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Explanation of Hadeeth Number 34
Imaam Muslim has transmitted this hadeeth from Taariq bin Shihaab, who said: The first person to begin with the khutbah before the prayer on the day of 'Eed [instead of the prayer followed by the khutbah] was Marwaan [the son of Yazeed]. So a man stood up to him and said: "The prayer [should be] before the khutbah!" So [Marwaan] replied: "That old way has been left." So Abu Sa'eed [al-Khudree] said: "As for this man [who spoke up to Marwaan] then he has completed the duty that was upon him. I heard the Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) say 'Whosoever of you sees an evil, let him change it [until the end of the hadeeth]'".
In this hadeeth is a proof that no one before Marwaan had changed the order of the 'Eed prayer and khutbah. And if it is asked why did Abu Sa'eed himself not attempt to change this evil, until the other man stood up against it, then this can be answered in a number of ways: It is possible that Abu Sa'eed was not present the first time Marwaan began to give the khutbah before the prayer, or that the man had begun to oppose Marwaan and then Abu Sa'eed arrived upon the scene and the two of them then opposed Marwaan together. Or it is possible that Abu Sa'eed was present but feared that if he opposed Marwaan then this would lead to a greater fitnah or he feared for his own life, and so he remained silent. Or it is possible that Abu Sa'eed was about to stand up against Marwaan, when the other man unexpectedly rose before him, and so Abu Sa'eed assisted him.
And it is narrated in another hadeeth that is agreed upon by al-Bukhaaree and Muslim, and is mentioned by them in their chapters on the 'Eeds, that it was Abu Sa'eed who pulled at Marwaan's hand when he was about to climb onto the mimbar, and Abu Sa'eed and the other man were together so Marwaan replied to them both with what is mentioned here, and so the meaning of what Abu Sa'eed said is that both of them completed their duties.
And as for his (sallAllaah alayhi wa sallam) statement "let him change it" then it is an order indicating obligation by the consensus of the imaams, and this is in conformity to the book of Allaah and the sunnah regarding the obligation of commanding the good and forbidding the evil, and it is also part of giving naseehah [sincere advice] which is the deen [see hadeeth number seven]. And as for His - ta'aalaa - statement: "O you who believe! Take care of yourselves; no harm can come to you from those who are in error if you follow the right guidance" [Soorah al-Maa'idah, 105] then this is not in opposition to what we have mentioned. This is because the correct understanding of this noble aayah according to the 'ulamaa of the truth is that if one performs ones duty then one will not be harmed by the deficiencies of others. And this is similar to His statement: "and no bearer of burdens shall bear the burden of another" [Soorah al-An'aam, 164]. And if this is the case, then from what the Muslim has been charged with is commanding the good and forbidding the evil, and so if he does that and yet the one spoken to does not submit, then he carries no blame after that. This is because upon him is the commanding or the forbidding, but not the acceptance [of the correction], and Allaah knows best.
Then, commanding the good and forbidding the evil is a fard kifaayah [collective duty], so if a group of people establish it such that they suffice then the obligation falls from the rest of the people. But if all of the people leave it, then all of them, who are able to do it without difficulty, are sinful.
Further, sometimes it may be restricted to certain individuals, such as if it concerns an affair that none knows of other than he, or none other than he has the ability to stop that affair, such as the one who sees his wife or son or slave perform an evil.
The 'ulamaa have said that the obligation of commanding the good and forbidding the evil is not removed if a person merely suspects that his admonition will not be accepted - rather he is still obliged to perform it. Allaah ta'aalaa has said: "Verily, the reminding benefits the believers" [Soorah adh-Dhaariyaat, 55], and it has already preceded that upon him is to admonish, and acceptance of the admonishment is not upon him. Allaah ta'aalaa has said: "The Messenger's duty is only to convey (the message) in a clear way" [Soorah an-Noor, 54]. The 'ulamaa have said: "It is not a condition for the commander of good or the forbidder of evil to himself be perfect in his condition, and fully complying with that which he commands and fully leaving that which he forbids. Rather upon him is to command, even if he himself is not upon that completely. This is because he has two duties upon him: firstly, to order his own soul upon good and forbid it from evil, and secondly to command and forbid other people. So if he fulfils one of them then the other still remains obligatory upon him."
And they said that the actions of commanding the good and forbidding the evil are not meant only for the government officials, but rather they are required from every individual amongst the Muslims, and every one possessing knowledge of what must be commanded or forbidden must do so. So if the matter is one which is well known and apparent, such as the prayer or the fasting [of Ramadaan] or zinaa or drinking of alcohol, or other matters similar to these, then all of the Muslims have knowledge of them and so must command or forbid. But if the matter is from the finer matters of action or speech or that which is associated with ijtihaad, and they are not matters that the general populace have knowledge of, then it is not for them to forbid, rather this is for the 'ulamaa.
And the 'ulamaa admonish others regarding those issues upon which there is ijmaa' [consensus]. But as for the issues over which there is a difference of opinion amongst the scholars, then they do not admonish regarding them. This is because, according to the first of the two madhhabs in this issue, every mujtahid is correct in his own ruling, and this madhhab has been adopted by many of the verifying scholars. And according to the second madhhab only one opinion is correct, but which ones are in error is not identifiable by us, and hence there is no sin [upon the one who has erred]. So in such cases the scholars do not admonish, but rather advise, as a form of naseehah [sincere advice], in order to keep clear of the difference of opinion, and this is good and desirable, as long as it is done gently and with kindness.
The Shaykh Muhyee ad-Deen an-Nawawi, rahimahu Allaah, said: "And know that this affair of commanding the good and forbidding the evil has been largely abandoned since a great length of time, and in this age nothing is left of it except very few formalities, despite its being an extremely important affair, by which authority is established in the land - rather it is its foundation and basis. And if wickedness and evil become widespread in the land then the punishment [of Allaah] will encompass both the pious and the wicked people. So if they do not take hold of the oppressors then they will all be very near to facing the punishment of Allaah, as Allaah ta'aalaa has said: "And let those who oppose the Messenger's commandment beware, lest some fitnah (trials, afflictions, etc) befall them or a painful torment be inflicted on them" [Soorah an-Noor 63]. So it is required of the one who seeks the hereafter, and who exerts himself in attaining the pleasure of Allaah 'azza wa jall, that he concerns himself with this affair, for indeed its benefit is great. And this is so especially since most of the people have left it, and let not the one who admonishes fear any [evil] repercussions, due to the raising of his rank [with Allaah]. For verily Allaah ta'aalaa has said : "Verily, Allaah will help those who help His (Cause)." [Soorah al-Hajj 40]. And know that the reward is proportionate to the exertion made and hardship faced. And one should also not leave it due to the wrong-doer being ones friend or ones loved-one, for verily the true friend of a person is the one who exerts himself in building his hereafter, even if this may bring about some loss in his worldly affairs. And the true enemy of a person is the one who exerts himself in taking away his hereafter, or reducing it, even if by doing so he brings about some benefit in his worldly affairs."
And it is required of the one who commands the good and forbids the evil that he does so with gentleness, in order to ensure the greatest chance of attaining that which is desired [i.e. the correction and rectification of the wrong-doing individual]. And Imaam ash-Shaafi'ee rahimahu Allaah said: "He who admonishes his brother in secret has sincerely advised him and has adorned him, while he who admonishes his brother openly [in front of everyone] has humiliated him and disfigured him."
And from what the people [nowadays] have become negligent of in this affair is that if they see a trader selling goods or merchandise or animals that are defective, and he does not show this defect to his customers, then nobody admonishes the trader for this, nor do they inform the buyer about the defect. And they will be questioned about this [on the day of judgment] for verily the religion is naseehah [sincerity or sincere advice], and he who does not give sincere advice has cheated.
And his sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam statement "let him change it with his hand; and 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 with his heart" means that he must hate it with his heart, and this does not stop the evil occurring nor change it to something good, but this is all that he is capable of doing.
And his sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam statement "and that is the weakest of faith" means, and Allaah knows best, that this is the smallest possible fruit or result of his faith. And it is not upon the one who commands the good and forbids the evil to investigate and search and spy upon others, or to invade others privacy or to suspect others in order to find their wrongs. Rather, if he comes upon an evil then he changes it. And al-Maawardee (rahimahu Allaah) said: "It is not for him to invade the privacy of and spy upon others, except if he is informed by a trustworthy and reliable person that someone has secluded himself with another man in order to murder him, or with a woman in order to fornicate with her. Then in such cases it is permissible for him spy upon them and investigate, and to try to expose them in order to prevent the occurrence of that which cannot be rectified."
And as for his sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam statement "and that is the weakest of faith" then it has already been mentioned that this means the smallest fruit of ones faith. And it has been related in a different narration of this hadeeth: "And after that there does not remain any eemaan [faith] even of the size of a mustard seed", i.e.. that after that there does not remain any level of eemaan. And the word 'eemaan' in this hadeeth carries the meaning of 'Islaam'.
In this hadeeth is a proof that the one who fears being killed or being beaten [for admonishing the wrong-doer] is no longer required to act to change the evil, and this is the madhhab of the scholars of truth from amongst the early and later scholars. However an extreme group has adopted the position that the responsibility to act remains even if he fears for his life or fears punishment.
And Allaah knows best.
Summary
1. That it is everyone's individual duty to improve matters as far as he is able to do.
2. That if one can correct something with ones hand without bringing about more harm, then he should do so.
3. That if it is that one can only say something under the circumstances, then one should do so.
4. That one must at least hate in ones heart the evil that has happened, even if one cannot do anything about it, and this is the weakest level of faith.
5. That if one does not feel anything in one's heart against the wrong then this indicates a lack of faith.
6. That one should take action whenever it is conducive to do so.
Explanation of Hadeeth Number 34
Imaam Muslim has transmitted this hadeeth from Taariq bin Shihaab, who said: The first person to begin with the khutbah before the prayer on the day of 'Eed [instead of the prayer followed by the khutbah] was Marwaan [the son of Yazeed]. So a man stood up to him and said: "The prayer [should be] before the khutbah!" So [Marwaan] replied: "That old way has been left." So Abu Sa'eed [al-Khudree] said: "As for this man [who spoke up to Marwaan] then he has completed the duty that was upon him. I heard the Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) say 'Whosoever of you sees an evil, let him change it [until the end of the hadeeth]'".
In this hadeeth is a proof that no one before Marwaan had changed the order of the 'Eed prayer and khutbah. And if it is asked why did Abu Sa'eed himself not attempt to change this evil, until the other man stood up against it, then this can be answered in a number of ways: It is possible that Abu Sa'eed was not present the first time Marwaan began to give the khutbah before the prayer, or that the man had begun to oppose Marwaan and then Abu Sa'eed arrived upon the scene and the two of them then opposed Marwaan together. Or it is possible that Abu Sa'eed was present but feared that if he opposed Marwaan then this would lead to a greater fitnah or he feared for his own life, and so he remained silent. Or it is possible that Abu Sa'eed was about to stand up against Marwaan, when the other man unexpectedly rose before him, and so Abu Sa'eed assisted him.
And it is narrated in another hadeeth that is agreed upon by al-Bukhaaree and Muslim, and is mentioned by them in their chapters on the 'Eeds, that it was Abu Sa'eed who pulled at Marwaan's hand when he was about to climb onto the mimbar, and Abu Sa'eed and the other man were together so Marwaan replied to them both with what is mentioned here, and so the meaning of what Abu Sa'eed said is that both of them completed their duties.
And as for his (sallAllaah alayhi wa sallam) statement "let him change it" then it is an order indicating obligation by the consensus of the imaams, and this is in conformity to the book of Allaah and the sunnah regarding the obligation of commanding the good and forbidding the evil, and it is also part of giving naseehah [sincere advice] which is the deen [see hadeeth number seven]. And as for His - ta'aalaa - statement: "O you who believe! Take care of yourselves; no harm can come to you from those who are in error if you follow the right guidance" [Soorah al-Maa'idah, 105] then this is not in opposition to what we have mentioned. This is because the correct understanding of this noble aayah according to the 'ulamaa of the truth is that if one performs ones duty then one will not be harmed by the deficiencies of others. And this is similar to His statement: "and no bearer of burdens shall bear the burden of another" [Soorah al-An'aam, 164]. And if this is the case, then from what the Muslim has been charged with is commanding the good and forbidding the evil, and so if he does that and yet the one spoken to does not submit, then he carries no blame after that. This is because upon him is the commanding or the forbidding, but not the acceptance [of the correction], and Allaah knows best.
Then, commanding the good and forbidding the evil is a fard kifaayah [collective duty], so if a group of people establish it such that they suffice then the obligation falls from the rest of the people. But if all of the people leave it, then all of them, who are able to do it without difficulty, are sinful.
Further, sometimes it may be restricted to certain individuals, such as if it concerns an affair that none knows of other than he, or none other than he has the ability to stop that affair, such as the one who sees his wife or son or slave perform an evil.
The 'ulamaa have said that the obligation of commanding the good and forbidding the evil is not removed if a person merely suspects that his admonition will not be accepted - rather he is still obliged to perform it. Allaah ta'aalaa has said: "Verily, the reminding benefits the believers" [Soorah adh-Dhaariyaat, 55], and it has already preceded that upon him is to admonish, and acceptance of the admonishment is not upon him. Allaah ta'aalaa has said: "The Messenger's duty is only to convey (the message) in a clear way" [Soorah an-Noor, 54]. The 'ulamaa have said: "It is not a condition for the commander of good or the forbidder of evil to himself be perfect in his condition, and fully complying with that which he commands and fully leaving that which he forbids. Rather upon him is to command, even if he himself is not upon that completely. This is because he has two duties upon him: firstly, to order his own soul upon good and forbid it from evil, and secondly to command and forbid other people. So if he fulfils one of them then the other still remains obligatory upon him."
And they said that the actions of commanding the good and forbidding the evil are not meant only for the government officials, but rather they are required from every individual amongst the Muslims, and every one possessing knowledge of what must be commanded or forbidden must do so. So if the matter is one which is well known and apparent, such as the prayer or the fasting [of Ramadaan] or zinaa or drinking of alcohol, or other matters similar to these, then all of the Muslims have knowledge of them and so must command or forbid. But if the matter is from the finer matters of action or speech or that which is associated with ijtihaad, and they are not matters that the general populace have knowledge of, then it is not for them to forbid, rather this is for the 'ulamaa.
And the 'ulamaa admonish others regarding those issues upon which there is ijmaa' [consensus]. But as for the issues over which there is a difference of opinion amongst the scholars, then they do not admonish regarding them. This is because, according to the first of the two madhhabs in this issue, every mujtahid is correct in his own ruling, and this madhhab has been adopted by many of the verifying scholars. And according to the second madhhab only one opinion is correct, but which ones are in error is not identifiable by us, and hence there is no sin [upon the one who has erred]. So in such cases the scholars do not admonish, but rather advise, as a form of naseehah [sincere advice], in order to keep clear of the difference of opinion, and this is good and desirable, as long as it is done gently and with kindness.
The Shaykh Muhyee ad-Deen an-Nawawi, rahimahu Allaah, said: "And know that this affair of commanding the good and forbidding the evil has been largely abandoned since a great length of time, and in this age nothing is left of it except very few formalities, despite its being an extremely important affair, by which authority is established in the land - rather it is its foundation and basis. And if wickedness and evil become widespread in the land then the punishment [of Allaah] will encompass both the pious and the wicked people. So if they do not take hold of the oppressors then they will all be very near to facing the punishment of Allaah, as Allaah ta'aalaa has said: "And let those who oppose the Messenger's commandment beware, lest some fitnah (trials, afflictions, etc) befall them or a painful torment be inflicted on them" [Soorah an-Noor 63]. So it is required of the one who seeks the hereafter, and who exerts himself in attaining the pleasure of Allaah 'azza wa jall, that he concerns himself with this affair, for indeed its benefit is great. And this is so especially since most of the people have left it, and let not the one who admonishes fear any [evil] repercussions, due to the raising of his rank [with Allaah]. For verily Allaah ta'aalaa has said : "Verily, Allaah will help those who help His (Cause)." [Soorah al-Hajj 40]. And know that the reward is proportionate to the exertion made and hardship faced. And one should also not leave it due to the wrong-doer being ones friend or ones loved-one, for verily the true friend of a person is the one who exerts himself in building his hereafter, even if this may bring about some loss in his worldly affairs. And the true enemy of a person is the one who exerts himself in taking away his hereafter, or reducing it, even if by doing so he brings about some benefit in his worldly affairs."
And it is required of the one who commands the good and forbids the evil that he does so with gentleness, in order to ensure the greatest chance of attaining that which is desired [i.e. the correction and rectification of the wrong-doing individual]. And Imaam ash-Shaafi'ee rahimahu Allaah said: "He who admonishes his brother in secret has sincerely advised him and has adorned him, while he who admonishes his brother openly [in front of everyone] has humiliated him and disfigured him."
And from what the people [nowadays] have become negligent of in this affair is that if they see a trader selling goods or merchandise or animals that are defective, and he does not show this defect to his customers, then nobody admonishes the trader for this, nor do they inform the buyer about the defect. And they will be questioned about this [on the day of judgment] for verily the religion is naseehah [sincerity or sincere advice], and he who does not give sincere advice has cheated.
And his sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam statement "let him change it with his hand; and 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 with his heart" means that he must hate it with his heart, and this does not stop the evil occurring nor change it to something good, but this is all that he is capable of doing.
And his sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam statement "and that is the weakest of faith" means, and Allaah knows best, that this is the smallest possible fruit or result of his faith. And it is not upon the one who commands the good and forbids the evil to investigate and search and spy upon others, or to invade others privacy or to suspect others in order to find their wrongs. Rather, if he comes upon an evil then he changes it. And al-Maawardee (rahimahu Allaah) said: "It is not for him to invade the privacy of and spy upon others, except if he is informed by a trustworthy and reliable person that someone has secluded himself with another man in order to murder him, or with a woman in order to fornicate with her. Then in such cases it is permissible for him spy upon them and investigate, and to try to expose them in order to prevent the occurrence of that which cannot be rectified."
And as for his sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam statement "and that is the weakest of faith" then it has already been mentioned that this means the smallest fruit of ones faith. And it has been related in a different narration of this hadeeth: "And after that there does not remain any eemaan [faith] even of the size of a mustard seed", i.e.. that after that there does not remain any level of eemaan. And the word 'eemaan' in this hadeeth carries the meaning of 'Islaam'.
In this hadeeth is a proof that the one who fears being killed or being beaten [for admonishing the wrong-doer] is no longer required to act to change the evil, and this is the madhhab of the scholars of truth from amongst the early and later scholars. However an extreme group has adopted the position that the responsibility to act remains even if he fears for his life or fears punishment.
And Allaah knows best.
Summary
1. That it is everyone's individual duty to improve matters as far as he is able to do.
2. That if one can correct something with ones hand without bringing about more harm, then he should do so.
3. That if it is that one can only say something under the circumstances, then one should do so.
4. That one must at least hate in ones heart the evil that has happened, even if one cannot do anything about it, and this is the weakest level of faith.
5. That if one does not feel anything in one's heart against the wrong then this indicates a lack of faith.
6. That one should take action whenever it is conducive to do so.
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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
1. Ikhlas (sincerity) - since enjoining the good and forbidding the evil becomes an action pleasing to Allah and accepted by Him only if it is done with sincerity for Him.
2. 'Ilm (knowledge) - as Allah commands: 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.
3. Hikmah (wisdom) - which means saying or doing the right thing in the right way at the right time to the right person, as prescribed by Allah in His statement: 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.
4. Hilm (forbearance) and Rifq (gentleness) - especially in the face of opposition from the people. As Allah said to His Messenger, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam: 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].
5. Sabr (patience) - since the people whom the caller opposes in enjoining good and forbidding evil, may be stubborn to his call and may even try to harm him.
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.
6. Tawaadu' (humility) - since the people will not heed if the caller is arrogant or he seeks to put himself above others.
7. Qudwah (good example) - for the caller himself becomes a model to the people to whom he calls, doing those things which he enjoins and leaving those things which he forbids. Allah says:
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]
8. Husnul-Istimaa' (good listening) - which is that the caller is attentive to the needs and feelings and also the complaints of the people whom he calls.
9. Shajaa'ah (courage) - which does not refer to strength of the body; rather it is the strength of the heart, together with knowledge - this differentiates between true courage and mere recklessness.
10. Karam (generosity)
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 utilized 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 does, 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)
1. Prioritize the evil, thus beginning with the higher priority before the lower.
2. Tadarruj (being gradual). Note the gradual method by which Allah made the drinking of wine forbidden: Firstly, by saying that there were benefits in it and harm in it but the harm outweighed the benefits; secondly, by forbidding the people to approach the prayer in a drunken state; and finally, by an outright prohibition. This step-by-step method does not imply that wine was not forbidden in the early stages, but it is a methodology from which we can benefit.
3. Do not look for people's faults. Qadi Abu Ya'laa has noted an exception to this principle, which occurs when there are clues or information that an evil is taking place or is about to take place. Thus one may be able to prevent an evil, such as a murder or rape, from taking place by following up on information.
4. Establish that the evil is indeed taking place.
5. Choose a suitable time to forbid the evil.
A. The caller should not delay until the evil has finished.
B. The caller should exploit situations in which the people are more likely to respond to his call, for example when Yusuf, 'alayhi-salam, spoke to his companions in the prison about tauhid when they had been troubled by their dreams. Ibn Masoud said concerning this:
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.
6. Speak in private, as Imam ash-Shafie wrote:
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.
7. Do not instigate or provoke the people, but use a good argument, as Allah says: 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.
8. Show forgiveness and kindness towards the people, and not to be affected by worry or anger in case the people show a negative response to the advice.
9. If a difference of opinion arose as a result of ijtihaad, then the caller who holds one opinion should not forbid the other opinion.
10. Weighing the principles of benefits and harms, as Ibn Taymiyyah wrote in al-Amar: If enjoining the good and forbidding the evil would result in a greater evil, then it is haram to do it. Enjoining the good should not lead to a better deed being left out and forbidding the evil should not lead to a greater evil taking place.
Ibn Rajab states that in enjoining the good and discouraging the evil the conductor is motivated by different reasons:
1. It could be by hope in Allah's great reward for doing it.
2. It could be by fearing Allah's punishment for renouncing this obligation.
3. It could be by getting annoyed by seeing violations to what Allah has prescribed.
4. It could be due to being faithful to the community members who indulge in evil and by being kind and merciful to them by making the effort to save them from being subject to Allah's anger, displeasure and punishment in this life and in the hereafter.
5. It could be by glorifying Allah and loving Him much, for He deserves to be obeyed, remembered, and thanked.
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.
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