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Praise be to Allah who made the Muslims the greatest community ever to be brought forth for humanity on the condition that they believe in Allah, enjoin what is right, and forbid what is wrong.

And may Allah’s peace and His blessings be upon Prophet Muhammad, who taught the people what is good and bad, who made sure that nothing which is good would go without his describing it to them; and that nothing which is bad would go without his warning them against it.

Allah says: “Let there arise from you a community who calls to goodness, who enjoins what is right and forbids what is wrong. These, they are the successful ones.” [Sûrah Âl `Imrân: 104]

In this verse, Allah calls us to the duty of enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong. Moreover, He makes our carrying out this duty the crux of our success in this world and our salvation in the next.

By contrast, in the Qur’ân we see that Allah curses some people for abandoning this duty, saying: “Cursed were those who disbelieved from the Children of Israel on the tongues of David and Jesus the son of Mary. That is because they disobeyed and were habitually transgressing. They used not to forbid the wrongdoing that they engaged in. How wretched was that which they used to do.” [Sûrah al-Mâ’idah: 78-79]

The implication of a “curse” is to be made bereft of Allah’s mercy. From where will a person attain mercy thereafter?

We can also see in the Qur’ân that those from among the Children of Israel who carried out the duty of enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong were absolved of the wrongdoing going on around them. On this basis, they were spared Allah’s wrath in both this world and the next.

Allah says: “And when a community among them said: ‘Why do you advise a people whom Allah is to destroy or punish with a severe punishment?’ they replied: ‘To be absolved before your Lord and that perhaps they may fear Him.’ And when those (who were reminded) forgot that of which they had been reminded, We saved those who had forbidden evil and seized those who did wrong with a wretched punishment on account of their sinfulness. So when they were insolent about that which they had been forbidden, We said to them: ‘Be apes despised.’” [Sûrah al-A`râf: 164-166]

Prerequisites for a person who enjoins what is right and forbids what is wrong

Before we commence our discussion on how to forbid wrongdoing, we must look at the conditions that must be fulfilled by a person in order for him to be qualified to undertake this duty.

There are three conditions without which it is unacceptable for a person to undertake this duty as an act of Islamic worship. First of all, the person must be a Muslim. Secondly, he must have at least a modicum of moral character, enough to make him trustworthy. He also must be in a position to carry it out.

However, a person’s fulfilling these conditions does not, of its own, make it an immediate obligation upon that person to carry out this duty. There are other conditions that must be present for this duty to become a specific obligation upon someone.

The first of these is that the person must be legally accountable for his actions. He must also be capable of carrying out this duty. Thirdly, he must be in a position of responsibility with regard to others.

This final condition means that the obligation of enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong will differ in magnitude for different people. Some, by virtue of their position in society, will be obliged to carry out this duty towards his community or even towards society as a whole.

Others will be obligated to carry out this duty on a more personal level. A parent will be obligated to enjoin the right and forbid the wrong with respect to his children. Adult children, in turn, have this obligation with respect to their parents. A husband and wife will have it with respect to each other.

Qualities of the one who carries out this duty

It is important for us to know what qualities a person needs to possess in order to be able to carry out this duty effectively. First and foremost, he needs to be honest and sincere in his intentions. He must be sincere towards his faith and adhere to the Sunnah in his conduct. He must possess sufficient knowledge and enjoy a degree of wisdom. His personality should be one that tends towards compassion, gentleness, and forbearance.

All in all, he must possess those qualities that Islam encourages us as Muslims to possess. This includes a measure of aloofness from worldly indulgences. A person who enjoins others to what is right and forbids them from what is wrong should show restraint in such matters and should exhibit a lack of concern for them. Rather, his mannerisms should exude magnanimity, charity, and gentility.

He should be a person who keeps away from sin and dubious acts. He should not indulge too much in even permissible pleasures, but rather occupy himself with worship. His manner with others should be modest, reserved, and composed and never haughty. He should lower to them the wing of humility. He should not lower himself to ignobility when others wrong him or abuse him.

Manifestations of this duty

Forbidding what is wrong is carried out on various levels, depending on the circumstances. The Prophet (peace be upon him) delineated these levels for us when he said: “Whoever sees something wrong should change it with his hands. If he is unable to do so, then he should do so with his tongue. If he is unable to do so, then he should do so in his heart, and that is the weakest of faith.” [Sahîh Muslim]

Which of these approaches is to be employed in any given situation depends on the situation, the people involved, and other extenuating circumstances. It all comes down in the end to a person’s ability to play a positive and effective role in the situation in which he finds himself.

In order to make an effective determination in any given case whether and how to prevent an act of wrongdoing, there are certain conditions and preventative factors that must be taken into consideration.

Conditions for carrying out this duty

Before embarking on a course of action, a person must ascertain that the following conditions are met:

1. There has to be reason to believe that doing so will bring about a positive effect.
2. The act to be prevented has to be a clear act of wrongdoing.
3. That wrongdoing has to be actually going on at the time of taking action against it.
4. The benefit of preventing the wrongdoing has to be greater than any possible harm that might come of doing so.
5. The act of wrongdoing must be perpetrated in the open and in public.
6. The wrongness of the act must be something that is agreed upon; it must not be something wherein there exists a legitimate disagreement about its incorrectness.

Preventative factors with regards to carrying out this duty

There are certain situations in which it is inappropriate to try to forbid an act of wrongdoing. Among these situations are the following:

1. If forbidding an act of wrongdoing will result in a greater wrong, then it is obligatory to refrain from forbidding it. This is in order to avoid that greater wrong from taking place.

2. If preventing an act of wrongdoing necessitates spying and looking into the private affairs of others, then it is impermissible. The Qur’ân and Sunnah strongly forbid spying and prying into the private shame of others.

The following story about the Caliph `Umar is illustrative of this point:

`Abd al-Rahmân b. `Awf was making the rounds of the city one night with `Umar. While they were on patrol, they took notice of lantern light emanating from a home. They hurried in its direction. When they drew near, they came upon a door beyond which they could hear loud voices and revelry.

`Umar took `Abd al-Rahmân b. `Awf by the hand and asked him: “Do you know whose house this is?”

He replied: “It is the home of Rabî`ah b. Umayyah b. Khalaf and they are engaged in drinking right now, so what do you think we should do?”

`Umar said: “I think that we have done something that Allah has forbidden us to do. Allah says: ‘And do not spy’ [Sûrah al-Hujurât: 12] and that is what we have just done.”

So `Umar turned away and left them. [refer to: Mawsû`ah Âthâr al-Sahâbah (1/119)]

3. If a person is unable to prevent the act of wrongdoing, then he should not attempt to do so. Inability manifests itself in various ways. There might be some physical impediment. A person might not have enough knowledge on a given matter to act. There might be serious fear of physical harm upon a person if he were to attempt to do so.

This matter is discussed at great length in the books of Islamic Law, wherein detailed guidelines for determining these matters can be found. We, however, will not elaborate upon this point in such a brief article as this. Instead, we shall now turn our attentions to some of the ways that we can employ to effectively prevent wrongdoing.

Ways and means of preventing wrongdoing

There are many and varied means that can be employed to enjoin what is right or to forbid what is wrong. All these means are acceptable as long as they fulfill two conditions:

First, they must be lawful in and of themselves. It is impermissible to employ unlawful means to prevent another act of wrongdoing. Filth cannot be cleansed by applying more filth to it.

Second, the means employed should be effective in bringing about the good effects that are desired.

In light of these two conditions, we can turn our attentions to just a few of the myriad approaches that are available to us.

1. A clear and articulate statement is the primary means of conveying the truth. The most basic form of this is the spoken word. This means can be used in a very broad and general way. It can take the form of a public address, like during a lecture, a lesson, or a sermon, or a small talk given after the congregational prayers. It can be recorded and distributed as an audio cassette.

The spoken word can also be employed on a more personal level, like a direct phone call to the wrongdoer.

The written word is also an effective means of preventing wrong. Books can reach a wide audience. A person can work to prevent wrong not only by writing books on relevant topics, but also by distributing the books of others to the people who need to read them. The same can be said for pamphlets, which are even easier to produce and disseminate than books. Indeed, pamphlets are an effective means of discouraging a number of the evils that beset society.

By helping to distribute these publications, a person can get involved in this important duty. Those who participate in the research, the writing, the layout, and the publication of these works are making an even more essential contribution.

Magazines, newspapers, and other periodicals are even more widely circulated than books. Therefore, writing articles for publication in various periodicals can be a way of preventing wrongdoing. On a smaller scale, we can buy those periodicals that carry good articles and give them away to the people who need to read them.

We should not forget to mention the personal letter. The Prophet (peace be upon him) sent letters to kings and rulers throughout the known world, calling them to Islam and exhorting them to abandon the greatest wrongs of all – unbelief and polytheism.

The mass media is probably the most effective way to disseminate a message. Those who have access to such resources have the duty to turn them into an effective means of spreading righteousness, instead of allowing them be a means of spreading falsehood and moral decline.

2. Another means of preventing wrongdoing is by shunning the wrongdoer. This wrongdoer is not necessarily an individual. It can also be an establishment or an institution. It is our duty to boycott those institutions that promote sin, immorality, and deviance and that oppose our moral values.

On the personal level, we need to shun those people who go about publicly flaunting their sins and who encourage others to act accordingly. Such people should be called to righteousness. However, if this does not work, then they should be shunned and others should be warned to avoid them.

3. The perpetrator of wrongdoing can be publicly hinted at, and at times, even publicly exposed, depending on the severity of the situation. This multi-leveled approach was employed by the Prophet (peace be upon him). Sometimes, he would just allude to those who were doing something wrong, especially if this would be enough to bring the wrongdoing to an end. He would say: “What is the matter with some people…” and the mention the wrong that needed to be addressed.

On other occasions, he would resort to exposing the wrongdoer in public and making his identity known. Abû Hurayrah relates that the Prophet (peace be upon him) commanded that collection of the charity funds. Someone said: “Ibn Jamîl refuses to give.”

Upon hearing this the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Ibn Jamîl has nothing to be spiteful about save for that he used to be poor and then Allah and His Messenger made him wealthy.” [Sahîh al-Bukhârî and Sahîh Muslim]

On the basis of this hadith, we see that when a person manifests his sins openly and publicly, whether in matters of belief or in his actions, then it is permissible to mention him by name and warn others against him. This of course, should generally be after employing the other, milder means that we have already discussed. 

From IslamToday.com