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Is it permissible for a devout Muslim to join parliaments or serve as a minister and participate in governments, based on Yusuf's request to be the minister of finance in Pharaoh's government, and Ibn Taymiyyah's fatwa on that? And what is the most accurate Quranic exegesis that explains issues precisely?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Participation in the state through parliament or ministry is among the issues of Islamic political jurisprudence (Siyasa Shariah) that rely on balancing benefits and harms. If its good outweighs its evil, then it is permissible to engage in it. If its evil outweighs its good, then it is obligatory to abandon it. This matter reverts to the scholars in each country, as they are most knowledgeable about the circumstances of their lands. The fundamental principle is to benefit Muslims by any permissible means that does not lead to sin. Thus, for one whose intention is to serve Muslims and secure their rights by entering parliament or a ministry, there is no objection to that, because Islamic Law is built upon achieving benefits and averting harms.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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