A continuation of what came before. We wanted to go out in the path of Allah, but certain constraints were imposed on us, such as not intervening in jurisprudential, political, or medical matters.

The questioner : Peace be upon you.
May Allah forgive you, O honorable Shaykh: When we go out in the path of Allah for da'wah, we are given guidelines. For example, it is said that if we go out in the path of Allah, we must avoid four matters: first, not intervening in jurisprudential issues; second, not intervening in political affairs; third, not intervening in social issues like forbidding evil or similar things. If we ask them, "Where is the evidence for that?" they say, "How did the Imam Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab answer? Know, may Allah have mercy on you, that it is obligatory for every Muslim man and woman to learn four matters." What is the ruling in this?

The Shaykh : First, regarding your statement "if we go out in the path of Allah": going out in the path of Allah means going out to fight the disbelievers; that is what is meant by the path of Allah. As for doing good deeds in general, although it falls under being a path to Allah the Exalted, it is not the jihad in the path of Allah that is intended in the texts regarding its virtue. The most that can be said is that going out for da'wah to Allah is the correct way to go out for da'wah to Allah. And going out for da'wah to Allah requires two fundamental things. The first thing is that the person must have knowledge, knowledge of the Shari'ah to which he is calling. I do not say that he must be a scholar of the entire Shari'ah, because that is something that cannot be borne, and even the greatest scholar cannot grasp all the legal rulings. But he must be knowledgeable about the Shari'ah in what he is calling to, meaning he does not speak except with knowledge, so he must be on clear guidance.
The second thing is that he must act upon what he is calling to, so that he may be a role model. As for not intervening in jurisprudential issues, perhaps those who imposed that condition knew that their stock in fiqh is small, and that intervening in it without knowledge is nothing but mere argumentation with no benefit. They fear that disputes will arise for this reason, so they say, "Do not investigate jurisprudential matters." Yes, if there were a learned, knowledgeable jurist among them to whom they could refer, then they would have to study the religion of Allah to the best of their ability. But since it is not easy for them to have this type of scholar with them, they said, "Do not speak about jurisprudential issues," because research without knowledge is mere argumentation from which people benefit nothing except that their hearts become filled with hatred for one another. As for their saying, "Do not speak about political affairs," we agree with this, because research into political affairs cannot be in the hands of the common people, with each person saying what he wants. Political affairs have specific people who handle them. For this reason, you do not find, for example, the policy of 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) scattered in the markets of buyers and sellers, with each person chewing on it and each person speaking about it forever. If he wanted to do something, he would consult those who are qualified for consultation when the matter became difficult for him. Political matters are not toys to be thrown into the hands of the common people, with each person chewing on them as he pleases, because there are secret matters that the common people cannot be privy to, and the rulers deal with them according to what they see as beneficial. It is obligatory for the ruler to prioritize what is in the interest of the Muslims whom Allah has placed under his authority. For this reason, Allah the Exalted said, referring to this matter: meaning: "They spread it among them" So Allah the Exalted assigned to opinion people who know and derive things and look at the consequences.
So I agree that it is not befitting for us to make our gatherings about political affairs, because there is absolutely no benefit from this. However, a person may come in the guise of a friend and speak in a way that fills the breasts with hatred against the rulers, so that a gap arises between the people and their rulers, and much evil results from that. He may appear in the appearance of a friend but is not a friend, but rather has something in his heart against the rulers that he wants to execute and vent from his chest. Or he may be a friend who wants good and wants reform, but he does not know how the path to that is, because the path to reform is not by spreading defects and disseminating them among people, whether they are defects of scholars or defects of princes. Rather, it is by attempting reform and following what brings benefit. So I see that the condition of not intervening in politics is good, and that it is what necessitates that people turn away to the worship of Allah alone, to establishing tawhid, and to abstaining from what does not concern them, by the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): .
The third and fourth points: enjoining good and forbidding evil, which means addressing the problems of society. It is a mistake for them not to look into these issues, because Allah the Exalted said: He mentioned four attributes: faith, and righteous deeds, which are specific to the individual himself, and this is for others. Therefore, we must investigate social problems in order to solve them, repair what is broken, reunite what has been separated, and so on. However, this must be done in a way that conforms to what the Shari'ah brought, not through violence. Also, it is a matter that requires attention for a person to hold enmity and hatred toward the one being advised. If you see a man doing a bad deed, and he is a believer but a sinner, there is no doubt that you hate his sin and you must hate his sin. But do you hate him? This requires detail. It is not permissible for you to hate him until you know what is in his heart. This sinner who committed a sin may be ignorant of it and not know that it is a sin. I give you an example of a young man who got married and was having intercourse with his wife during Ramadan while fasting. He said, "I thought that what is forbidden is only ejaculation." He swore that he did not know that intercourse without ejaculation is forbidden. There is no doubt that intercourse during the day of Ramadan is one of the greatest sins because it violates the sanctity of one of the pillars of Islam, which is fasting. But this man is ignorant. We hate his action because it is a sin, but we do not hate him until we know. If he says he is ignorant, the breadth and ease of Islam do not require us to hate him until we establish the proof against him. Many of the brothers, when they see a person in sin, the observer hates the sin, and this is right. But he hates the sinner and then treats him like a harsh adversary who wants to take revenge on him, and this is a great error. It is obligatory to treat the sinner like a gentle doctor who treats a wound so that it heals, not so that it worsens. So treat this man with gentleness, with the intention of doing him good, and with mercy for him. For this reason, I tell you something said by the Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah. The Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) is known for his strictness toward the people of innovation and his fighting against them. He said, "If you look at the people of Kalam, and the people of Kalam are those who rely on their minds rather than the Book and the Sunnah in establishing the tenets of faith, he said: If you look at them with the eye of divine decree, you will have mercy on them and feel compassion for them, because they were tested with this, and because of this they went astray. You have mercy on them and feel compassion for them. How did you have mercy on them and feel compassion for them? And if you look at them with the eye of the Shari'ah, and that it is not permissible to approve of them, you will see that they deserve what al-Shafi'i (may Allah have mercy on him) said. And what did al-Shafi'i say? Al-Shafi'i said: "My ruling regarding the people of Kalam is that they should be beaten with palm branches and sandals, and that they should be paraded through the tribes, and it should be said: This is the reward for one who left the Book and the Sunnah and turned to the science of Kalam" This is how the educated scholars look at creation with a look of reform, not a look of revenge and hatred. I hate the sin that this man commits, but this man is a believer, my brother. Even if he commits zina and steals, he is my brother. Is there anything greater than killing a soul without right? No. And yet Allah the Exalted said: Look at the softening of the tone: "Make peace between your two brothers," each of them fighting the other. What? But even so, this is a softening in the speech. "Your brother, even if they are fighting each other." This is a matter that the callers to Allah and those who enjoin good and forbid evil must be aware of. And I am confident that if a person fears Allah the Mighty and Majestic and follows what Allah and His Messenger guided him to, success is assured. How many people have I seen in sin, and then I addressed them with gentleness and reason, and they would return, they would turn back from their sin. But if you address them with violence, zeal, and the passion in your heart, and you shout at them and rebuke them, they will become repelled. Therefore, I urge my brothers, the callers to Allah the Mighty and Majestic and those who enjoin good and forbid evil, to pay attention to this point. What is the point? That when they call, they want to reform the one being called. When they enjoin good and forbid evil, they want, likewise, to reform the doer of evil and the one who leaves good, without being harsh with him. And if they follow this path, Allah will make their affairs easy. Yes.