In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
Allah Almighty says,
وَٱلْعَصْرِ ﴿١﴾ إِنَّ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ لَفِى خُسْرٍ ﴿٢﴾ إِلَّا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ وَتَوَاصَوْا۟ بِٱلْحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوْا۟ بِٱلصَّبْرِ ﴿٣[Qur'an, Al-'Asr 103:1-3]
By time, (1) Indeed, mankind is in loss, (2) Except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds and advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience. (3)
It is obligatory to command the good and forbid the evil, a communal obligation, if one is able to do so and does not fear harm reaching one on account of it; regardless of whether one oneself practices the command in question. It is not sufficient to merely forbid a sin; rather, one must hate it, feel anger, and leave the group for the sake of Allah if they do not desist.
The one commanding the good should have the following traits:
(a) Gentleness,
(b) Forbearing of what is said back to him; he should not get frustrated or annoyed,
(c) Knowledge of what he is commanding to, lest he command the evil or forbid the good.
The learned person must ensure that he is not doing so out of pride from displaying one’s knowledge and the ignorance of the addressee; for such an intention is an evil greater than the evil he is forbidding. In short, whoever undertakes this obligation must be learned of the opinions of the scholars so that his command and prohibition return to matters that are agreed upon by scholars, and that he is not excessive in his words or deeds.
The Proof of Islam, Imam al-Ghazali (may Allah have mercy on him) said in the Ihya that the it is only permissible to forbid an action if the following four conditions are met.
(1) That the action be something that is wrong. This is more general than it simply being an act of disobedience.
(2) That the wrong action currently exist. If signs indicate that someone will likely engage in a wrong in the future, then one may go up to the level of polite admonishment, but no further.
(3) That the wrong action be obvious without spying. Spying is unlawful. Spying means to seek out signs of disobedience. If the sign is obvious without spying, then the obligation of commanding
the right and forbidding the wrong remains intact.
(4) That the wrong be known without ijtihad. It is not permissible for a non-scholar to forbid non-obvious matters unless a scholar informs him that they are wrong. There are many matters where there is no room for disagreement, such as reprehensible innovations in belief.
Commanding the right and forbidding the wrong is of various levels. It is not permissible to move to a later level if an earlier level suffices.
(1) Informing: One must be gentle and diplomatic, otherwise the instruction will go unheeded.
(2) Gentle admonition: One must be careful not to intend self veneration and humiliation of the one being censured, but rather intend to follow the hadith, None of you believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.
(3) Rough censure: One must be careful to watch one's intention and to not go beyond the amount necessary.
(4) Forcible change: This is contingent on the avoidance of public discord.
Allah Most High says,
ٱلتَّـٰٓئِبُونَ ٱلْعَـٰبِدُونَ ٱلْحَـٰمِدُونَ ٱلسَّـٰٓئِحُونَ ٱلرَّٰكِعُونَ ٱلسَّـٰجِدُونَ ٱلْـَٔامِرُونَ بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ وَٱلنَّاهُونَ عَنِ ٱلْمُنكَرِ وَٱلْحَـٰفِظُونَ لِحُدُودِ ٱللَّـهِ ۗ وَبَشِّرِ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ ﴿١١٢
[Such believers are] the repentant, the worshipers, the praisers [of Allah], the travelers [for His cause], those who bow and prostrate [in prayer], those who enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong, and those who observe the limits [set by] Allah. And give good tidings to the believers. [Qur'an Tawba 9:112]
May Allah guide us and give us tawfiq. Ameen.
Please don't forget is in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wassallam.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
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