Must a Muslim obey even a bad government, or may he rebel?

A Muslim obeys the laws of his country even when the government is bad, and rebellion is not permitted to him. Only if he is forced to break God’s command does he follow God and bear the consequences patiently, and whoever can no longer bear it may emigrate.

Islam lays down a clear principle. One obeys lawful authority, whether it is good or bad. The reason is simple. If every individual could decide for himself whether a government is good enough to follow, anyone could put himself above the law. The result would be chaos, and the weak would suffer most.

There is, however, a limit. The verse above names God and His Messenger first, and then those in authority. If a government demands that God’s command be broken, for example by giving up prayer or denying one’s faith, a Muslim obeys God. That is the only point at which he does not comply. Yet even then he does not take up violence or stir up revolt. He bears the consequences with patience.

This is how it was in the early days of Islam in Mecca. The Muslims there were severely persecuted. Some were tortured to death simply because they believed in the one God and prayed. They went on praying and did not give up their faith. But the Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) did not allow them to rise up against the rulers inside the city.

Whoever can no longer bear persecution has another way. He may leave the country. That is the meaning of the Hijra, the emigration of the first Muslims from Mecca to Medina.

For a Muslim today this means being an honest, law-abiding citizen, even when he does not like the government. What he considers wrong he may raise through the means the law itself allows. But unlawful violence and revolt are forbidden to him.