A Guiding Address to the Men of the Commission for Promoting Virtue and Prohibiting Vice on Treating the Hardness of the Heart
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The questioner : You know, may Allah bless you, the work that the men of the Commission do. We ask Allah to help them in that. However, there is an important matter, which is the feeling of hardness in the heart. We hope that you, may Allah bless you, first: make du'a for them, and then give them a word of guidance in treating this matter. May Allah protect you.
The Shaykh : I ask Allah, the Exalted and Sublime, to help us and them in what we have been tasked with, which is calling to Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, and enjoining good and forbidding evil. I ask Allah to grant them success. There is no doubt that the Commission for Promoting Virtue and Prohibiting Vice is the most beneficial of the state's institutions for the servants of Allah and in repelling corruption. As some contemporary scholars express it, they are the unknown soldier whose value is not known except by his absence.
And the truth is that I see them as being of the greatest benefit to the country, and that they are the most protective of security. I mean, they are more protective of security than the security forces recruited for that purpose. Why? Because security cannot be established in the country unless the laws and rituals of Allah are established in the country and the people are upright upon the religion of Allah. Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, said:[Al-A'raf 7:96] And He, the Mighty and Majestic, said: [Al-An'am 6:82] So Allah linked security with faith. [Al-An'am 6:82] And Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, informed that if there is no enjoining of good and forbidding of evil, then division will occur. And if division occurs in the Ummah, do not ask about the chaos, the hostility, and the hatred. Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, says: [Ali 'Imran 3:104-105]
So when He commanded calling to good and enjoining good and forbidding evil, He said:[Ali 'Imran 3:105] This is an indication that leaving off enjoining good and forbidding evil and calling to Allah is a cause of division. And if the Ummah divides, do not ask about its condition. The truth is that the Commission for Promoting Virtue and Prohibiting Vice is among the best of the state's institutions, and it is obligatory, indeed it is obligatory, that these commissions be encouraged to establish enjoining good and forbidding evil, and that they be given the authorities necessary to preserve security and repel corruption. It is true that some of them may have strong zeal that leads them to overreact, to be harsh, and to do what they should not do. But this can be corrected. We correct this corruption that occurred, and we keep the matter as it is.
As for the hardness of the heart, the hardness of the heart occurs for the men of the Commission and for those who are not. Even a person himself feels, when he sits in a gathering of dhikr and admonition and softening of the heart, that he feels softness and humility and the presence of mind regarding the fears before us, such as the punishment of the grave, the Day of Resurrection, and the like. His heart softens. Then he goes out to his market, his store, his farm, his family, and he forgets that. But a person must always be mindful of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, with his heart and his limbs. Read the saying of Allah, the Exalted:[Ali 'Imran 3:190] For whom? For those of understanding. Who are these people of understanding? Are they the leaders of politics? Are they the leaders of wealth? No. [Ali 'Imran 3:191] To the end of what Allah mentioned of their descriptions. This is what makes the heart soften and become tender: that a person always remembers Allah, the Mighty and Majestic. It is not in the utterance of the tongue; the most important thing is with the heart. Remember the saying of Allah, the Exalted: [Al-Kahf 18:28] He did not say: "Whose tongue We have caused to neglect Our remembrance." The remembrance, in truth, is the remembrance of the heart. If a person is always with Allah, remembering Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, whether he is standing, then it is by Allah and for Allah, seeking help from Allah, the Exalted, standing in worship of Him and in fear of Him, he will find much good in that. Yes.
The Shaykh : I ask Allah, the Exalted and Sublime, to help us and them in what we have been tasked with, which is calling to Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, and enjoining good and forbidding evil. I ask Allah to grant them success. There is no doubt that the Commission for Promoting Virtue and Prohibiting Vice is the most beneficial of the state's institutions for the servants of Allah and in repelling corruption. As some contemporary scholars express it, they are the unknown soldier whose value is not known except by his absence.
And the truth is that I see them as being of the greatest benefit to the country, and that they are the most protective of security. I mean, they are more protective of security than the security forces recruited for that purpose. Why? Because security cannot be established in the country unless the laws and rituals of Allah are established in the country and the people are upright upon the religion of Allah. Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, said:
And if only the people of the cities had believed and feared Allah, We would have opened upon them blessings from the heaven and the earth; but they denied [the messengers], so We seized them for what they were earning."
وَلَوْ أَنَّ أَهْلَ الْقُرَى آمَنُوا وَاتَّقَوْا لَفَتَحْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ بَرَكَاتٍ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَلَكِنْ كَذَّبُوا فَأَخَذْنَاهُمْ بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَThey who believe and do not mix their belief with injustice - those will have security
الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَلَمْ يَلْبِسُوا إِيمَانَهُمْ بِظُلْمٍ أُولَئِكَ لَهُمُ الْأَمْنُThey who believe and do not mix their belief with injustice - those will have security, and they are [rightly] guided.
الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَلَمْ يَلْبِسُوا إِيمَانَهُمْ بِظُلْمٍ أُولَئِكَ لَهُمُ الْأَمْنُ وَهُمْ مُهْتَدُونَ(104) And let there be [arising] from you a nation inviting to [all that is] good, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong, and those will be the successful. (105) And do not be like the ones who became divided and differed after the clear proofs had come to them
وَلْتَكُنْ مِنْكُمْ أُمَّةٌ يَدْعُونَ إِلَى الْخَيْرِ وَيَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ وَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ * وَلا تَكُونُوا كَالَّذِينَ تَفَرَّقُوا وَاخْتَلَفُوا مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا جَاءَهُمُ الْبَيِّنَاتُSo when He commanded calling to good and enjoining good and forbidding evil, He said:
And do not be like the ones who became divided
وَلا تَكُونُوا كَالَّذِينَ تَفَرَّقُواAs for the hardness of the heart, the hardness of the heart occurs for the men of the Commission and for those who are not. Even a person himself feels, when he sits in a gathering of dhikr and admonition and softening of the heart, that he feels softness and humility and the presence of mind regarding the fears before us, such as the punishment of the grave, the Day of Resurrection, and the like. His heart softens. Then he goes out to his market, his store, his farm, his family, and he forgets that. But a person must always be mindful of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, with his heart and his limbs. Read the saying of Allah, the Exalted: