Considering the benefits and harms in enjoining good and forbidding evil.

The Shaykh : But forbid them according to what the benefit requires, and the benefit varies. Sometimes the benefit requires that you be strict with them and severe, and sometimes the benefit requires that you be gentle with them and make things easy for them, depending on the situation. For example, if you see a person committing an evil, but he is stubborn, and you know that he knows it is evil but is being stubborn, and another person is committing an evil but he is ignorant and does not know, would your forbidding of the second be like your forbidding of the first? Answer: No. It differs. The evidence for this is that you place people in their proper stations when forbidding evil. The evidence for this is what is established in *al-Bukhari and Muslim*: What does that mean? Do not stop him from urinating, let him go. So they left him alone. When he finished urinating, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered two things. The first order: He said: pour water on the urine. So they poured water on it. The ground became pure again, just as it was before what? Before the urine. The harm is now removed. The second order: He addressed the Bedouin and said: Come. He said to him: or as he said. The chest of the Bedouin opened up with this clear, gentle speech, because the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned to him a ruling and its cause, meaning: he mentioned to him a ruling and its justification. The ruling was: The justification was: or as he said. The Bedouin opened up and relaxed completely and said: , because Muhammad (may the prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) met him with what? With gentleness, kindness, and teaching. The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) were seized by zeal, so they rebuked him and shouted at him. So the Bedouin said: , and in this is clear evidence that we place people in their proper stations, and the ignorant is not like the knowledgeable; we approach him with gentleness. Another example of this is a real situation: A man saw a man walking in the market with a cigarette, so he shouted at him: You smoke, this is forbidden, and refuge is sought in Allah, you are an open sinner. What will be the reaction of this smoker to this man? He will get angry at him and shout at him and say: You are the open sinner, and he will not obey his order. But if a person came to him with gentleness and said: My brother, there is no harm, he is your brother because he is a believer. My brother, this is a matter that does not befit you, you are a noble man. Then this is a matter that Allah has forbidden for you. This is a matter that destroys your wealth. This is a matter that kills your health. This is a matter that blackens your teeth and lips. This is a matter that you prioritize over the bread of your family. This is not reasonable. Repent to Allah and return to Allah and leave it. He said: I swear by Allah, I cannot, I cannot. Your speech is good and it is on my eyes and head, but I cannot. Do you allow me to quit it gradually? One day he smokes ten cigarettes, one day eight, one day five, and so on. Do you allow me? What does he say to him? He says: Yes, and he does not say: No? The first one who rebuked him says: No, absolutely not, I do not allow you, and do not finish the cigarette in your hand now. And this one says to him: There is no harm, it is permissible. Which one is more correct? The second is more correct, because the matter requires treatment. Let him continue but he leaves it bit by bit. Similarly, if you find a person in front of the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) calling upon the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), deeply engrossed in supplication, and crying, emotionally affected. Is it wise to leave him until he satisfies his desire, and then speak to him and say: This is forbidden, this is shirk (associating partners with Allah), but in a style? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is not pleased with this. Rather, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was sent to demolish this: , and explain it to him gently. There is no harm in you holding his hand calmly and sitting with him, because, my brothers, the matter of creed is difficult. This man believed from his country until he reached the city that the greatest opportunity he could seize was to stand in front of the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to call upon him. Take him, sit with him, reassure him, and explain it to him, because the intention is to reform his state, not to criticize. The intention is reform, not criticism. The intention is reform, not criticism.