40 Hadiths of Imam Nawawi
On the authority of Abu Sa'id al-Khudri, radiyallahu 'anhu, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, say:
"When any one of you sees anything that is disapproved (of by
Allah), let him change it with his hand. If he is not able to do so, then let
him change it with his tongue. And if he is not able to do so, then let him
change it with his heart, though that is the weakest (kind of)
faith."
[Muslim]
background
The essence of the Islamic da'wah is enjoining the good and forbidding the evil, since whenever a person conveys the Message, he is enjoining good and forbidding evil. Therefore, it is a mistake to consider these two as separate matters, since they are actually performed concurrently and are synonymous.
The main objective in fulfilling this obligation is to attain and maximize benefits, and to eliminate or minimize harm.
Qualities possessed by a Caller who enjoins the good and forbids the evil
Say: This is my path, I do call to Allah upon clear
knowledge.
[Surah Yusuf (12): Ayah 108]
This is an important condition
since the Caller must know what matters are good, so he enjoins it, and what
matters are evil, so he forbids it. In Ibn Taymiyyah's al-Amar it is stated that it is necessary to
possess the knowledge of good and evil and of the difference between them, and
it is necessary to know the situation of the person being commanded or
forbidden.
Call to the way of your Lord with
wisdom and beautiful admonition.
[Surah an-Nahl (16): Ayah 125]
Ibn
Taymiyyah wrote: Enjoin the good in a good way and do not forbid the evil in an
evil way.
And by the Mercy of Allah you were able to deal gently with
them. If you had been severe and harsh-hearted, they would have broken away from
you.
[Surah al-Imran (3): Ayah 159]
The Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi
wasallam, also said: Indeed gentleness does not enter into anything
except it beautifies it, nor is it removed from anything except that it makes it
ugly [Reported by Imam Muslim].
Ibn Taymiyyah says in al-Istiqaamah, concerning the call to the good and away
from the evil: Knowledge must precede it, gentleness must accompany it and
patience must follow it. Shaikh al-Humaid, the teacher of Shaikh Ibn Baz, said,
in an explanation of Surah al-'Asr that Allah makes an oath that mankind will be
in a state of deficiency, except with four conditions, which are: (a) iman, (b)
good actions, (c) encouraging each other to the truth which means enjoining the
good and forbidding the evil, and (d) encouraging each other to patience, which
is required after enjoining good and forbidding evil. Furthermore each person
will have a level of deficiency in accordance with the level of lack of any of
these four.
O you who
believe! Why do you say that which you do not do. It is a most hateful thing to
Allah that you say that which you do not do.
[Surah as-Saff (61): Ayah
2-3]
lessons
Scholars say that before using the hand, we should start with advice, warning the people of the consequence of evil and encouraging and motivating them to good actions. When this method has been fully utilised and there is no change in the people, only then is it permissible to use the hand.
Imam ash-Shatibi says that the Caller must predict the consequences of what he says or do, whether by hand or by tongue.
If it is very likely that, as a result of attempting to change the evil, the Caller himself or another person will be harmed, then changing the situation is no longer obligatory upon him. Here harm does not refer to insults or curses, but to physical injury such as being beaten or killed. Harm can also mean that a bad reputation is spread concerning the Caller. Ibn Qudaamah also includes financial loss, whether immediate or later, to such an amount which the Caller cannot afford.
People differ in their ability to change things; in general, when someone is higher in his rank or authority, then there is more responsibility on him to remove the evil.
Principles of Inkaarul-Munkar (Forbidding what is evil)
Verily the heart has moments of yearning and
responsiveness
And moments of indifference and turning away
So snatch it
at the time of yearning and response
And leave it at the time of
indifference and turning away.
Come to me with your advice
when I am alone
And do not advise me in the crowd
Because advice amongst
the people is a scolding
And I do not like to hear it aloud
Then if you
disobey me and do not heed my words
Do not feel sad when you are not
followed.
Call to the way of your
Lord with wisdom and beautiful admonition, and argue with them with ways that
are best.
[Surah an-Nahl (16): Ayah 125]
Imam Ghazali wrote: Don't
convey the truth in a challenging manner.
Ibn Rajab states that in enjoining the good and discouraging the evil the conductor is motivated by different reasons:
Observing the last two motives alone can make burden of conducting this obligation a light, favorable one and will empower the conductor with enough potential belittle any difficulty or hardship he may encounter thereof.
conclusion
The last portion of the hadith clearly states that the least a Muslim can do in the case of witnessing an evil act is to change it by his/her heart. This means that he/she should dislike the evil he/she comes across. This is an action of the heart, such as saying: "O Allah, there is nothing that I can do to change this bad situation that You dislike and disapprove except that I hate it to take place. I do not agree to it. O Allah forgive me, guide me and save my heart to be influenced by it."
Unless this action of the
heart is practiced, the heart of the believer who witnesses that evil will be
subject to be influenced by that evil. A dark spot will be placed in that heart
(as stated in another hadith related by al-Bukhari).
With the
repetition of such negative attitudes, the heart will be subject to more dark
spots placed in it until it is concealed and no longer appreciates what is good
and no longer dislikes what is bad or evil. This means that the Muslim who does
not practice the lowest level of forbidding the evil, will be subject to turn
into being an evil doer him/herself.