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Allah the Most High said:
"Let there be among you a community who enjoin
good and forbid evil; it is they that shall be successful," [3:104]
and: "You are the best community that has ever
been brought forth for mankind: you enjoin good and forbid evil, and you
believe in God," [3:110] and: "Those who
repent, those who worship, those who praise, those who persevere, those
who bow down, those who prostrate, and those who enjoin good and forbid
evil," [9:112] and: "Those of the
Israelites who were unbelievers have already been cursed on the tongue
of David and Jesus, son of Mary, for they were disobedient, and
transgressed. They did not forbid one another from committing the evil
that they wrought. What they used to do was foul indeed." [5:79]
The Qur'an is full of passages which treat of this subject.
Muslim relates on the authority of Abu
Sa`id (ra) that the Prophet (pbuh) said, "Whoever sees something evil
should change it with his hand. If he cannot, then with his tongue; and
if he cannot do even that, then in his heart. That is the weakest degree
of faith."
He also relates on the authority of Ibn
Mas`ud that the Prophet (pbuh) said, "There was not a single Prophet
among those who were sent before me who did not have apostles and
companions and followed his Sunna and obeyed his commands. But
afterwards other generations came whose words belied their deeds, and
whose deeds were not in accordance with what they commanded others to
do. Whoever struggles against the with his hand is a believer. Whoever
struggles against them with his tongue is a believer. And whoever
struggles against them with his heart is a believer. But when none of
these things are done, then not a single mustard's seed weight of faith
is present."
Bukhari and Muslim relate that Zaynab (ra),
the wife of the Prophet (pbuh) said, "The Prophet (pbuh) once awoke, and
his face was dark, as he said three times, 'There is no deity worthy of
worship but Allah! Woe betide the Arabs, because of an evil which will
soon come! Today, the barrier of Juj and Ma`juj has been breached by so
much,' and he made a circle with his thumb and forefinger." And Zaynab
remarked, "I said, 'O Messenger of Allah! Even when the righteous still
dwell amongst us?' and he said, 'Yes, when khubth (moral degradation)
becomes widespread.'"
Malik ibn Dinar once recited the verse,
"There were in the city nine men who caused
corruption in the earth, and would not cause reform," [27:48] and
said, "Nowadays, there are people in every clan and district who cause
corruption in the earth, and do not cause reform."
He also said, "We have become
accustomed to loving the world, so that we do not enjoin good or forbid
evil to one another. Allah the Most High will certainly not permit us to
continue doing this, but would that I knew what kind of punishment shall
befall us!"
`Umar ibn `Abdul `Aziz said, "It used
to be that Allah the Most High does not punish the common people for the
sins of the elite; but when the evil is done openly, and they do not
repudiate it, they all become deserving of His punishment." |
