Guidance for the preachers of the congregational mosques on cooperating with the Committees for Promoting Virtue and Forbidding Evil

Question:
There are many questions asking Your Eminence (may Allah preserve you) to deliver a word to the preachers of the congregational mosques regarding the necessity of their cooperation with the Committees for Promoting Virtue and Forbidding Evil in guiding and advising people, and explaining this in impactful and comprehensive sermons. Is there a word, Your Eminence the Shaykh?

Answer:
Yes, yes, proceed. What is required of the preachers, callers, and others, but specifically, it is obligatory for the preacher to pay attention to the affairs of the Muslims, and for his sermon to be impactful, containing what benefits the Muslims. He should strive for conciseness in it while paying attention to the important matters that have occurred among the people, so that he warns against them and points to them, perhaps Allah will benefit the people with it. His sermon should be focused, with attention to the reality of the Muslims in terms of commands and prohibitions, in terms of supplicating for the rulers for success and assistance, and in terms of forbidding what is wrong. This is what is required of the preachers: this is obligatory, and this is obligatory for the rulers. The point is that the believer does not enter [the pulpit] without it being obligatory for him to clarify to the human society that listens to his sermon that this is obligatory and that is obligatory. He must maintain the prayers in congregation, pay attention to the Friday prayer, beware of the [garbled: dashush], beware of engaging in wrongs, lagging behind in the prayers, beware of riba (usury or interest), beware of drinking intoxicants, smoking, letting garments hang below the ankles, and other such wrongs. Undutifulness to parents, severing family ties, and other such things, backbiting, talebearing. The sermon should be focused; in every sermon, he should clarify three or four of the wrongs, the prohibition of wrongs in general, the neglect of performing what Allah has made obligatory in general, and focus on three or four important things in every sermon so that the sermon has its great effect in reforming the society he preaches to. In my knowledge, this is the duty of the preachers: to pay attention to the problems of the people and what has occurred among them, to warn them against falsehood, to help them in performing the obligatory duties, to remind the people of what Allah has made obligatory upon them, to warn them against the laxity in [garbled: ghibah], and to beware of Allah’s general punishments. So , as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said , thus he said (peace and blessings be upon him). And the Exalted and Majestic said in His great Book, Allah mentioned that . So laxity is a great danger. Therefore, it is obligatory to forbid what is wrong and enjoin what is right, and this is the affair of the believers and their duty, and the preachers are among the most specific of them. We ask Allah for them for assistance and success.

The presenter:
May Allah reward you with good.