What is the ruling on one who hesitates to forbid evil among relatives, and is it obligatory to enjoin good and forbid evil whenever one sees an evil?

The Shaykh : Yes

The questioner : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Here, O Shaykh, there are some who are eager for da'wah (calling to Islam), but they find it difficult to forbid evil, especially with relatives or some of the open sinners among the Muslims. I mean, regarding whether it is obligatory for me to forbid evil whenever I see this person committing an evil. For example, if he enters a gathering where their custom is to shave their beards and let their garments hang below the ankles, is it obligatory to forbid this evil? Even if he forbids it, he says, "Some awkwardness arises between me and them, and I want to win their hearts, so I postpone the forbidding to another time." Is this permissible, or is it obligatory for him to forbid this evil?

The Shaykh : This is good. I say that Allah the Exalted has outlined the path for us, saying: Is it wise that whenever you see a person in sin, you advise him? For example, shaving the beard or smoking. Perhaps you do not find him smoking; it is possible that if he sees you, he does not smoke. But regarding shaving the beard, you know this man has shaved his beard, so you advised him the first time and said to him... then a month or two months passed, and you found him still with a shaved beard. It is not obligatory to repeat it after a month or two months, perhaps I repeat it, yes. But is it wise that whenever I see him, if I see him twice a day, I advise him? This is not wisdom, because he will become bored and tired. So, where you see that there is a place for admonition, admonish. Therefore, one must always remember the saying of Allah the Exalted: "If the reminder benefits, then it is a condition that must be considered." Sometimes the reminder does not benefit but rather harms. The intended goal is the reform of people, O brothers. The intended goal is the reform of people, not the suppression of the jealousy in one's heart. A person has jealousy and dislikes every sin, but is the intended goal that you extinguish your jealousy by forbidding evil, or that you reform the other person by forbidding evil? The answer is the second. Therefore, we find physical medicine; for example, the doctor attends to this patient with a foul smell and ugly appearance, but for the sake of the benefit, he finds that he cuts open the foul wound for the sake of the benefit. So, you look at the benefit. We cannot determine this because people differ. But if the benefit in da'wah is forbidding evil, then do it; otherwise, remain silent until another time. Therefore, the first thing the Messenger was commanded to do was warning. Allah said to him, "Warn": It was not after the distant relatives, but after the closest relatives. Then the da'wah began to expand until it ended, after the Messenger migrated, with fighting the enemies. Yes, say.

The questioner : There remains a question.

The Shaykh : No, there is only one question, because there are many people.