Following is a sermon delivered by Sheik Mahmoud Al-Habbash, PA minister of religious endowments, which aired on PA TV on March 5, 2010.

Mahmoud Al-Habbash: The third thing I would like to talk about is the value of having a consensus regarding a single ruler. The Prophet Muhammad said: "If a pledge of allegiance is made to two caliphs – kill the second one." Even if it were Abu Bakr the Righteous or the most erudite man on earth – the second caliph must be killed, because the interest and the unity of the [Islamic] nation are more important to Allah than anything else. The unity of the nation is more important than anything, so "kill the second one."

The Prophet Muhammad said: "Whoever comes to you while you are united under a single leader from among you, and wants to sow division among your ranks – in other words, to disperse you, to scatter you, to weaken you – "kill him."

The Prophet Muhammad commands us to kill? This is the only case. When the nation faces the threat of division, the Prophet Muhammad commands us to kill whoever threatens the unity of this people and this nation.

Today, we have a consensus about one man, one ruler, who has the right to command our obedience, and who has the duty to listen to our advice, and be committed [to us]. If a man comes and wants to impose himself as a parallel ruler, his verdict should be as quoted from the Prophet Muhammad.