Part 66

Ibn Katheer said, ‘Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab # said,’ Whomsoever it pleases to be from that Nation, then let him fulfill its [membership] condition which Allah stipulated.’”” By not ordering to what is good and forbidding what is evil, one resembles more than anything else the People of the Book, those whom Allah 4 reproached in His saying:

“They used not to forbid one another from the Munkar (wrong,

evil-doing, sins, polytheism, disbelief, etc.) which they com-

And when a society is bereft of those who order to what is good and forbid what is evil, then punishment for them is looming in

the horizon. Imam Ahmad related the following in his Musnad: “Abu Bakr # stood, praised and extolled Allah ‘Azza We-Jall (The Possessor of Might and Majesty), after which he said, ‘O people, you indeed read this verse,

“O you who believe! Take care of your ownselves, [do righteous deeds, fear Allah much (abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds which He has forbidden) and love Allah much (perform all kinds of good deeds which He has ordained). If you follow the (right) guidance [and enjoin what is right (Islamic Monotheism and all that Islam orders one to do) and forbid what is wrong (polytheism, disbelief, and that Islam has forbidden] no hurt can come to you from those who are in error.”” (Quran 5:105),

yet you indeed apply (and understand) it in the wrong way. Verily, I heard the Messenger of Allah #% say, ‘Indeed, when people see evil but do not change it, the time draws near when Allah will encompass them with punishment.””"1]

There are many obvious benefits of ordering to good and forbidding evil: society is saved from destruction, evil and its people are quelled, goodness pervades, and so on. It is very important to understand that the duty of ordering to good and forbidding evil does not rest solely on the shoulders of a government agency or a specific group of people; instead, it is compulsory upon every member of society to order to good and forbid evil, each according to his ability. The most famous hadith related about this matter is general in its wording and is intended for every Muslim, for it does not specify any single person or group of people. Abu Sa’eed Al-Khudree 4 reported that he heard the Messenger of Allah # say,

' The commentators of Al-Musnad’s first volume (Shu’aib Al-Arnaoot and ‘Aadil Murshid) said: “‘Its chain is correct, and it fulfills the conditions of Ash-Shaikhain (Bukhaaree and Muslim) (1/198).” Abu Daawood also related it (4338), and Al-Albaanee declared it to be authentic. AtTirmidhee (2168) and Ibn Maajah (4005) both related it as well.

“Whosoever from you sees evil, then let him change it with his hand; and if he is not able to, then with his tongue; and if he is not able to, then with his heart, and that (i.e., hating evil with one’s heart without changing it with one’s hand or tongue) is the weakest [level] of Al-Eemaan (faith, belief).

In regard to this issue, there are a number of points that one needs to keep in mind:

First, three levels are mentioned in the hadith, and one must not move to the next level unless he is not able to apply the preceding level; for example, a person should not remove evil with his tongue if he is able to remove it with his hand.

Second, a person of authority should always resort to the highest level of removing evil. The head of a household, for example, deserves obedience in his home. He must, therefore, remove evil with his hand, and, at least under normal circumstances, he has no excuse to do otherwise.

Third, before removing something that is evil, one should ascertain for certain that it is in fact evil; furthermore, one should make sure that differences of opinion are not justified in a given matter before he proceeds to reproach someone for something he did. Many people err in this regard; they hastily warn people not to do a certain deed when many scholars, who have proofs to back up their view, hold that that deed is permissible.

Fourth, a person who removes evil must understand the principle of ‘harms versus benefits,’ a principle which states that a person should not proceed to change evil if the harms that result outweigh the benefits; one follows this principle in order to block the door to evil and corruption.

" Related by Muslim (49), Ahmad (10689), At-Tirmidhee (2172), AnNassaaee (5008), Abu Daawood (1140), and Ibn Maajah (1275).

Fifth, if one is not able to remove evil with his hand and tongue, he must at the very least hate that evil from the depths of his heart, and if possible, the effects of that hatred should, when he passes by the evil, appear on the expression of his face.

e) Guiding A Person Who Is Lost: One of the rights of the pathway (or road) is to guide a person who is asking for directions, regardless of whether he is blind or lost. In a hadith related by Abu Hurairah %, a group of people asked the Prophet # about the right of the pathway. He 2 said,

And in another hadith related by Abu Hurairah #, the Messenger of Allah #¥ said,

“Giving road directions is charity.

2) Removing Anything That Is Harmful From The Road Or Pathway

This is one of the recommended manners of the pathway or road; in fact, to remove something harmful from the pathway is one of the branches of Eemaan (faith, pelle. 7 The Prophet 2 said,

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““Eemaan (ith, betep is slighty (the Arabic word ‘'Bid’” is used here and it refers to a number from three to nine) more than seventy branches, or slightly more than sixty branches. The best of those branches is the saying, ‘Laailaha Illallah (None has the right to be worshipped but Allah),’ and the lowest of them is to remove something harmful from the pathway. And Al-Hayaa

(modesty) is one of the branches of Eemaan (faith, belief).’"")

It is an act of charity to remove something harmful from the pathway, and because he performed this deed, a man was made to enter Paradise. Abu Hurairah 2 reported that the Prophet # said,

“Every joint on the bodies of people has Sadagah (charity) upon

it..and to remove something harmful from the road is charity.”"21

Abu Hurairah # also reported that the Messenger of Allah #¢ said,

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“As a man was walking on the pathway (or road), he found a thorn branch on the pathway, and so he moved it away [from the pathway]. Allah was pleased with his deed, accepted it from him, and forgave him [his sins]...""

And in Abu Daawood’s narration, the Messenger of Allah 3% said, tie ye é eget cot be eet Yee of Mee oe AO Gl cgbll ge Bho Gee bb Ie Joe es ED @ i a k8 bub Boy be Uy ils US yd real) ast “A man who never did any good removed a thorn branch from

(1 Bukhaaree related it (9) from the narration of Abu Hurairah 4, without the mention of ‘removing.’ Muslim related it too (35), and the abovementioned wording is from his narration of the hadith. And the following compilers related it as well: Ahmad (8707, 2614), An-Nassaaee (5005), Abu Daawood (4676), and Tbn Maajah (57).

the road. Either it was from a tree, so that he cut it and cast it [aside], or it was placed down (i.e., it was not still connected to a tree, so he did not have to cut it off), and he removed it. Allah was pleased with him, accepted his deed, and admitted him into Paradise.)

3) It Is Forbidden To Relieve Oneself In Pathways Or Shades That Are Frequented By People

“He who relieves himself in the pathways of people or in their shades,’?)

Al-La’aanaan comes from the word, Al-La’an, which means ‘curse.’ Therefore, ‘Beware of Al-La’aanain’” means: beware of those two matters that bring upon a person the curses of others, for when a person relieves himself in the above-mentioned places, others who frequent those places will curse him as a result, even if they do not know him.

4) Men Are More Deserving Of The Middle Of The Pathway Than Are Women

Both in small and great matters, the Shariah consists of rules and laws that prevent the occurrence of Fitnah (trial and temptation).

"] Related by Bukhaaree (654), Muslim (1914), Ahmad (7979), At-Tirmidhee (1958), Abu Daawood (5245), Ibn Maajah (3682), and Maalik (295). And the above-mentioned wording is from Muslim's narration of the hadith.

In keeping with that methodology, the Prophet #% legislated that women should walk on the sides of pathways, while men should walk in the middle, so that men and women do not end up mixing with one another. This legislation is meant to prevent a great deal of Fitnah (trial and temptation); it is sad to say, however, that you will hardly find a place today that applies it. Abu Asyad Al-Ansaaree reported that, when the Messenger of Allah #% was once leaving the Masjid and saw men and women mixing in the road, he # said to the women,

“Move back; for indeed, it is not for you to stay in the middle of

the road; adhere to the edges of the road.”

Abu Asyad & said, ““ So a woman would then stick to the wall, to the degree that her garment would get stuck on the wall; that is how close she would adhere to it.”""] By walking along the edges of the road, especially when the road is crowded, a woman shows a sense of modesty and caution, which are both suitable qualities for women; she also avoids crowding the street, but more importantly she avoids placing herself and others in a situation that might lead to Fitnah. We must remember that the first Fitnah for the Children of Israel was in women, and it was that Fitnah which was the cause of their destruction.