Chapter: On Commanding Good and Forbidding Evil
باب الامر بالمعروف — نیکی یا معروف بات کے حکم دینے کے بارے میں
بَابُ الْاَمْرِ بِالْمَعْرُوْفِ
On commanding goodness, that is, what is recognised as right (maʿrūf).
قَالَ اللهُ تَعَالٰى: فَاصْدَعْ بِمَا تُؤْمَرُ وَاَعْرِضْ عَنِ الْمُشْرِكِيْنَ ۔
(al-Ḥijr 15:94)
Vocabulary: fa-ṣdaʿ — so say it plainly, say it without worry, say it out unreservedly; ṣadʿ — a split, a crack; ṣudāʿ — headache, a pain from which the head feels as though it were splitting; bi-mā tuʾmar — that which you are being commanded; wa-aʿriḍ — turn away, turn your face aside, pay no heed; ʿani'l-mushrikīn — from the polytheists (mushrikūn, those who associate partners with Allah), i.e. take no account of these polytheists.
Translation: Allah Most High says: So say out unreservedly what you are being commanded, and take no account at all of these polytheists (and pay no heed to their absurd talk).
قَالَ اللهُ تَعَالٰى: كُنْتُمْ خَيْرَ اُمَّةٍ اُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ تَاْمُرُوْنَ بِالْمَعْرُوْفِ وَتَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ ۔
(Āl ʿImrān 3:110)
Vocabulary: kuntum khayra ummatin — you were a good community. Here kuntum means "you were", but what is meant by it is "you are"; or its meaning is that you were [so] in Our knowledge, and We knew from beforehand that you are the best community; ukhrijat li'n-nās — brought forth for people, chosen, made distinguished from others. What kind of community? taʾmurūna bi'l-maʿrūf — you command what is good; wa-tanhawna ʿani'l-munkar — and you forbid what is evil; wa-tuʾminūna bi'llāh — and you believe in Allah. There are two points in this. [First,] the state of the umma of Muḥammad has been described in advance, and it did turn out accordingly; that is, there is a prophecy in it. The second point is that the umma of Muḥammad will never agree upon any error or false religious matter, and from this it follows that consensus (ijmāʿ) is a legal proof of the Sharīʿa.
Translation: Allah Most High says: (O Muslims!) You are the good community that has been brought forth for people. You command good things and forbid evil things, and you believe in Allah.
Gentlemen! What quality of yours did Allah Most High describe? Commanding what is good and restraining from what is evil. Now where has that quality gone from you? Flattery has crept into you, and a fear of speaking the truth has arisen in you. People of baseless religions, and those who openly commit wickedness,
propagate their ideas, and not even a louse crawls upon your ear [i.e. you do not stir in the least]. Your enemies are attacking your religion with false propaganda, yet your sense of honour (ghayra) is not moved. You take lack of self-respect for tolerance, and your enemies grow bolder in their falsehood day by day. You listen to their falsehood, and they do not listen to your truth. Through boldness and repetition, saying a thing does in the end have its effect. When some evil is seen happening commonly, the feeling that it is evil no longer remains; the self (nafs) grows accustomed to it, and the sense of honour departs. The roots of religion become hollow, and that firm conviction which ought to be there no longer remains. Do you know what the end of this is? Unbelief (kufr), associating partners with Allah (shirk), transgression (fisq) and debauchery (fujūr). The Qurʾān shakes you, it throws water on your face so that you may wake up. But you are sleeping in such a way that you will rise only if God Himself raises you.
عَنِ ابْنِ مَسْعُوْدٍ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُوْلُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَا مِنْ نَبِيٍّ بَعَثَهُ اللهُ فِيْ اُمَّةٍ قَبْلِيْ اِلَّا كَانَ لَهٗ فِيْ اُمَّتِهٖ حَوَارِيُّوْنَ وَاَصْحَابٌ يَاْخُذُوْنَ بِسُنَّتِهٖ وَيَقْتَدُوْنَ بِاَمْرِهٖ ثُمَّ اِنَّهَا تَخْلُفُ مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ خُلُوْفٌ يَقُوْلُوْنَ مَا لَا يَفْعَلُوْنَ وَيَفْعَلُوْنَ مَا لَا يُؤْمَرُوْنَ فَمَنْ جَاهَدَهُمْ بِيَدِهٖ فَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ وَمَنْ جَاهَدَهُمْ بِلِسَانِهٖ فَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ وَمَنْ جَاهَدَهُمْ بِقَلْبِهٖ فَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ وَلَيْسَ وَرَاءَ ذٰلِكَ مِنَ الْاِيْمَانِ حَبَّةُ خَرْدَلٍ ۔
(Reported by Muslim — Mishkāt al-Maṣābīḥ.)
Vocabulary: baʿathahu'llāh — whom Allah sent, raised up [as a messenger]; ḥawāriyyūn — companions, associates; khulūf — those who come after; jāhadahum — opposed them; ḥabbatu khardalin — a grain of mustard seed.
Translation: Ḥaḍrat Ibn Masʿūd (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet ﷺ said: Allah Most High did not send any prophet before me into his umma except that there were, from his umma, his disciples (ḥawāriyyūn) and companions who would hold to his way and follow his command. Then it came about that, after them, such successors took their place as say what they do not do, and do deeds that they have not been commanded. Whoever opposed them with his hand is a believer; whoever opposed them with his tongue is also a believer; whoever opposed them in his heart is also a believer; and beyond that there is not even a mustard seed's worth of faith.
عَنْ اَبِيْ هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُوْلُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بَدَاَ الْاِسْلَامُ غَرِيْبًا وَسَيَعُوْدُ كَمَا بَدَاَ فَطُوْبٰى لِلْغُرَبَاءِ ۔
(Reported by Muslim — Mishkāt al-Maṣābīḥ.)
Translation: Ḥaḍrat Abū Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet ﷺ said: Islam began in a state of being friendless and without helpers, and soon it will become just as it began. So glad tidings to the friendless and helpless people.
عَنْ اُمِّ حَبِيْبَةَ قَالَتْ قَالَ رَسُوْلُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَلَامُ ابْنِ اٰدَمَ عَلَيْهِ لَا لَهٗ اِلَّا اَمْرٌ بِمَعْرُوْفٍ اَوْ نَهْيٌ عَنْ مُنْكَرٍ اَوْ ذِكْرُ اللهِ تَعَالٰى ۔
(Recorded by al-Tirmidhī.)
Translation: Ḥaḍrat Umm Ḥabība (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that the Prophet ﷺ said: A person's speech is harmful to him and is of no benefit to him, except that he has commanded what is good, or forbidden what is evil, or remembered Allah.
عَنْ قَيْسِ بْنِ اَبِيْ حَازِمٍ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ قَالَ اَبُوْ بَكْرٍ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ بَعْدَ اَنْ حَمِدَ اللهَ وَاَثْنٰى عَلَيْهِ: يٰۤاَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اِنَّكُمْ تَقْرَءُوْنَ هٰذِهِ الْاٰيَةَ وَتَضَعُوْنَهَا عَلٰى غَيْرِ مَوْضِعِهَا يٰۤاَيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا عَلَيْكُمْ اَنْفُسَكُمْ لَا يَضُرُّكُمْ مَنْ ضَلَّ اِذَا اهْتَدَيْتُمْ وَاِنَّا سَمِعْنَا رَسُوْلَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُوْلُ اِنَّ النَّاسَ اِذَا رَاَوُا الظَّالِمَ فَلَمْ يَاْخُذُوْا عَلٰى يَدِهٖ اَوْشَكَ اَنْ يَعُمَّهُمُ اللهُ بِعِقَابٍ وَاِنِّيْ سَمِعْتُ رَسُوْلَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُوْلُ مَا مِنْ قَوْمٍ يُعْمَلُ فِيْهِمْ بِالْمَعَاصِيْ ثُمَّ يَقْدِرُوْنَ عَلٰى اَنْ يُغَيِّرُوْا فَلَمْ يُغَيِّرُوْا اِلَّا يُوْشِكُ اَنْ يَعُمَّهُمُ اللهُ تَعَالٰى بِعِقَابٍ ۔
(Recorded by Abū Dāwūd and al-Tirmidhī — Taysīr al-Wuṣūl.) [reading uncertain]
Vocabulary: taḍaʿūnahā — you place it; ʿalā ghayri mawḍiʿihā — out of its proper place.
Translation: Ḥaḍrat Qays ibn [Abī] Ḥāzim (may Allah be pleased with him) said [reading uncertain]: Abū Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), after praising and extolling God, said: O people, you recite this verse and apply it out of place: "O you who believe! Make [the reform of] your own selves binding upon yourselves; whoever goes astray will not harm you when you are on the right path." And we have heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saying: When people see an oppressor and do not seize his hand (that is, do not stop him from oppression), it is near that Allah will make a punishment fall upon them all. And I have heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saying: There is no people among whom acts of disobedience are being committed, and the people then have the power to change it, yet they did not change it, except that it is near that Allah will make the punishment fall upon them all.
عَنْ عُرْسِ بْنِ عَمِيْرَةَ الْكِنْدِيِّ رَضِيَ اللهُ تَعَالٰى عَنْهُ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُوْلُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ اِذَا عُمِلَتِ الْخَطِيْئَةُ فِي الْاَرْضِ كَانَ مَنْ شَهِدَهَا فَاَنْكَرَهَا كَمَنْ غَابَ عَنْهَا وَمَنْ غَابَ عَنْهَا فَرَضِيَهَا كَانَ كَمَنْ شَهِدَهَا ۔
(Recorded by Abū Dāwūd.)
Translation: Ḥaḍrat ʿUrs ibn ʿAmīra al-Kindī (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Prophet ﷺ said: When a wrong is committed (a sin is done) in any land, then whoever was present there and disapproved of it (saying that this deed is not good), he is like the person who was not there at all; and whoever was not there but was pleased with that wrong (sin), it is as though he were present there.
عَنْ اَبِيْ سَعِيْدٍ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُوْلُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ اِنَّ مِنْ اَعْظَمِ الْجِهَادِ كَلِمَةَ عَدْلٍ عِنْدَ سُلْطَانٍ جَائِرٍ ۔
(Recorded by Abū Dāwūd and al-Tirmidhī.)
Vocabulary: kalimatu ʿadlin — a word of justice; jāʾir — one who commits oppression.
Translation: Ḥaḍrat Abū Saʿīd (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet ﷺ said: The greatest jihād is to speak a word of justice before a tyrannical king.
عَنْ اَنَسٍ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ اَنَّ رَسُوْلَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ لَا يُؤْمِنُ اَحَدُكُمْ حَتّٰى يُحِبَّ لِاَخِيْهِ مَا يُحِبُّ لِنَفْسِهٖ ۔
(al-Bukhārī — al-Tajrīd.) [reading uncertain]
Translation: Ḥaḍrat Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that [the Prophet ﷺ] said: None of you will be a believer until he wishes for his brother the very thing he wishes for his own self.