The questioner asks about the guidelines for enjoining good and forbidding evil, and when it is permissible to forbid evil openly and when to forbid it in secret.
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The questioner : In his second question, he asks about the guidelines for enjoining good and forbidding evil, and when it is permissible to forbid evil openly and when to forbid it in secret.
The Shaykh : Enjoining good and forbidding evil is a collective obligation, and if there is only one person, it becomes an individual obligation for him. However, the condition is that the evil not change into something greater. If the evil changes into something greater, it is obligatory to refrain, based on the saying of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He:[Al-An'am 6:108].
If we suppose that a person smokes, and if we forbid him, he would quit smoking but go on to drink intoxicants, then we do not forbid him here, because smoking is less severe than drinking intoxicants. Likewise, if we see someone obsessed with looking at women and pursuing them, and if we forbid him, he would be led astray by boys, then we do not forbid him here. However, despite that, we monitor him and try to forbid him from the evil at every opportunity.
The Shaykh : Enjoining good and forbidding evil is a collective obligation, and if there is only one person, it becomes an individual obligation for him. However, the condition is that the evil not change into something greater. If the evil changes into something greater, it is obligatory to refrain, based on the saying of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He:
And do not insult those they invoke other than Allah, lest they insult Allah in enmity without knowledge. Thus We have made pleasing to every community their deeds. Then to their Lord is their return, and He will inform them about what they used to do.
ولا تسبوا الذين يدعون من دون الله فيسبوا الله عدوا بغير علم كذلك زينا لكل أمة عملهم ثم إلى ربهم مرجعهم فينبئهم بما كانوا يعملونIf we suppose that a person smokes, and if we forbid him, he would quit smoking but go on to drink intoxicants, then we do not forbid him here, because smoking is less severe than drinking intoxicants. Likewise, if we see someone obsessed with looking at women and pursuing them, and if we forbid him, he would be led astray by boys, then we do not forbid him here. However, despite that, we monitor him and try to forbid him from the evil at every opportunity.