How is one to forbid evil in oneself and in others?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
Which is lighter: forbidding evil in oneself and in others, or forbidding evil in others but not in oneself?
Answer:
It is obligatory for the believer to forbid evil in himself and in others. If he sees evil, he must strive against his own self until he abandons the evil, and he must strive with others to abandon evil. That is, he must be active in combating evil from the side of his own self until he is upright upon the truth, and from the side of calling people to good, guiding them, enjoining what is right, and forbidding what is wrong. He combines both.
Q: If a person knows the filthiness and impurity of his own self, and that if he forbids evil in others, he does not forbid it in himself?
A: He must strive against his self; striving is required of him: [Al-'Ankabut: 69], [Muhammad 47:31] ... [Muhammad: 31]. One must strive against the self until it commits to the command of Allah.
Q: He enjoins what is right, but then does not enjoin people to pray the Fajr prayer, and he abandons the Fajr prayer?
A: The door is the same. Or he enjoins people to stay away from intoxicants and he drinks intoxicants, or he forbids people from smoking and he smokes, or he forbids people from shaving their beards and he shaves. The door is the same. This is one evil, and it is a disgrace upon him—may Allah grant us well-being—and it is imitating the enemies of Allah, the Jews and their like.
Q: He strives against his self in his shortcoming, even though he is shortcoming, and he enjoins people?
A: He enjoins people even if he is shortcoming. He should be ashamed and strive against his self, so that perhaps he will not manifest any evil. He should not say: "I do not enjoin or forbid because I have a sin." No, he enjoins and forbids even if he has a sin, and he strives against his self; perhaps Allah will accept his repentance.
Which is lighter: forbidding evil in oneself and in others, or forbidding evil in others but not in oneself?
Answer:
It is obligatory for the believer to forbid evil in himself and in others. If he sees evil, he must strive against his own self until he abandons the evil, and he must strive with others to abandon evil. That is, he must be active in combating evil from the side of his own self until he is upright upon the truth, and from the side of calling people to good, guiding them, enjoining what is right, and forbidding what is wrong. He combines both.
Q: If a person knows the filthiness and impurity of his own self, and that if he forbids evil in others, he does not forbid it in himself?
A: He must strive against his self; striving is required of him:
And those who strive for Us - We will surely guide them to Our ways
وَالَّذِينَ جَاهَدُوا فِينَا لَنَهْدِيَنَّهُمْ سُبُلَنَاAnd We will surely test you until We make evident those who strive among you
وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُمْ حَتَّى نَعْلَمَ الْمُجَاهِدِينَ مِنْكُمْQ: He enjoins what is right, but then does not enjoin people to pray the Fajr prayer, and he abandons the Fajr prayer?
A: The door is the same. Or he enjoins people to stay away from intoxicants and he drinks intoxicants, or he forbids people from smoking and he smokes, or he forbids people from shaving their beards and he shaves. The door is the same. This is one evil, and it is a disgrace upon him—may Allah grant us well-being—and it is imitating the enemies of Allah, the Jews and their like.
Q: He strives against his self in his shortcoming, even though he is shortcoming, and he enjoins people?
A: He enjoins people even if he is shortcoming. He should be ashamed and strive against his self, so that perhaps he will not manifest any evil. He should not say: "I do not enjoin or forbid because I have a sin." No, he enjoins and forbids even if he has a sin, and he strives against his self; perhaps Allah will accept his repentance.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.