Translated from the book of al-Badr ibn Jam’ah – تحرير الأحكام في تدبير أهل الإسلام
“The First Right:
To protect the stronghold (bayḍah) of Islam and to defend it – whether throughout every region, if he is a Caliph, or within the territory entrusted to him, if he is appointed over it. He must undertake the jihād against the polytheists, repel the aggressors and rebels, manage the armies, enlist soldiers, fortify the frontiers with both defensive and offensive provisions, and oversee the arrangement of troops in various regions according to need, determine their stipends and allocations, and ensure their general well-being.
The Second Right:
To preserve the religion according to its established foundations and codified principles, repel innovations and innovators, clarify the proofs of the religion, disseminate the sacred sciences, exalt knowledge and its people, raise high its banner and status, associate with eminent scholars—those who are sincere to the religion of Islam—and consult them in matters of rulings and points of revocation and confirmation.
Allah the Exalted said to His Prophet ﷺ:
“And consult them in matters.” [Āl ʿImrān: 159]
Al-Ḥasan said: “By Allah, He had no need of consultation, but He wished to establish it as a sunnah for them.”
The Third Right:
To uphold the outward rites (shaʿāʾir) of Islam, such as the obligatory prayers, the Jumuʿah, the congregational prayers, the call to prayer (adhān), the iqāmah, the Friday sermon (khuṭbah), and leading the prayer (imāmah). Included also is the oversight of fasting and breaking the fast, the moonsighting, the pilgrimage (ḥajj) to the Sacred House and its minor pilgrimage (ʿumrah).
This also includes attention to the religious festivals (ʿīd), facilitating the pilgrims from various regions, repairing and securing their travel routes, and appointing officials to manage their affairs.
The Fourth Right:
To adjudicate disputes and legal cases, by appointing governors and judges to resolve conflicts among litigants and restrain the oppressor from the oppressed. He should not appoint to these roles except those whose piety, trustworthiness, and integrity are well established—among the scholars, the righteous, and the competent, sincere individuals.
He must not neglect inquiring about their conduct or investigating their conditions, to remain aware of how his appointees treat the subjects, for he is accountable for them and liable for their transgressions.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“Every shepherd is responsible for his flock.”
The Fifth Right:
To establish the obligation of jihād—either personally or through his armies, battalions, and detachments. The minimum required is once per year, if the Muslims have the strength. If necessity demands more than that, it becomes obligatory according to the need.
No year should be free of jihād unless there is a valid excuse, such as weakness among the Muslims (and we seek refuge in Allah) or preoccupation with ransoming their captives or rescuing lands seized by the disbelievers.
He should begin by fighting the nearest of the disbelievers—unless one more distant advances upon him, in which case he begins with repelling that one.
The Sixth Right:
To enforce the legal ḥudūd (prescribed punishments) in accordance with their valid conditions, in order to protect the sanctities of Allah from violation, and to preserve the rights of the servants from being transgressed.
He must implement the ḥudūd equally between the strong and the weak, the lowly and the noble.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“Those before you were destroyed because they used to enforce the punishments upon the weak and let the noble go. By Allah, if Fāṭimah the daughter of Muḥammad were to steal, Muḥammad would cut off her hand.”
The Seventh Right:
To collect the zakāt and jizyah from their due payers, and the wealth from fayʾ and kharāj at its appropriate time, and to distribute all of that in its proper Sharʿī channels and accepted categories—maintaining oversight over these affairs and entrusting them to reliable administrators.
The Eighth Right:
To oversee endowments (awqāf) designated for righteousness and acts of devotion, and to ensure their allocation to the causes for which they were intended—such as the construction of bridges and the facilitation of charitable routes.
The Ninth Right:
To manage the division of war spoils (ghānimah) and distribute them accordingly, giving the fifth portion (khums) to its rightful recipients, as will be detailed later in the chapter on ghānimah, if Allah wills.
The Tenth Right:
To implement justice in his rule and follow just means in all of his affairs. Allah the Exalted said:
“Indeed, Allah commands justice and excellence.” [al-Naḥl: 90]
And He said:
“And when you speak, speak with justice.” [al-Anʿām: 152]
In the words of the wise: “The justice of the ruler is the life of the people and the soul of the kingdom. What life is there in a body without a soul?”
Thus, it is incumbent upon one whom Allah has entrusted with rule over His servants, and granted dominion over a portion of His lands, to make justice the foundation of his reliance and the principle upon which he builds—for it encompasses the welfare of the subjects and the flourishing of the land.
Moreover, the blessings of Allah require gratitude, and gratitude should match the scale of the blessing. And Allah’s blessing upon the Sultan surpasses all others, so his gratitude must exceed all other gratitude.”