Commanding others what is Obligatory and to Prohibit them from doing Evil

“Abu Ja’far (a.s.), has said, ‘During the last era of time there will be a people who are followed by a certain people who just show off. They worship and perform rituals as youngsters with insufficient understanding and dimwittedness. They do not deem asking others to do good and prohibiting evil as necessary unless doing so is totally harmless for them. They seek for themselves permissions and excuses and follow the mistakes of the scholars and their invalid deeds. They go for Salat (prayer) and fasting and things that do not affect them in matters of their lives and properties. If performing Salat (prayer) would affect their other activities about their properties and persons, they disregard it just as they disregard highest quality obligations and the noblest ones. ‘Asking people to do good and to prohibit them from committing evil is a great obligation by which responsibilities are fulfilled. In such case the anger of Allah, the most Majestic, the most Glorious, becomes complete upon them. His torment encompasses them; thus, even virtuous people are destroyed in the location of the sinful ones and the children along with the grown-up ones. Asking others to do good and prohibiting them from evil is the path of the prophets and the method of the virtuous ones. It is a great responsibility with which obligations are fulfilled and religions are protected, earnings become lawful, usurped properties are retrieved, the land is developed, justice is made available for even the enemies and the matters are kept upright. You must then dislike evil in your hearts, reject it with your tongues, strike it against their faces and do not fear anyone’s blames in matters about Allah. If people committing evil accepted your advice and returned to the truth then that is fine. “Blameworthy are those who do injustice to people and rebel in the land without any truthful cause, for them there will be painful punishment.” (42: 42) Against such people you must fight with your person and hate them in your hearts without wanting domination, gaining properties or victory through injustice. You must continue until they come to the command of Allah and to obey Him.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Allah, the most Majestic, the most Glorious, sent revelation to prophet Shu’ayb ‘Alayhi al-Salam, “I want to punish one hundred thousand people from your followers, forty thousand of the evil doers and sixty thousand of the good ones.” He asked, “O Lord, these are the evil doers but what about the good ones?” Allah, the most Majestic, the most Glorious, sent him revelation that said, “They stopped giving the good advice to the evil doers and did not become angry because of My becoming angry with them.’””

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘A people, who does not take back the rights of the weak ones among them from the stronger ones, without causing any harm, can never become holy.’”

“I heard abu al-Hassan (a.s.), saying, ‘You must ask (command) others to do good and prohibit them to commit evil, otherwise, the evil ones among you will be made your rulers and then the virtuous ones among you pray and their prayers will not be answered.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘Woe upon a people who do not consider asking others to do good and prohibiting them from evil as part of the religion of Allah.’”

“Abu Ja’far (a.s.), has said, ‘A people, who consider asking others to do good and prohibiting them from evil, a blame-worthy act, are a terribly evil people.’”

“Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s.), once delivered a sermon. He first praised and glorified Allah. Thereafter he said, ‘People before were destroyed because when they committed sins the Rabbis and Monks did not stop them from committing such deeds. When they continued committing disobedience and the Rabbis and Monks did not prohibit them, torments descended upon them. They then commanded others to do good and prohibited to commit evil, they found this did not make the time of their death closer and nor did it reduce their sustenance. The command comes from the sky to the earth, like the drops of rain, to everyone as Allah measures for it (soul) in matters of increase and reduction. If one of you is affected in matters of family, property or life and finds all such things with his brother in abundance, it should not become matters of trial for him. A Muslim is free of all forms of treachery as long as acts of lowliness do not take place from him (through his hands), about the mention of which he remains fearful. On the other hand, people of lowly manners remain interested in lowly acts like a gambler who waits for the hit by the first winning arrow which brings him gains and fends off from him the loss. The Muslim who is free of treachery expects from Allah, the most High, one of the two forms of gains. It is either the call from Allah, thus what is with Allah for him is better, or sustenance from Allah. So he has a family, property with religion and valuable status. Wealth and children are worldly plantations but good deeds are plantations for the next life. At certain times Allah places both of them together for certain people. You must remain anxious about your relationship with Allah just as He has told you to be anxious about such relationship. You must worry, without shortcomings and about your status before Him. You must act without showing off and seeking popularity; those who act for something other than Allah, He leaves him to the one for whom he has acted. I pray to Allah to lead us to the destinations of the martyrs, living of those who have gained salvation and the company of the prophets (of Allah).”’

“He (the Imam) has said, ‘Allah, the most Majestic, the most Glorious, sent revelation to Dawud (David) (a.s.), that said, ‘I forgave your sins and placed the blame thereof on the Israelites.’ He (Dawud) asked, ‘How can that be, O Lord? You do not do injustice. He (the Lord) replied, ‘Because they did not express disappointment for what you had done.’” (This Hadith is addressed to Dawud but it is meant to apply to others. It is one of the cases where the popular expression, ‘I address you O slave-girl, but you, the neighbor woman listen.’)

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Glorious, once sent two angels to a city to turn it upside down on the people therein. When they came to the city, they found a man praying to Allah with great concern and desperation. One of the angels then asked the other, ‘Do you see this person praying ? 5 The other angel replied, ‘Yes, I have seen him but I must obey the command which my Lord has issued . 5 The other angel said, ‘No, I will not do anything before asking my Lord about it . 5 This angel returned to the presence of Allah, the most Blessed, the most High, and said, ‘O Lord, I went to the city and found there one of Your servants, so and so praying to You and asking You in desperation and in a helpless condition . 5 The Lord said, ‘You must do as you were commanded to do; he is a man who has never even frowned for My sake as an expression of his anger against evil deeds . 55

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that once a man from Khath‘am came to the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, and asked, ‘O Messenger of Allah, what is most virtuous in al-Islam ? 5 He (the Messenger of Allah) replied, ‘It is belief in Allah . 5 He then asked, ‘What is most virtuous thereafter ? 5 He, the Messenger of Allah, replied, ‘It is maintaining good relations with relatives . 5 He asked, ‘What is most important thereafter ? 5 He, the Messenger of Allah, replied, ‘It is asking others to do what is good and prohibit them to commit evil . 5 The narrator has said that the man then asked, ‘What is the most hated act in the sight of Allah ? 5 He, the Messenger of Allah, replied, ‘It is considering things as partners of Allah . 5 He then asked, ‘What is most hated thereafter ? 5 He, the Messenger of Allah, replied, ‘It is cutting off good relations with relatives . 5 He then asked, ‘What is most hated thereafter ? 5 He, the Messenger of Allah, replied, ‘It is asking people to commit evil and prohibit them from doing good . 555

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that Amir al-Mu 5 minin (a.s.), has said, ‘The Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, had commanded us to meet sinful people with a frowning face . 555

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘Asking people to do good and prohibiting them from committing evil are two creatures of the creatures of Allah. Those who support them, Allah gives them respect and Allah betrays those who betray these two creatures of Him . 55

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), when seeing a quarrelling group of people would not pass by without always saying three times loudly, ‘You must maintain piety in the presence of Allah . 555

“I heard abu al-Hassan, al-Rida (a.s.), saying, ‘The Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, would say, “When my followers postpone asking others to do good and prohibit them from committing evil they, in so doing, allow affliction to befall upon them from Allah.’””

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘The Holy Prophet, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, has said, “What will you do when your women will become corrupt, your young people sinful and you will not ask others to do good and prohibit them to commit evil?” They asked, “Will such things happen, O Messenger of Allah?” He, the Messenger of Allah, replied, “Yes, even worse than this will happen. What will you do when you ask others to commit evil and prohibit them from doing good?” It then was asked, “Will such things happen, O Messenger of Allah?” He, the Messenger of Allah, replied, “Yes, even worse than this will happen. What will you do when you see good things as bad and evil things as good?”’”

“The Holy Prophet, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, has said, ‘Allah, the most Majestic, the most Glorious, dislikes a believing, weak person who has no religion.’ It then was asked, ‘Who is a believing weak person who has no religion?’ He, the Holy Prophet, said, ‘It is he who does not prohibit committing evil.’”

“I heard abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), when asked about commanding others to do what is obligatory and prohibiting them from committing what is evil, whether this is obligatory upon the whole nation, saying, ‘No, it is not obligatory up on the whole nation.’ He (the Imam) was asked, ‘Why it is not obligatory upon the whole nation?’ He (the Imam) replied, ‘It is obligatory only upon the strong ones who are obeyed and who know well what is obligatory and what is evil. It is not obligatory upon the weak ones who are not able to find the way - about what the facts are - to the truth and falsehood. The proof thereof is in the book of Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Glorious, “Among you there must live a nation who must command to do what is obligatory and prohibit committing evil.” (3:104) This verse is of particular sense as opposed to a general sense, just as in the following verse: “Of the people of Moses, there is a nation who guide to the truth and with truth they issue judgments.” (7:158) Allah has not said, “It is obligatory upon the nation of Moses or upon his whole nation who in those days formed many nations.” Nation is also used to mean one person as well as to mean more than one person. Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Glorious, has said, “Ibrahim was a nation (person) very obedient to Allah.” (16:119) In peace-time when one is not able to enforce such commands it does not apply to his case. . . .’” “Mas’adah has said, ‘I heard abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), when asked about a Hadith narrated from the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, that said, “The best Jihad is saying a word of justice before an unjust Imam.” He (the Imam) said, “This is true when commanding to do good, he knows well about what is ‘good’ as well as knowing that he will accept his command in the matter, otherwise, it (asking to do good) is not obligatory.’””