`

The five pillars of tyranny

The five pillars of tyranny
by
December 20, 2024
in Khutbah
No Comments
288

The story of a tyrant – the symbol of tyranny

Allah Almighty repeated the story of Firaun in the Quran more than any other. He is the symbol of tyranny. Before him and after him there have been and will be other tyrants, so Allah wants to warn us against the characteristics of tyranny (tughyan).

‫إِنَّ فِرۡعَوۡنَ عَلَا فِی ٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَجَعَلَ أَهۡلَهَا شيعاً یَسۡتَضۡعِفُ طائفةً مِّنۡهُمۡ یُذَبِّحُ أَبۡنَاۤءَهُمۡ وَیَسۡتَحۡیِۦ نِسَاۤءَهُمۡۚ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ مِنَ ٱلۡمُفۡسِدِینَ

Indeed, Pharaoh became exalted in the land and divided its people into sects, deeming a faction of them weak and oppressed: slaughtering their sons while keeping their women alive (in bondage). Indeed, he was one of the corrupters. (Al-Qaṣaṣ, 28:4)

In the ayah of Surat Al Qasas, Allah Almighty mentions the five pillars of tyranny. The first pillar – arrogance – is the essence of tyranny. Firaun considered himself so exalted that he could see nothing above him. He thought he was above the law, above any court and above any standard of morality or accountability or human rights.

Firaun did not care about bringing his people good or protecting them from harm, instead exploiting their resources for his own benefit, forcing them into servitude for his goals, and governing them harshly. This would instill fear in their hearts due to his oppression and cruelty. This trait of arrogance is the root of all evils and misdeeds, which is why it is mentioned before other corruptions, and it is followed by the statement that ‘Indeed, he was one of the corrupters’.

His arrogance blinded him to the truth, leading him to proclaim himself a god:

فَقَالَ أَنَا۠ رَبُّكُمُ ٱلۡأَعۡلَىٰ

Saying: “I am your lord, most high”, (74:24)

‫وَنَادَىٰ فِرۡعَوۡنُ فِی قَوۡمِهِۦ قَالَ یَـٰقَوۡمِ أَلَیۡسَ لِی مُلۡكُ مِصۡرَ وَهَـٰذِهِ ٱلۡأَنۡهَـٰرُ تَجۡرِی مِن تَحۡتِیۤۚ أَفَلَا تُبۡصِرُونَ

And Pharaoh called out among his people; he said, “O my people, do I not have the dominion over Egypt, and are these rivers not flowing beneath me? Do you not see? (Az-Zukhruf, 43:51)

Due to his unshakeable delusion of grandeur, he believed that he held ultimate power, and oppressed people without remorse, without any regard for justice, and committed atrocities to maintain his power.

‫فَٱسۡتَخَفَّ قَوۡمَهُۥ فَأَطَاعُوهُۚ إِنَّهُمۡ كَانُوا۟ قوماً فَـٰسِقِینَ

Thus he fooled his people, and they obeyed him; indeed they were a defiantly disobedient people. (Az-Zukhruf, 43:54)

This is why Allah Almighty shows us that Firaun had reached an extreme point and overstepped all limits:

ٱذْهَبَآ إِلَىٰ فِرْعَوْنَ إِنَّهُۥ طَغَىٰ

Go, both of you, to Pharaoh, for he has truly transgressed ˹all bounds˺. (20:43)

Firaun set himself up as the one who defines right and wrong and metes out punishment as he pleased. It is a pattern that the one who does not follow divine instructions, follows their own whims and desires. When you reject the divine, you have no point of reference. It is very dangerous.

The five pillars of tyranny

Ibn Ashur, very interestingly commented on five ways in which tyranny is created and perpetuated by those in control to keep their authority unchallenged.

1. Arrogance. Firaun felt so superior he saw no authority beyond him. He acted as though he was above all people, rights, and laws.

2. Divide and rule – Causing division between different sects and groups to foster hostility, mistrust and disunity as a means to weaken them to control them.

3. Stripping the rights and humiliating certain groups to weaken and intimidate them.

4. Murdering and killing to suppress any opposition.

5. Spreading sexual immorality. By sparing the lives of women, Firaun subjected them to exploitation, leading to the moral degradation of society.

Arrogance

The first pillar of tyranny is arrogance. This is why it is one of the worse sins, which, like shirk, prevents entry to Jannah.

Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:

عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ ‏ “‏ لاَ يَدْخُلُ الْجَنَّةَ مَنْ كَانَ فِي قَلْبِهِ مِثْقَالُ حَبَّةٍ مِنْ خَرْدَلٍ مِنْ كِبْرٍ وَلاَ يَدْخُلُ النَّارَ مَنْ كَانَ فِي قَلْبِهِ مِثْقَالُ حَبَّةٍ مِنْ خَرْدَلٍ مِنْ إِيمَانٍ ‏”‏ ‏.‏

No one will enter Paradise who has even a mustard-seed’s weight of arrogance in his heart, and no one will enter Hell who has even a mustard-seed’s weight of faith in his heart. (Ibn Majah)

Arrogance leads to numerous other wrongs, including despising people, belittling their rights, mistreating them, spreading hostility among them, and thinking ill of them. It leads to a complete disregard for kindness toward others, except when it serves to satisfy one’s own desires or anger. Furthermore, as their ruler, this trait of arrogance caused Firaun to neglect their welfare, infringe upon their rights, and treat them with contempt.

Divide and rule

The second pillar of tyranny is to create division among people by creating friction among them so they divide into sects and groups. This means they are all fighting each other and it weakens them and keeps them preoccupied with their conflicts. We see in Syria, a nation is fractured into factions, all competing for power, causing division and chaos.

Allah refers to al-mala’, the inner cabinet of Firaun, they are the ones who control the economy and the policies as culpable for carrying out Firaun’s policy. Firaun divided the people of his kingdom into factions, making some of them close to him, while it is implied that others were treated in opposition to this. This division led to corruption in the nation, as it fostered jealousy and hatred between groups. Some factions would look for ways to undermine others, and those favoured by Firaun would arrogantly oppress the others. This division would lead to the spread of slander and false gossip as rival factions tried to replace each other in Firaun’s favour. This wastes time in conspiracies and plots, turning some people into a trial and temptation for others.

The proper conduct of a just ruler is to treat all his subjects equally, as children of the same father, loving them and correcting them with justice and kindness. There should be no preference for one group over another, and those who are closer to the ruler should be those who possess personal and intellectual virtues.

Stripping people of their rights and dehumanising them

The third pillar of oppression is the denial of rights to one group, treating them as less than human. We have witnessed extreme cruelty, dehumanising forms of torture, and humiliation carried out in prisons—acts that strip individuals of dignity and humanity. There is no equality or fairness in how people are treated, violating basic human rights and the principle of justice. The land belongs to its inhabitants—those who have settled and grown up in it—and denying them their rightful place is a grave injustice. Those in power act as if they are entitled to do this, as though they belong to a superior race, a genetically modified super species!

Killing your opposition

The fourth pillar is killing. Firaun had all male born babies slaughtered. The concept of killing your opposition is a sign of utter corruption. Firaun wanted to prevent the children of Israel from gaining strength, especially their men, so that the authority and control over the land would remain exclusive to his people.

Spreading sexual immorality

The fifth pillar is spreading sexual immorality. Ibn Ashur commented that while Firaun killed the men, he kept women alive, and as they had no husbands, many were reduced to prostitution. If you do this, you flood the community with sexual desire. What seems on the surface act of mercy—sparing their lives—is an act of corruption, as it became a violation of their rights and dignity, much like the slaughter of the male children.

Thus, Allah provides us with a clear template of tyranny and warns us not to repeat this pattern of corruption. Do not be arrogant, act with humility; do not create friction and divide others; do not humiliate others; do not kill people, and do not be immersed in sexual desire, because these are the pillars of oppression.

We have to do the opposite – act with humility, treat them like your sons and daughters and give everyone their rights, don’t harm or kill anyone and channel desire through the halal outlet of marriage..

Alhamdulillah one of the tyrants of our era has fallen. With the collapse of Bashar al Assad’s regime, which caused suffering not just in Syria but over the border to Lebanon as well, we pray that Allah will grant peace and justice to the whole region. Ameen.

Based on the Khutbah of Shaykh Haytham Tamim 20th Dec 2024

share

Shaykh Haytham Tamim is the founder and main teacher of the Utrujj Foundation. He has provided a leading vision for Islamic learning in the UK, which has influenced the way Islamic knowledge is disseminated. He has orchestrated the design and delivery of over 200 unique courses since Utrujj started in 2001. His extensive expertise spans over 30 years across the main Islamic jurisprudence schools of thought. He has studied with some of the foremost scholars in their expertise; he holds some of the highest Ijazahs (certificates) in Quran, Hadith (the Prophetic traditions) and Fiqh (Islamic rulings). His own gift for teaching was evident when he gave his first sermon to a large audience at the age of 17 and went on to serve as a senior lecturer of Islamic transactions and comparative jurisprudence at the Islamic University of Beirut (Shariah College). He has continued to teach; travelling around the UK, Europe and wider afield, and won the 2015 BISCA award (British Imams & Scholars Contributions & Achievements Awards) for Outstanding Contribution to Education and Teaching.

Recommended Posts