Amicable and Fruitful Discussions With Mature Friends On Enjoining Good and Forbidding Evil

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Enjoining Good and Forbidding Evil – A Communal or Individual Obligation?

Imam Abdul Aziz Bin Baz, may Allah have mercy upon him, was asked:

متى يكون الأمر بالمعروف والنهي عن المنكر فرض كفاية؟

He responded:

نعم، إذا قام المسلمون في أي بلد بإنكار المنكر، قامت جماعة؛ سقط الإثم عن الباقين في البلد؛ لأن المقصود حصل، فإذا كان جماعة تصدوا لهذا الأمر، وأنكروا المنكر، وأزالوه؛ حصل لهم الأجر العظيم، وسقط الإثم عن الباقين في القرية، أو البلد، أو في القبيلة، لكن يبقى على القرية الثانية، وعلى المدينة الثانية واجبها، كل مدينة، وكل قرية، وكل قبيلة مسؤولة، فإذا قام جماعة في بلد من البلدان، أو قرية من القرى، أو قبيلة من القبائل بإنكار المنكر، وزال على أيديهم؛ سقط الإثم عن الباقين، وفاز المنكرون بالأجر العظيم، والخير الكثير، وهكذا كل قرية، وكل بلد، وكل قبيلة عليها أن تقوم بالواجب، وإذا قام به بعضها؛ سقط الإثم عن الباقين، نعم.
المقدم: إذًا هو فرض كفاية والحالة هذه؟
الشيخ: هو فرض كفاية، لا، لكن إذا كان في مكان ما فيه إلا هو، ما في من ينكر له؛ وجب عينًا، يعني شاهد المنكر في حي من الأحياء ما عنده أحد، أو في قبيلة من القبائل ما عنده أحد ينكره؛ وجب عليه أن ينكره إذا استطاع ذلك بيده، أو لسانه، نعم.
المقدم: بارك الله فيكم، وجزاكم الله خيرًا.

Question: When does enjoining good and forbidding evil become a communal obligation?

Response: If Muslims in any country denounce evil – a group shoulder the responsibility, the sin is lifted from the others in the country, because indeed the objective has been attained. So, if a group embarks to fulfil this matter by denouncing evil and stop it, they will receive great rewards and the sin is lifted from others in the rural settlement, the country or tribe. However, the obligation on second rural settlement and city still remains. Every city, rural settlement and tribe is responsible. If a group in any country, rural settlement, or tribe denounces evil and it is stopped through them, the sin is lifted from the others, and those who denounce it will be rewarded greatly and will receive abundant good. Thus, every rural settlement, country, and tribe must fulfill the obligation, and if some fulfil it, the sin is lifted from the others.

Question Moderator: So, it is a communal obligation in this case?

The Shaikh answered: It is a communal obligation, yes, however, if there is a place where no one else is available to denounce it except him, it becomes an individual obligation. Meaning, if the one who witnesses an evil in a city district and he has none else, or none among a tribe, it is obligated to him to denounce it according to his ability with his hand or tongue. [1]

Standing Firm Against The People of Falsehood

Al-Allamah Rabee Bin Hadi Al-Mad’khali, may Allah have mercy upon him, stated in his refutation against Dr Ibrahim Ar-Ruhayli, may Allah recitify his affair:

Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, once urged the poets among his companions to disparage the Quraish. Aishah narrated that Allah’s Messenger said, “Lampoon the Quraish, for it will hurt them more than arrows”. He sent word to Ibn Rawahah, saying, “Lampoon them”. So he lampooned them but it was not good enough. Then he sent word to Ka’b Bin Malik, then he sent word to Hassan bin Thabit. When he entered upon him, Hassan said, “Now you have sent for this lion who wreaks vengeance then waves his tail about”, then he stuck out his tongue and moved it. He said, “By the One Who sent you with the Truth, I shall tear them with my tongue as leather is torn”. Allah’s Messenger said, “Do not be hasty. AbuBakr is most knowledgeable about their lineage, and I share a lineage with them. (Wait) until he summarises my lineage for you”. Hassan went to him, then he came back and said, “O Allah’s Messenger! He has summarized your lineage for me. By the One Who sent you with the Truth, I shall draw you out from them as a hair is drawn out of the dough”. Aishah said, “I heard Allah’s Messenger say to Hassan, “The Ruhul Qudus (i.e. Jibreel) will continue to support you, so long as you are defending Allah and His Messenger”. She said, “I heard Allah’s Messenger say, “Hassan has lampooned them and has satisfied himself and others”. [Sahih Muslim. Number 2490]

Al-Bara’ah Bin Aazib, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that he heard Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, saying to Hassaan Bin Thabit, may Allah be pleased with him, “Lampoon them and Jibril is with you”. [Al-Bukhari 3213]

So when the people of falsehood become overbearing towards the people of truth through evil speech, defamation, lies and praising (other) people of falsehood, then the people of truth cannot (do anything else) except to subdue the people of falsehood- clarifying their oppressive (behaviour, views etc), their barefaced lies and unveiling their falsehoods. [2]

The Shaikh, may Allah have mercy upon him, also spoke about the Fard Kifayah in the context of Jihad, saying:

For example, Jihad one of the Furud al-Kifaayaat (Communal obligations), thus, if one person goes for Jihad in order to repel a threat faced by Islam and the Muslims, will the legislated Islamic goal of this Jihad be fulfilled by one person; or if hundreds of people went but neither the legislated Islamic goal is fulfilled nor is the threat repelled, would it be permissible for the scholars to remain silent in such circumstances; or is it obligated that they exhort the people to go for Jihad in order to fulfil this communal obligation? (This is because) there has to be sufficient numbers of people to fulfil this (Communal) obligation in order to put a stop to the threat face by the rest of the Muslims. If this sufficient number is not reached, then all the Muslims are regarded to be sinful in such a case and held responsible for the harm that comes to Islam and the Muslims. Similarly is the same thing stated regarding enjoining good and forbidding evil, because there has to be sufficient numbers to prevent the Fitnah, if one, ten or twenty are unable to do so. Therefore, it becomes clear that many of the students- those who ascribe themselves to the Sunnah-who seek from the Scholars to clarify their stances have sought after something appropriate and correct if there is a sound reason for seeking after it. It is not to be regarded as a mistake, but the mistaken one is he who declares those students to be mistaken. The silence of the scholars at the time of need or necessity to clarify the truth is tantamount to concealment of the truth and it is from those grave mistakes that will result in corruption, trials, splitting of the people into two groups, two parties, boycotting one another and so on. [3]

An Issue Regarding How Long The People of Knowledge Exercise Patience Before Clarification or Warning – By Shaikh Fawwaz Al-Mad’khali – may Allah preserve him.

فالتاريخ القريب يشهد أن العلماء لم يكونوا على درجة واحدة من الصبر في جميع القضايا، ولم يتركوا الانحرافات الكبرى دون بيان، بل كانوا يبادرون إلى الإنكار عند الحاجة، كل بحسب اجتهاده وتقديره للمصلحة والمفسدة، والأمثلة على ذلك كثيرة، وسنكتفي بعرض بعض الأمثلة فقط:
معلوم أن العلماء لم يصبروا على المصعفقة كثيراً؛ بل حذروا منهم لما عاثوا في الدعوة فساداً، كما أنهم لم يصبروا على هاني بن بريك لما أظهر نواياه الخارجية ضد ولاة الأمر في اليمن، وحتى في فتن سابقة كان بعض العلماء يحذرون من بعض المنحرفين، ويصبر عليهم آخرون.
فمسألة الصبر على المخالف مسألة اجتهادية تقديرية تختلف باختلاف الأحوال والأشخاص والآثار المترتبة، وليست قاعدة جامدة تُطبق في كل زمان ومكان دون نظر……..

Recent history testifies to the fact that scholars have not been upon the same level with regards to patience in all issues, nor have they overlooked great deviations without providing clarification. Instead, they took the initiative to denounce such deviations when necessary—each of them based on their Ijtihad and evaluation of the benefits and harms. The examples of this are many and we will suffice with some (as follows).

It is well known that the scholars did not patiently wait for an extended period with regards to the Mas‘afiqah; rather, they warned against them when they caused corruption in the Dawah.

Similarly, they did not patiently wait regarding Hani Bin Burayk when he manifested his Kharijite-like motives (intentions) against the rulers in Yemen. Even during earlier Fitan, some scholars warned against the deviants, while others were patient with them.

Thus, the subject with regards to exercising patience with the Mukhalif is a subject of Scholarly Ijtihad and evaluation that varies based on different circumstances, the individuals involved, and the potential effects, and it is not a fixed principle that is applied in every time period and place without examination….. [4]

The Obligation Remains Either at Home or Abroad As Long As Someone Can Fulfil It

Al-Allamah Zaid Bin Hadi Al-Mad’khali, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: The obligation of refuting the Mukhalif is not lifted from the scholar due to anticipation of harm unless it is harm he is not able to bear. Then (in this case), Allah does not burden a soul beyond what it can bear. The earth is not devoid of people of knowledge who will carry out refutation against the Mubtadi and the Mukhaalif”. [5] [end of quotes]

We ask Allah to keep on benefitting us through these mature discussions. The only thing that remains is that the scholars and bona fide senior students of knowledge are the most capable of identifying the right conditions for carrying out this task. However, some may may see the need to act, while others might hold back for various reasons, even though they all agree that evil exists and they hate it. Some confront it directly, while others do so indirectly. Furthermore, while discussing this matter with my friend, we mentioned the need for maturity when discussing the opinions of different scholars and senior students on this issue, whether to take action now or postpone it, making sure that we do not become too forceful with one another. Sometimes our friends may have strong opinions on both sides, but this never ruins our unity upon truth alhamdulil laah. We finally reflected on the statement of Al-Allamah Zaid, may Allah have mercy on him, which was mentioned earlier.

“The obligation of refuting the Mukhalif is not lifted from the scholar due to anticipation of harm unless it is harm he is not able to bear. Then (in this case), Allah does not burden a soul beyond what it can bear. The earth is not devoid of people of knowledge who will carry out refutation against the Mubtadi and the Mukhaalif”.

As long as the people involved are well-known for their knowledge, experience and entegrity, their justice and truthfulness, neither from the people of Tamyee nor Ghuluww – known to consult upright scholars for advice and discussions about whether to proceed with this task or postpone it, we are at ease and we ask Allah to bless all of them, even if they have strong differing opinions on the timing and situation. This is because we understand that they are not individuals who enjoin good and forbid evil selectively; they value the truth and care about the welfare of others, regardless of whether they choose to undertake the task or delay it after seeking guidance from those with more knowledge and experience. And Allah knows best.

Footnote a: Jihad is not established except by the ruler with an army with the apparatus of Government.

Also benefit from these other links:

https://binbaz.org.sa/fatwas/20791/%D8%AD%D9%83%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%B1-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B9%D8%B1%D9%88%D9%81-%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D9%87%D9%8A-%D8%B9%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%86%D9%83%D8%B1

https://binbaz.org.sa/audios/1392/%D9%88%D8%AC%D9%88%D8%A8-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%B1-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B9%D8%B1%D9%88%D9%81-%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D9%87%D9%8A-%D8%B9%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%86%D9%83%D8%B1

[1] https://binbaz.org.sa/fatwas/10398/%D9%85%D8%AA%D9%89-%D9%8A%D9%83%D9%88%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%B1-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B9%D8%B1%D9%88%D9%81-%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D9%87%D9%8A-%D8%B9%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%86%D9%83%D8%B1-%D9%81%D8%B1%D8%B6-%D9%83%D9%81%D8%A7%D9%8A%D8%A9 [paraphrased]

[2] An Excerpt from Bayaan Maa Fee Naseehati Ibrahim Ar-Ruhayli Minal Khalal Wal Ikhlaal. p 23-25

[3]An Excerpt from Bayaan Maa Fee Naseehati Ibrahim Ar-Ruhayli Minal Khalal Wal Ikhlaal. p 62

[4]A Paraphrased Excerpt. Refer to the Shaikh’s Telegram Channel

[5]An Excerpt from “Al Ajwibah Al Mukhtasar Alaa As’ila Al-Ashrah” page 43-44