The Importance of Enjoining Good and Forbidding Evil
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Your Eminence! Given our work in the Commission for Promoting Virtue and Preventing Vice, and the many who engage with this institution, speak of its errors, and attack it, we would like a word of encouragement from you, Your Eminence?
The word I want to say is: The station of enjoining good and forbidding evil is among the greatest stations in the religion, to the extent that it was part of the description of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), where the Exalted said: [Al-A'raf: 157] He mentioned four descriptions, beginning with enjoining good and forbidding evil,Then he said: (and He makes lawful for them the good things and forbids them the bad things) So this is the function of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him),And it is a characteristic of this nation: [Al Imran: 110] And the Children of Israel did not refrain from an evil they used to do.
So the station of enjoining good and forbidding evil is among the highest stations in the religion. The one who enters it with the intention of reforming the servants of Allah is like the one who strives in the path of Allah. And the one who directs blame and criticism at it, if he intends the station of enjoining good and forbidding evil itself, he is in great danger; because if he intends this, he has criticized the religion and the Shari'ah. But if he intends to criticize and blame some of the men of hisbah who may not possess wisdom in enjoining and forbidding, then his danger is not like the first. However, even so, it is obligatory upon the Muslims, if they see from some of those who carry out enjoining good and forbidding evil something that contradicts wisdom, that they advise them, either directly, or through their superior,Meaning: Either by saying to the man of hisbah himself: "O so-and-so, you said such and such, and this is not appropriate," or through his direct superior.
Then I say to these brothers: You must surely suffer harm,As Luqman said to his son: [Luqman: 17] Harm is inevitable; because not all people are on the straight path, and they must have enemies. But they must have patience and seek reward, and know that all the worry, grief, and sadness that befalls them is written for them, and the one who enjoins good and forbids evil is written two rewards: The first reward: his performance of the work.
And the second reward: The harm that befalls him from people.
As came from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in the authentic hadith: (That no worry, grief, or harm befalls a believer except that Allah expiates it for him) So they should have patience and seek reward, and employ wisdom if their opponents become harsh. Let them be soft until this and that are reconciled. But if your opponents become harsh and you become harsh, there will be no agreement between you. And how many things have occurred that support what I said, that softness is among the best things in enjoining good and forbidding evil.
And in the books of Islamic etiquette, in the first part by Ibn Muflih, one of the students of the Shaykh al-Islam, there are good, good, good chapters. The commissions should look into them and see how the righteous Salaf dealt with the people of evil and those who abandon good.
The word I want to say is: The station of enjoining good and forbidding evil is among the greatest stations in the religion, to the extent that it was part of the description of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), where the Exalted said:
Those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered prophet, whom they find written in what they have of the Torah and the Gospel, who enjoins upon them what is right and forbids them what is wrong and makes lawful for them the good things and prohibits for them the evil
الَّذِينَ يَتَّبِعُونَ الرَّسُولَ النَّبِيَّ الْأُمِّيَّ الَّذِي يَجِدُونَهُ مَكْتُوباً عِنْدَهُمْ فِي التَّوْرَاةِ وَالإِنْجِيلِ يَأْمُرُهُمْ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَاهُمْ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ وَيُحِلُّ لَهُمُ الطَّيِّبَاتِ وَيُحَرِّمُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْخَبَائِثَYou are the best nation produced [as an example] for mankind. You enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and believe in Allah.
كُنْتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ تَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَتَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ وَتُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِSo the station of enjoining good and forbidding evil is among the highest stations in the religion. The one who enters it with the intention of reforming the servants of Allah is like the one who strives in the path of Allah. And the one who directs blame and criticism at it, if he intends the station of enjoining good and forbidding evil itself, he is in great danger; because if he intends this, he has criticized the religion and the Shari'ah. But if he intends to criticize and blame some of the men of hisbah who may not possess wisdom in enjoining and forbidding, then his danger is not like the first. However, even so, it is obligatory upon the Muslims, if they see from some of those who carry out enjoining good and forbidding evil something that contradicts wisdom, that they advise them, either directly, or through their superior,Meaning: Either by saying to the man of hisbah himself: "O so-and-so, you said such and such, and this is not appropriate," or through his direct superior.
Then I say to these brothers: You must surely suffer harm,As Luqman said to his son:
O my son, establish prayer, enjoin what is right, forbid what is wrong, and be patient over what befalls you
يَا بُنَيَّ أَقِمِ الصَّلاةَ وَأْمُرْ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَانْهَ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ وَاصْبِرْ عَلَى مَا أَصَابَكَAnd the second reward: The harm that befalls him from people.
As came from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in the authentic hadith: (That no worry, grief, or harm befalls a believer except that Allah expiates it for him) So they should have patience and seek reward, and employ wisdom if their opponents become harsh. Let them be soft until this and that are reconciled. But if your opponents become harsh and you become harsh, there will be no agreement between you. And how many things have occurred that support what I said, that softness is among the best things in enjoining good and forbidding evil.
And in the books of Islamic etiquette, in the first part by Ibn Muflih, one of the students of the Shaykh al-Islam, there are good, good, good chapters. The commissions should look into them and see how the righteous Salaf dealt with the people of evil and those who abandon good.