is one of the new issues of this age. The sayings of the contemporary scholars differ in it between allowing it when there is a clear benefit and completely forbidding it, because these non Muslim countries are not ruled by the Sharia of Allah. A formal ruling was issued by the Islamic Fiqh Council in its nineteenth session which was held at the headquarters of the Muslim World League in Makkah in the days from twenty two to twenty seven Shawwal, which matched three to eight November two thousand and seven.

In that ruling it said: After listening to the research that was presented, and after the discussions and study around those papers, the council decided the following:

First: A Muslim taking part in elections with non Muslims in non Muslim lands is from the issues of siyasah sharaiyyah (policy matters based on Sharia principles). The ruling of these matters is decided by weighing the benefits and harms, and the fatwa changes according to different times, places, and conditions.

Second: It is allowed for a Muslim who enjoys citizenship rights in a non Muslim country to take part in parliamentary elections and similar forms of voting when his participation mostly brings strong benefits.

These benefits include presenting the correct picture of Islam, defending the issues of Muslims in that land, gaining rights for the religious and worldly needs of the Muslim minority, strengthening their place in areas of influence, and cooperating with the people who are fair and moderate, in order to achieve cooperation based on truth and justice. This is according to the following guidelines:

First guideline: The Muslim who takes part must intend by his participation to help in gaining benefits for the Muslims and to push away harm and danger from them.

Second guideline: It must mostly seem to the Muslims who take part that their participation will lead to good results which benefit the Muslims in that land, such as strengthening their standing, delivering their needs to the decision makers and leaders, and protecting their religious and worldly needs.

Third guideline: There must not result from the Muslim taking part in these elections anything that causes him to neglect or harm his religion.

By the help of Allah and success from Him, and may Allah send prayers on our Prophet Muhammad and upon his family and his companions. (Islamic Fiqh Council, Muslim World League website, 3rd-8th November 2007)

In this video Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen was asked: The United States is now going through a period of presidential elections. They are electing the president.

Is it allowed for American Muslims to vote in these elections for one of the candidates, the one they believe is more beneficial for the Muslims in that country, or should they avoid these elections?

The shaykh said: I clearly see that they should vote for the one they see as more beneficial for the Muslims, and there is no problem in this. Listen to the words of Allah the Exalted:

Alif Lam Mim
The Romans have been defeated
In the lowest land
But after their defeat they will overcome
Within a few years
To Allah belongs the command before and after
And on that day the believers will rejoice in the victory of Allah (Surah Ar Rum 1 to 5)

Who was it that the believers rejoiced for? It was the Romans defeating the Persians, because the Romans were less harmful to the Muslims than the Persians. And the believers were happy when the disbeliever who was less harmful to them defeated the other disbeliever.

So the same applies in elections. They may vote for the one whom they see as further away from harming the Muslims.

The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia were asked: Is it allowed to vote in elections and to nominate oneself in them, knowing that our country rules by something other than what Allah revealed?

The answer was: “It is not allowed for a Muslim to nominate himself hoping to enter a government that rules with what Allah has not revealed and acts outside the Sharia of Islam.

It is not allowed for a Muslim to vote for him or for anyone else who works in that government, except if the Muslim who nominates himself, and those who vote for him, seek by entering that system to change the rule to ruling by the Sharia of Islam, and they take this as a way to eventually gain strength over that ruling system.

It must also be the case that after entering, the one who nominated himself must only work in positions that do not conflict with the Sharia of Islam.”

By the help of Allah and His success. May Allah send prayers on our Prophet Muhammad and upon his family and his companions.

Signed by: Abdullah bin Quud,

Abdullah bin Ghudayyan,

Abdul Razzaq Afifi,

Abdul Aziz bin Baz.

Fatwa al-Lajnah ad-Daa’imah lil-Buhooth al-‘Ilmiyyah wal-Iftaar (23/406-407)