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From the
New Islamic Law book printed by
www.world-federation.org of Ayatullah Sistani
Among the most important religious obligations is enjoining
good and forbidding evil. Allah the Exalted states in the
Noble Quran:
“There has to be a nation among you summoning to the
good, bidding what is right, and forbidding what is wrong,
it is they who are the felicitous” (Ale Imran:104).
It has been reported that the most Noble Messenger (s)
said: “My nation will always be with goodness as long
as its people enjoin good and forbid evil and assist one
another in piety. If they do not do that, then blessings
will be taken away from them and some of them will impose
their rule over others, and there will be no helper for them
on the earth or in the sky” (Mustadruk al-wasail wa
Mustanbat al masail vol 12 pg.181).
It has been reported that His eminence Amir Al- Momineen
(as) said: “Do not abandon enjoining good and
forbidding evil, otherwise the evil people among you will
take charge over you, and then when you supplicate, you will
not be answered” (Nahjul Balagah. Letter 47)
Wajib when performance of the good deed in question is
obligatory and performance of the evil deed in question is
unlawful (haram). In this situation, enjoining good and
forbidding evil is a collective obligation (al wajib al
kifai), meaning that if some people act according to this
duty, then everyone else is excused from it; however, it is
incumbent on everyone to not be indifferent if they
encounter something unlawful being done or something
obligatory being abandoned, and they express their aversion
in their speech and actions. Acting to this extent is an
individual obligation (al wajib al ayni).
It has
also been reported that his eminence Amir al Momineen (as)
said: “The Messenger of Allah (s) commanded us to
meet people of disobedience with sullen faces” (Dar al
Kutub al Islamiyyah vol.5 pg. 59)
When the good deed being enjoined is recommended (mustahab)
act (and not an obligatory one), or the evil deed being
forbidden is a disapproved (makruh) act (and not an unlawful
one), enjoining good and forbidding evil is recommended.
Furthermore,
when a person enjoins good and forbids evil, the status and
personality of the wrongdoer must be taken into account so
that he is not troubled and disrespected. In addition, one
must not be so severe and harsh that the wrongdoer becomes
averse to the religion and religious activities.
Ruling
1868. The following 5 condition must exist in order for
enjoining good and forbidding evil to be obligatory.
image
1.
1.One
must have knowledge of what is good and what is evil, albeit
in a general sense. Therefore, enjoining good and forbidding
evil is not obligatory on someone who does not know what
good and evil are and does not distinguish between them.
Indeed, in order to enjoin good and forbid evil, it is
sometimes obligatory to learn and know what is good and what
is evil.
2.
2.One must deem it probable that it will have an
effect on the wrongdoer. Therefore, if he knows that his
speech and words are ineffective, the well-known (mashur)
opinion among jurists (fuqaha) is that he is under no duty
and it is not obligatory on him to enjoin good and forbid
evil; however, the obligatory precaution (al-ihtiyat
al-wajib) is that he must express in any way possible his
disapproval and displeasure with the wrongdoer’s improper
actions, even if he knows that it will not have any effect
on him.
3.
3.The wrongdoer must intend to continue doing the
improper and wrong actions. Therefore, in the event that the
wrongdoer does not want to repeat his wrong actions, it is
not obligatory to enjoin him to good and forbid him from
evil.
4. 4.
The wrongdoer must not be legally excused (ma’dhur)
in his improper and wrong actions; i.e. he must not believe
that the improper act he did was not unlawful and that it
was permissible (mubah); nor must he believe that the good
act he abandoned was not obligatory.
However, if the evil deed is something that the Holy
Legislator (Allah) is never pleased with – such as the
killing of an innocent person – then it is obligatory to
prevent it, even if the perpetrator is legally excused and
even if he is not legally obliged to fulfill religious
duties (mukallaf).
5. 5.
The person enjoining good and forbidding evil must
not be in danger of significant harm being inflicted to his
person, reputation, or wealth. Furthermore, it must not
cause excessive difficulty (mashaqqah) or unendurable
hardship, except in the case where the good or evil in
question is regarded by the Holy Legislator (Allah) as being
so important that one must endure harm and hardship in its
cause.
if the person who enjoins good and forbids evil is not in
danger of any significant harm being inflicted on himself,
but other muslims are – whether that be to their person,
reputation, or wealth – then it does not become obligatory
on him enjoin good and forbid evil. In this situation, the
level of harm must be compared with the act in question, and
sometimes even when harm is caused, he will not be excused
from enjoining good and forbidding evil.
Ruling 1869. Enjoining good
and forbidding evil is carried out at different levels:
1.
Displaying heartfelt aversion; for example, by
turning away one’s face from, or not speaking to, the
wrongdoer.
2.
Verbally advising and guiding.
3.
Physically enforcing; for example, by hitting or
imprisoning the wrongdoer.
It is necessary that one starts at the
first or second level and chooses a method that will be the
least troublesome and the most effective. If that method
does not yield any result, he must gradually increase the
severity and harshness of the methods he uses. If displaying
heartfelt aversion and verbally advising and guiding- i.e.
the first and second levels – prove ineffective, it then
progresses to the physical level. At this level, the
obligatory precaution is that he must obtain permission from
a fully qualified jurist (hakim e shar). Furthermore, it is
necessary that he starts in a way that causes the least
displeasure and trouble, and if that does not yield any
result, he must increase the severity and force he uses in
his methods. However, it must not reach a point where it
causes a bone to break or the body to become wounded.
Ruling 1870. The obligation to enjoin
good and forbidding evil on every mukallaf is greater with
respect to his family and relatives. Therefore, if with
regard to his family and relatives he feels that they are
inattentive to, and unconcerned about, religious obligations
such as performing prayers (salah), keeping fasts (sawm),
and praying the one-fifth tax (khums), and suchlike, or, if
he sees that they are careless and fearless with regard to
committing unlawful acts such as backbiting and lying, then
he must prevent improper actions being performed by them and
invite them to do good deeds with a greater sense of
importance, while observing the three levels of enjoining
good and forbidding evil.
However, with regard to one’s mother
and father, the obligatory precaution is that he must guide
them by adopting a soft and gentle approach, and he must
never be harsh with them.
Booklet by Ayatullah Bashir Najafi Pdf
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