Is the one who disapproves in his heart weak in faith?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : If we find a person among the scholars who determines that it is wise to disapprove of the evil only in the heart, is he weak in faith?
The Shaykh : What does it mean to disapprove in one's heart? Did he sit with them or not? Because if he disapproves in his heart, it means he does not sit with them. If the heart disliked this, he would not have sat with them.
The questioner : Did he sit with them under compulsion?
The Shaykh : If he was compelled, then he was unable to disapprove by speech or by action.
The questioner : Is he considered to be weak in faith?
The Shaykh : No, this is not weakness of faith on his part, but rather for the general public. Because if faith were strong among the people, this person would have been able to disapprove with his tongue.
The questioner : ... But does a greater evil result from it?
The Shaykh : This is the issue we mentioned a moment ago, the one we answered. The purpose of disapproving of evil is to mitigate it or remove it. If it is not mitigated, you are given a choice. If it increases, you are prohibited from disapproving.
So the situations are four: either it is removed entirely, or it is mitigated, in which case disapproval is obligatory; or it increases, in which case disapproval is forbidden; or you see that it neither increases nor decreases, in which case you are given a choice, and disapproval is preferable.
The questioner : ... Is he weak in faith ...?
The Shaykh : But you see that it is not disapproved of in the heart because if he disapproved, the evil would increase.
The questioner : Yes
The Shaykh : He is not weak in faith. He left off disapproval because it would turn into a more severe evil. It may be said that the intended meaning of "weak faith" is not the weakness of the disapprover's faith. "The weakest of faith" means that the level of faith among the people is weak. If a man is unable to disapprove with his tongue, it means that faith among the people in general is weak, because if it were strong, this person would have been able to disapprove with his tongue or his hand.
The Shaykh : What does it mean to disapprove in one's heart? Did he sit with them or not? Because if he disapproves in his heart, it means he does not sit with them. If the heart disliked this, he would not have sat with them.
The questioner : Did he sit with them under compulsion?
The Shaykh : If he was compelled, then he was unable to disapprove by speech or by action.
The questioner : Is he considered to be weak in faith?
The Shaykh : No, this is not weakness of faith on his part, but rather for the general public. Because if faith were strong among the people, this person would have been able to disapprove with his tongue.
The questioner : ... But does a greater evil result from it?
The Shaykh : This is the issue we mentioned a moment ago, the one we answered. The purpose of disapproving of evil is to mitigate it or remove it. If it is not mitigated, you are given a choice. If it increases, you are prohibited from disapproving.
So the situations are four: either it is removed entirely, or it is mitigated, in which case disapproval is obligatory; or it increases, in which case disapproval is forbidden; or you see that it neither increases nor decreases, in which case you are given a choice, and disapproval is preferable.
The questioner : ... Is he weak in faith ...?
The Shaykh : But you see that it is not disapproved of in the heart because if he disapproved, the evil would increase.
The questioner : Yes
The Shaykh : He is not weak in faith. He left off disapproval because it would turn into a more severe evil. It may be said that the intended meaning of "weak faith" is not the weakness of the disapprover's faith. "The weakest of faith" means that the level of faith among the people is weak. If a man is unable to disapprove with his tongue, it means that faith among the people in general is weak, because if it were strong, this person would have been able to disapprove with his tongue or his hand.