Allah (swt) revealed:Islam made it an obligation upon Muslims to enjoin the good and to forbid the evil no matter where they live and how big or small the good or evil may be. This is why we find Muslims across the world calling to the good or speaking against injustices regardless of whether they live in “democracies” or “dictatorships”. Individuals and organizations have been known to speak out against tyrant rulers in the Muslim world, for which reason their members have been tortured and in many cases murdered. Muslims are motivated by the words of Allah (swt) and His Messenger (saw) in their struggle against injustices.
“You are the best nation revealed for mankind. You enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and believe in Allah.” [TMQ 3:110]
The Messenger of Allah (saw) said:
“Whoever from amongst you sees an evil should change it by his hand, if he is unable to do so then he should change it by his tongue (by speaking against it), and if he is unable to do so then he should reject it in his heart and this is the weakest of Iman.” [Muslim]
Enjoining the good and forbidding evil is a fard kifayah - a collective duty upon the Ummah. If some of the Muslims carry it out and the aim is achieved, then the intent is met and the obligation is lifted; but if it is neglected, then all Muslims are responsible and sinful. The order mentioned in the hadith above - to change - is a binding order and therefore considered an obligation. It is not restricted to a particular person such as someone in authority (i.e. the ruler or judge), or people who have certain qualifications (i.e. the scholars), but rather it is a general command to all people as understood by the generality of the language of the hadith. It goes without saying that the scholars should be at the forefront of standing up for the truth since they are the inheritors of the prophets. They inherit the duty to convey knowledge and enjoin the good and forbid the evil. Unfortunately, many scholars have kept quiet about the haq (truth) and many have gone as far as enjoining evil. The narration explains that if it is not possible to stop or change the evil through force or authority, then it is necessary to speak against it.
It is important to note here that one does not need to be sinless to enjoin the good and forbid the evil. Also the evil mentioned must be an agreed upon munkar (evil), and there is no inkaar (preventing/condemning others) on issues of differences of opinion between respected mujtahideen.
Sheikh ibn Taymiyya mentioned three conditions for the issue of enjoining the good and forbidding the evil:
- 1. Knowledge prior to the action: This is in accordance to the issue, if the issue itself is well known to the Muslims such as abandoning the prayer, paying (riba) interest on a loan, or ruling by other than the Shari'ah then such matter does not require someone to be a scholar to enjoin or forbid.
- 2. Delivering the message in the most effective manner. This means we are firm, but avoid being harsh upon the person we are advising.
- 3. Patience after the action since whomever does this noble act will be afflicted with trials and tribulations by those they face. Allah (swt) revealed:
“By Al-'Asr (the time). Verily! Man is in loss, Except those who believe and do righteous good deeds, and recommend one another to the truth, And recommend one another to patience.” [TMQ 103]
Ibn Kathir in his tafsir sai'd, “recommend one another to patience meaning patience with plots, the evils, and the harms of those who harm people due to their commanding them to do good and forbidding them from evil.”
Sometimes when Muslims engage themselves in debate with journalists and media outlets, the conversation ends with the Muslims being told that the only reason they are able to speak is because of the freedom of speech they are entitled to in democracies and that this is the reason they can be critical and disagree with others in the west. This argument is based upon a premise which assumes that the reason Muslims speak out against the injustices which they see around the world is because they have the freedom to do so and for this reason Muslims should be grateful. This could not be further from the truth!
The fact of the matter is that even before the birth of the concept of free speech in Europe and America, Allah (swt) had revealed to the Muslims the concept of enjoining the good and forbidding the evil, as explained above. This is more precious and worthwhile than free speech, not only because it is from Allah (swt), but also because the freedom of speech in itself is merely a choice that an individual can uphold or ignore and we see this everyday in the streets of western cities. We will find that thugs and criminals are causing all sorts of problems in some communities, but very few people intervene or attempt to intervene to stop them. This is the type of mentality freedom of speech creates, a passive mentality to crime, towards other people's feelings and sentiments and a mentality of, “I will only use freedom of speech when it benefits me”. This can also be seen on a societal scale. For example, the American and British public is aware that their politicians lied to them about Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction. However, most people have chosen not to use their freedom of speech to hold the government accountable for countless criminal acts their governments have committed against the innocent people of Iraq.
The concept of enjoining the good and forbidding evil however is mandatory on Muslims. Hence it creates a proactive mentality where the Muslims will involve themselves in stopping the injustices and if necessary in many cases put their own lives at risk for others. Anybody who has been to the Muslim world would know that when any crime occurs, people from the street involve themselves to resolve these issues and if necessary stop the injustice, even if both the perpetrator and victim are complete strangers. For example, we recently saw the Ummah hold the rulers accountable in Egypt, Jordan, Algeria and Tunisia for their continuous transgression against the Ummah. Also, during the Gaza Massacre of 2009, the Ummah in Egypt and elsewhere held the rulers accountable for allowing Israel to massacre our brothers and sisters in Palestine. And there have been many individuals and members of groups who have held their rulers accountable and faced harsh consequences, such as imprisonment, torture, and even death. These actions carry a high reward based on the following hadith:
“The master of the martyrs is Hamza ibn Abdul Mattalib, and a man who stands (in front of) an oppressive ruler and enjoins the good and forbids the evil and so is killed for it.” [Hakim]
This creates a level of security within society where people can feel a sense of peace knowing that others will help them in their time of need. The reason Muslims feel the need to enjoin the good and forbid the evil is because it has been placed as an obligation upon them by their Creator (swt) for which they will be immensely rewarded or punished if not undertaken, and this is why it is not subject to being discarded at the whims and desires of people.
The rewards of enjoining the good and forbidding the evil is immense. And the consequence of keeping silent when seeing evil is grave. Abu Huraira (ra) reported that Prophet Muhammad (saw) said:
“If anyone summons others to follow right guidance, his reward will be equivalent to those of the people who follow him without their rewards being diminished in any respect on that account; and if anyone summons others to follow error, the sin of which he is guilty will be equivalent to those of the people who follow him without their sins being diminished in any respect on that account.” [Muslim]
Aisha (ra) said: “Once the Prophet Muhammad (saw) entered the house, and I guessed from his face that something had happened to him. He did not talk to anyone, and after having ablution he entered the mosque. I tried to hear behind the wall what he said. So, he sat at the pulpit, and after praising Allah (swt) he (saw) said:
‘O’ Muslims! Allah has commanded you to exhort people to good deeds and prevent them from sins; otherwise a time will come when you will pray to Him, but He will not listen to you; you will ask your needs of Him, but He will not grant them; you will demand His help against your enemies, but He will not help you.’ After saying this, he came down from the pulpit”. [Ibn Majah]
May Allah make us among those who enjoin the good, forbid the evil and believe in Allah (swt). (PAM)
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