Enjoing the good

Enjoining the good and Forbidding the Evil

We live in a time of great confusion, where evil is done in the name of good by the nations of the world, and where good is portrayed as evil in the media. This can be seen from terms such as ‘fundamentalists’ being attached to the Muslim male who prays and keeps a beard, or the female who prays and observes the hijab. Furthermore, the terms ‘evil’ and ‘terrorist’ are associated with those Muslims who strive to protect their religion, honour, dignity and land. These are the times we live in, but let it be known that we Muslims are upon the truth and any small misfortune which befalls us today, will be replaced by ease tomorrow.

We must realize therefore that this situation is only going to get worse unless we ourselves do something to change our own conditions. We sit idly by whilst the kuffar pillage and occupy our nations. Just look at Masjid a-Aqsa – for 37 years this has been under the occupation of the Yahood, and yet the majority of Muslims do not know that it was on that same spot that the best of mankind, our noble Prophet Mohammed (salallahu alayhe wasalam) lead ALL of the Anbiyyah (alayhe salam) in congregational prayer.

And who is occupying Masjid Al-Aqsa? It is a people numbering about 13 million people, whereas the 1.2 billion Muslims of this world are unable to do much more than say “we condemn Israel ”.

So how do we the Muslims go about changing our condition? This is a question which has many answers within it. One of these answers is that we need to follow in the footsteps of the righteous by enjoining the good and forbidding the evil. This means both corrected our fellow Muslims (with hikma) and conveying the message of Islam to the non-Muslims. If you saw that a cat was about to fall into a pit of fire, would you stop it? Then what about the human being, both Muslim and non-Muslim?

Allah, the Exalted, says:

"Let there arise out of you a group of people inviting to all that is good, enjoining Al-Ma`ruf (good) and forbidding Al-Munkar (evil). And it is they who are the successful.'' (3:104)

"You are the best of peoples ever raised up for mankind; you enjoin Al-Ma`ruf (good) and forbid Al-Munkar (evil)''. (3:110)

Now the question that some may ask is ‘what is good?’ and ‘what is evil?’ – know that good is that what Allah (swt) and his messenger (saw) have declared good, and bad is that which Allah (swt) and his Messnger (saw) have declared bad.

Within the statement of Al-Ma’ruf is not only that which is good for Muslims to follow, but this also includes Islam itself and the very fundamentals of deen including the belief that there is no god except Allah who is worthy of any worship and that the method (sunnah) of the Messenger (saw) is the best of methods to follow and adopt in ones life.

Al-Munkar is that which is in contrast to that, ie those beliefs and actions which go against the teachings of Islam and also go against the belief in Tawheed, the oneness of God.

It must therefore be understood that within the framework of enjoing the good and forbidding the evil is both Islaah (corrected our fellow Muslims and advising them with hikma, and calling them towards righteousness) and Dawah (calling the non-Muslims towards the truthfulness of the belief in La ilaha ilAllah, Muhammadur Rasool Allah.)

At this point is is essential to bear in mind that a person cannot be in the process without having any knowledge. To have the basic knowledge of Islam is a prerequisite of enjoinging the good and forbidding the evil. After that, a person must have the knowledge about the specific subject for which they are attempting to enjoin the good. Without the prerequisite knowledge, a person would be sinful for speaking for that which they know nothing about. Seeking knowledge is indeed a process that the Muslim must adopt endlessly throughout his or her life. In fact, one can sum this up with the saying adopted by a group from amongst the Muslims – “Learn, Practice, Propagate”.

Returning back to the issue of enjoing the good and forbidding the evil, it is important to keep in mind the following saying of the Messenger of Allah (swt):

Abu Sa`id Al-Khudri (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (saw) said, "Whoever amongst you sees an evil, let him change it with his hand; if he is unable to do so, then with his tongue; and if he is unable to do so, then with his heart; and that is the weakest form of Faith".
[Muslim].

If one is in a position to change an evil with his or her hand, then that is what must be done. For example, if a parent was to observe his or her child watching something haram on television, or listening to haram music, then that parent should turn off the television or music, and advise the child. Another example would be for one to provide charity out of one’s own pocket, to help the oppressed, or to take up arms in their defense.

“Then with his tongue” – indeed this is what a Muslim must do. The tongue is the piece of flesh which if used for bad, could fling a person into the hellfire, but if used for good, would elevate their rank and status. Muslims must speak out against any bad or evil which they are witnesses to. The manner in speech should be that which will bring about the most benefit and which is with adab. In these times we live in, to reproach someone may be counter-productive and in that case they best thing to do is to speak to someone with hikma (wisdom) and without any arrogance, or ‘holier-than-thou’ attitude.

As for one who is unable to do the above, then let him detest the evil with his heart. The Prophet (saw) said that this is the lowest in Iman, so anything below that is unacceptable. To be below that category is to according to the hadith, to have no Iman in that regard. And if we ever find ourselves in a state whereby we don’t disapprove of an evil before us, then know that we are not on the path of those whom Allah has blessed with being on the straight path. In that scenario, we should immediately repent and seek Allah’s forgiveness, for Allah (swt) is the most Merciful.

As for those of us who witness an evil and hate it in our hearts, but fail to speak out against it, then we must address the reasons for our failure. If it is due to lack in Iman, then we should pray to Allah (swt) and Inshallah, our Iman will increase. If our failure is due to modesty or shyness, then know that in such matters this must be overcome and for this again we must turn to Allah (swt) in devotion and supplication. Even after this, there are occasions when we will genuinely be unable to speak out against the vil which we witness, in such cases to despise the evil in our heart will be sufficient and we will not be sinful.

At all times, we must remember that it is with wisdom that we should offer nasiha (good counsel) and that our own actions should not be in contradiction to that which we preach to others. Know that the best of all examples is the Prophet Mohammed (saw) in correcting the Muslims and inviting the non-Muslims to the straight path, and that is is only through studying his seerah that we will be able to appreciate and implement his teachings (saw).

I will now conclude with a warning. If we fail to enjoin the good and forbid the evil, then our communities will continue to be destroyed and both the people who follow the laws of Allah and those who are neglectful will be destroyed within it. This can be ascertained from the following narration of the Prophet Mohammed (saw), which I will leave the reader to ponder over. May Allah have mercy on us.

187. Nu`man bin Bashir (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (PBUH) said, "The likeness of the man who observes the limits prescribed by Allah and that of the man who transgresses them is like the people who get on board a ship after casting lots. Some of them are in its lower deck and some of them in its upper (deck). Those who are in its lower (deck), when they require water, go to the occupants of the upper deck, and say to them : `If we make a hole in the bottom of the ship, we shall not harm you.' If they (the occupants of the upper deck) leave them to carry out their design they all will be drowned. But if they do not let them go ahead (with their plan), all of them will remain safe".
[Al-Bukhari].

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