Explanation of the Hadith: “Shall we perish while the righteous are among us?”

Question:
When wrongdoings become apparent among a people, Allah will punish them. This is based on the hadith of Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), who said: “O Messenger of Allah, shall we perish while the righteous are among us?” He said: So, O righteous ones, why is this spreading? What is the position of the silent scholars, as if there are birds on their heads? Is the spread of riba (usury or interest), recordings, videos, the sale of obscene magazines, and the like, not a manifestation of wrongdoings, and so on?

Answer:
This hadith is from Zaynab, not from Aisha, and this is not its exact wording. It is from Zaynab bint Jahsh, the Mother of the Believers (may Allah be pleased with her), that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) entered upon her in anger, saying: and he circled between his index and middle fingers. So Zaynab (may Allah be pleased with her) said to him: “O Messenger of Allah, shall we perish while the righteous are among us?” He said: meaning that when sins become numerous, destruction becomes widespread. There is no power and no strength except with Allah.
Punishments became widespread, as the Prophet mentioned in another hadith. In the authentic hadith, he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: It is not in it that it begins with the righteous. This is not in the hadith. Rather, this is in another report: that an angel from the angels was ordered to punish a town, so he said: “In it is so-and-so, your righteous servant so-and-so.” He said: “Begin with him, for he has never changed in me.” This is another Israelite report.
As for your saying: “Why do you not forbid what is wrong?” and “Why did they not forbid it?” Who told you that they did not forbid it? Have you encompassed their hearts and known what is in them? The scholars have forbidden what is wrong, written to the rulers, explained what is obligatory, and explained that these are wrongdoings. They spoke to them many times. We ask Allah for success for us, for you, and for them.
It is not permissible for a person to say: “They did not forbid it” when he does not know. It is not a condition of forbidding what is wrong that it becomes widespread in the mosques that so-and-so forbade such-and-such, and so-and-so forbade such-and-such. We ask Allah for safety.