Forbidding evil
How much nahee
anil-munkar is important and how much emphasis was put on it by the Prophet
(SAW) can be seen in the light of two Ahadith from Sahih Muslim — one of the
most authentic collections of Prophetic traditions. The first hadith goes like
this:
Abu Said Al-Khudri (RAA) says that Allah’s Messenger (SAW) said: If any of you sees some wrong he should change it with his hand; if he is unable to do so, then with his tongue; if he cannot do even that, then with his heart; and that is the weakest Iman.
A dose and
thoughtful perusal of this Prophetic saying brings out the following noteworthy
points:
- In this hadith there is
no mention of amr bil-ma’roof or enjoining the good. This means that nahee
anil-munkar, i.e., changing or stopping the evil, is an independent and
equally significant activity in the value-structure and obligations of our
faith. A religiously wrong or evil action is in fact a transgression of
the limits laid down by the Creator, and, as such, a true and faithful
believer cannot remain passive or unconcerned on the violation of Divine
commandments.
- Changing or stopping
evil with one’s hand obviously means that all available power and
authority should be used in curbing wrong action and routing out evil from
the society. If there is an Islamic government in the county, it is its
duty and responsibility to use all its force to eliminate un-Islamic
practices. But in case the government remains complacent in this regard,
it is the duty of all true Muslims to force people to shun evil and
loathsome actions within the sphere in which they can exercise authority.
For example, a father or an employer should use a reasonable amount of
force in correcting such subordinates who indulge in immoral and forbidden
activities.
- If neither the State
authorities discharge their duties with regard to nahee anil-munkar nor an
individual Muslim can muster the power to check all that is wrong, he
must, as the second best alternative, verbally denounce it and ask or
request the person concerned to give it up. In the present age this will
also include writing and publishing in the print media articles condemning
un-Islamic patterns of behavior so that public opinion is mobilized
against the evil. Indeed, “changing or stopping the evil with tongue”
involves all the variegated moves of protest and agitation permissible in
a democratic set-up. Both individuals in their private capacity and
Islamic groups collectively should use all their resources of speech and
printed word for increasing people’s awareness and sensibility against
satanic tendencies of thought and action. They should do this boldly,
remaining undaunted by the criticism and harassment of the general public
or government.
- In case social and
political conditions in a place are so repressive that a truly committed
Muslim cannot even use his tongue or pen in denouncing the evil, then he
should at least feel pain inwardly. He should feel disgusted and condemn
evil with his heart. Far from showing apathy, he must feel disturbed and
perturbed. This will itself be a pointer to the fact that the person has
Iman or faith, even though minimal and of the lowest degree. The word
ad’af used in the hadith is of the superlative degree and as such
signifies the “weakest” or the “faintest.” In another Prophetic saying
instead of the expression “that is the lowest Iman,” the following description
has been used: “and after this, Iman is not present even in as meager a
quantity as a small grain.” That is to say, if one of the attitudes out of
the above three is not adopted by a Muslim, it would mean that true faith
and Iman is almost nonexistent in the core of his heart.
- The three attitudes
mentioned and the corresponding states of Iman are not to be measured and
judged by any external observer. No objective formula can be used in
determining the faith-state of a person. Each individual Muslim can be a
judge in his or her own case and choose the best and the highest possible
course of nahee anil-munkar. It all depends on the intensity and depth of
one’s Iman and the degree of one’s commitment to the cause of Islam. Each
individual Muslim himself can measure these for himself. Nobody else can
do it for him or make a wholly correct judgment upon his assessment.
Nevertheless, the inward state of one’s Iman is reflected by the external
attitude and behavior. For example if a person keeps silent or remains
passive when his father or mother is publicly disgraced, this attitude of
his is a sure indication of his unconcern or apathy towards his parents.
Or else it shows that he lacks courage or even that he is impudent or
disrespectful. If a person is not shameless but somehow lacks the means to
physically counteract or defend, at least his face will become red with
rage, exhibiting utter disgust and displeasure.
The example
given in the preceding paragraph also sheds light in a parallel way on the degree
and depth of a Muslim’s commitment to Islam and Iman. If he is not in a
position to check and physically stop anti-Islamic actions, he protests against
them using all the means at his command. He is even ready to face the
atrocities of State agencies like baton-charging and firing. Indeed, his
greatest desire is to lay down his life for the cause of Islam. The last part
of the hadith under consideration — “and that is the weakest Iman” implicitly
demands that Muslims as a collectivity should try their utmost to acquire
strength and power so as to completely eradicate evil from the society.
to be continued....
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