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Ahnaf Ibn Qais's avatar

حَدَّثَنَا مُسَدَّدٌ، حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى، عَنْ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي نَافِعٌ، عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم‏.‏ وَحَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ صَبَّاحٍ، حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ بْنُ زَكَرِيَّاءَ، عَنْ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ، عَنْ نَافِعٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏ "‏ السَّمْعُ وَالطَّاعَةُ حَقٌّ، مَا لَمْ يُؤْمَرْ بِالْمَعْصِيَةِ، فَإِذَا أُمِرَ بِمَعْصِيَةٍ فَلاَ سَمْعَ وَلاَ طَاعَةَ ‏"‏‏.‏

Narrated Ibn `Umar: The 'Prophet said, "It is obligatory for one to listen to and obey (the ruler's orders) unless these orders involve one disobedience (to Allah); but if an act of disobedience (to Allah) is imposed, he should not listen to or obey it."

Sahih al-Bukhari 2955

https://sunnah.com/bukhari:2955

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Fabius Minarchus's avatar

Given how most government action at the upper levels is disconnected from any popular vote, there is no claim to a mandate of the people. Given all the backroom deals and log rolling, the difference between what a lawmaker says he is for and what he is actually doing is difficult to discern.

And voting districts are so large that donors have more clout than voters.

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With all that said, it is possible to overthrow the government without changing the system. That is, overthrow the shadow government: the bigger Wall St. investment banks, the party structure of either major party, the TV networks, etc.

The beauty of democracy, or simulations thereof, is that it is possible to overthrow a bad government without resort to violence.

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