Question:

The brother asks about strikes: worker strikes, employee strikes, such and such strike of the people. The people consider certain issue and then they make a strike.

Answer:

Sit downs, protests, and strikes. All of these do not have evidence, rather they are blind-following of the disbelievers. What proves that this was done in Jahiliyah (the time of ignorance prior to Islam) is the

statement of Umm Sa’ad Abi Waqqas when he [Sa’ad] came to Islam. She was on a hunger strike for days until he would return from the religion he entered and it was Islam. He said to her: Oh my mother eat or do not eat. If you had one hundred souls, each exiting one after the other, I will not leave anything of my religion. [Reported in Saheeh Muslim no. 1748, at-Tirmidhi no. 3189, Tafsir at-Tabari and others]

Strikes are from the imitation of Jahiliyyah. It is not allowed. And how many of these things, which have oppositions to the Shariah, have no evidences? They are imitation of the disbelievers: demonstrations, sit-ins, strikes, protests, mourning for men. This [mourning] is disgraceful in the view of people. If someone dies, the country mourns for such and such days. Also, remaining silent for a long period. There has come a Hadith that the Prophet sallahu alayhi wa salam prohibited that.

[See: Al-Bukhari no. 3834 and Saheeh Sunan Abu Dawood no. 2873]

For a person to keep silent for such and such minutes. In any case, we ask Allah to rectify our affairs and the affairs of the Muslims for verily these things are not allowed.

Allah say:

اتبعوا ما أنزل إليكم من ربكم ولا تتبعوا من دونه أولياء قليلا ما تذكرون

Say (O Muhammad SAW) to these idolaters (pagan Arabs) of your folk:] Follow what has been sent down unto you from your Lord (the Quran and Prophet Muhammad’s Sunnah), and follow not any Auliya’ (protectors and helpers, etc. who order you to associate partners in worship with Allah), besides Him (Allah). Little do you remember!

[7:3]

And he says:

اسْتَجِيبُواْ لِرَبِّكُمْ مِّن قَبْلِ أَن يَأْتِىَ يَوْمٌ لاَّ مَرَدَّ لَهُ مِنَ اللَّهِ مَا لَكُمْ مِّن مَّلْجَأٍ يَوْمَئِذٍ وَمَا لَكُمْ مِّن نَّكِيرٍ

Answer the Call of your Lord (i.e. accept the Islamic Monotheism, O mankind, and jinns) before there comes from Allah a Day which cannot be averted. You will have no refuge on that Day nor there will be for you any denying (of your crimes as they are all recorded in the Book of your deeds).

[42:47]

What is obligatory is that the people take as role model the best example whom there is none better than him at all; it is taking the Messenger sallahu alayhi wa salam as an example.

Allah says:

لَّقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ

Indeed in the Messenger of Allah (Muhammad SAW) you have a good example to follow

[33:21]

All of these things came to us from other than the Book of our Lord and from other Sunnah of our Prophet sallahu alayhi wa salam.

Allah’s aid is sought “. End. [Reference]

Translated by

Faisal Ibn Abdul Qaadir Ibn Hassan
Abu Sulaymaan