Sitting with the People of Evil with the Intention of Advising Them

The questioner:
May Allah reward you with good. The questioner says: Your Eminence the Shaykh, I have friends with whom I sit, and they have some wrongdoings and card games. My intention in sitting with them is to deter them from that, remind them of Allah, call them to Allah, and guide them. Is it permissible for me to sit with them, given that this leads to hearing some songs and seeing some of their wrongdoings? Please give us a ruling, and may you be rewarded.

The Shaykh:
As mentioned before, do not sit with them. Once you have forbidden them their evil and they did not respond, do not sit with them. Allah the Exalted and Majestic said: The point is that the believer admonishes and reminds them; if they respond, fine, but if not, he leaves them and prays to Allah for their guidance. If he sees that he should come to them again, and they are some of the good brothers, in order to advise them again, there is no harm. Yes.

The questioner:
The questioner says: Your Eminence the Shaykh, what are the degrees of forbidding evil?

The Shaykh:
There are three degrees, and the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) distinguished them: changing it with the hand, then with the tongue, then with the heart. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: So with his tongue, then with his heart, and that is the weakest of faith. Changing with the hand means forbidding the evil, such as dispersing a gathering. If they gather for falsehood, they are dispersed. If they sit at the time of prayer, they are made to stand for prayer. The flute is broken, and the wine is poured out; this is how it is forbidden. If he has authority, he does it forcefully. But if he has no authority, he speaks and advises. It is not permissible for people to gather unless he has authority. If he has no authority, he says by message, "O brothers, fear Allah; this is not permissible; this is an abomination." If he is unable to do so, or fears for his own safety, he hates it in his heart and does not sit with them. But an important matter must be considered in this: if his forbidding leads to the existence of something more abominable, no. If his forbidding leads to a greater or more severe evil, no; he should leave it, because the intended result has not been achieved; instead, an evil has occurred from it. If forbidding evil leads to a greater and more severe abomination, no, he leaves it until it becomes easy to forbid in a way that does not lead to something worse. If it leads to something similar in terms of dislike and similarity, this is a place for independent legal reasoning and consideration. If he thinks that what results is less evil, there is no harm, except that he should leave this. But if forbidding leads to its removal or mitigation, there is no harm; this is the obligatory duty. There is no power and no strength except with Allah.

The presenter:
May Allah reward you with good.