The Treatment of the Mockery of Religion and Those Who Enjoin Good by Youth and Women

Question:
A question from your sons in the field, from the men of the Hisbah, may Allah reward them with good. How do we deal with the situation of the young men who mock the religion, the preachers, and those who enjoin good and forbid evil? And also some of the women in the markets when they all mock the one who offers them advice and counsel, or when he forbids them from doing wrong, they object by pointing to its existence and prevalence among the people. What is the correct answer in this place? May Allah preserve you.

Answer:
It is obligatory for the men of the Hisbah, the men of the Committee, to fear Allah, to take the matter very seriously, to advise anyone they see showing some laxity or mockery, and to make it clear to him that this is wrong, and that it is obligatory for him to repent to Allah from it. If he persists, he must be taken.
And his case is referred to the competent authority so that they may establish the command of Allah against him. The competent authority is the court, and the court establishes the command of Allah against him. So mockery is a great shirk (associating partners with Allah). Allah the Exalted said: Sins come, and you have disbelieved after your faith. The mocker is not left alone; he is advised and guided. If he repents and declares his repentance and admits that he made a mistake, then praise be to Allah. But if he persists and is obstinate, he is taken, arrested, and imprisoned until the court rules with the ruling of Allah. And so it is with women; they must be warned and reminded. If they persist in their falsehood, they must be identified. From where? From the wife of so-and-so, the daughter of so-and-so, until the command of Allah is established against her through the competent authority. It is necessary that she be identified, and she is not left to mock until the command of Allah is established against her, if she is known for mockery, or for immodesty, or for indifference, or for not covering herself. She is not allowed to do so, and she is not left to mock. Rather, the means are taken to identify who she is, who her daughter is, who her wife is, so that her awliya (guardians) may review the matter, and so that her awliya may be alerted to lift her from what she has done. And if the need arises to refer her case to the rulers, because her awliya did not fulfill the obligation, her case is also referred to the rulers, to the court, to the authority, to the committee. If the one who found her is not the committee, the committee refers her. The point is that cooperation is necessary between the committee and the people of good who are not on the committee, and people are not allowed to be lenient. If people are lenient with this, evil spreads and falsehood spreads. It is obligatory for all believers to be zealous for the sake of Allah, whether they are on the committee or not. It is obligatory for the believer to be zealous for the sake of Allah and to forbid what is wrong, but with good advice, with kind words. O people, fear Allah, watch out for Allah, this is not permissible. O so-and-so, fear Allah, watch out for Allah. If he shows repentance and return to the religion, then praise be to Allah. Otherwise, the other course must be taken with him. We ask Allah for guidance for all of us. Yes. Please flip the tape.