. Li (cont.)

Does This Command Extend to Evildoers? Al-Qaari stated that the address in this hadith extends to "men, women, slaves, the impious or a boy who can distinguish [between right and wrong]."1 This leads to a very important point: one does not have to be completely pious and free of sins in order to order good and forbid evil. Yes, it is true that the more pious a person is, the more he may be positively responded to when preaching to others. However, that does not mean that such is a requirement for ordering good and eradicating evil. An impious person who commits a great deal of sin has every right to, for example, take wine out of another person's hand and throw it down the drain, given the proper conditions. Some people are confused on this issue because of a misunderstanding of specific verses of the Quran or hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him). For example, one verse quoted in this regard is: J. ,,,. ,,,. (.,... .,. ,,, J ,,,. .J. ,,,. "'.-1 ,,,. ,,,. ,,, .,. ,,. 0঱ লr * 1 0_,.1 = /; iij " 4 tu\Ѐ) ,: ǂ/_;j :; -..sভ 1 )\ I ,.. ,.. ,.. @ "Verily, you guide not whom you like but it is Allah who guides whom He wills. And He knows best those who are the guided" (al-Qasas 56). However, these people have forgotten that this verse was revealed to the Prophet (peace be upon him) with respect to Abu Taalib. The Prophet (peace be upon him) continued to call Abu Taalib to Islam and never stopped doing so, until the last moments of Abu Taalib's life, while Abu Taalib was on his deathbed.3 That is, it was a case where the Prophet (peace be upon him) personally tired himself endlessly to try to convince his uncle to embrace Islam. Hence, that verse is actually an argument against what they are claiming. 1 Cf., al-Nawawi, Sharh sahih, vol. 2, p. 22. 2 Ibn Rajah, Jaami, vol. 2, p. 25 1 . 3 Al-Bugha and Mistu, pp. 258-259. Hadith #34: "Whoever of You Sees an Evil . . . " Case 8: The Person Believes He can Remove or Lessen the Evil But He Knows that Harm will Come to Him A person knows that some harm is going to come to him yet, at the same time, he knows that he will be able to repel the evil. For example, he has the ability to break a person's wine casket and spill his wine and he is certain that the person will punish him harshly for that, perhaps even take his life. In this case, the eradicating of evil is neither obligatory or forbidden. It is, though, recommended. 1 Al-Masood also makes the point that not ordering good or eradicating evil due to fear of harm is a special exemption from the shareeah. However, it is better and more pleasing in the sight of Allah for a person to risk his life and wealth in order to make the law of Allah supreme. A strong believer is willing to act on the truth for the sake of Allah no matter what the consequences. The Prophet (peace be upon him) stated in a hadith, , . ; JG:- ੊ੋੌ੍ "Certainly, a person should not allow the veneration of the people to keep him from speaking the truth when he knows it. Verily, the best jihad is the statement of truth in the presence of an unjust ruler."2 This hadith and others show that a person is rewarded by Allah even if his statement of truth should lead to his death or punishment.3 Another hadith very similar to the above states, "Verily, a person should not allow the veneration of the people to keep him from speaking the truth when he sees it or witnesses it. Certainly, to speak the truth or to remind of a great matter does not take one any closer to his appointed time nor does it keep one further from any provisions [already decreed for him].''4 1 Al-Ghazzaali's discussion may be found in the commentary to his lhyaa Uloom al-Deen: al­ Zabeedi, vol. 8, pp. 5 1-52. 2 Recorded by Ahmad. It seems to be hasan based on other acceptable hadith, such as the next hadith mentioned in the text, which support its various parts. 3 Al-Masood, pp. 1 41 5. 4 Recorded by Ahmad, al-Tirmidhi and ibn Maajah. According to al-Hilaali (Eeqaadh, p. 458), it is sahih. Commentary on the 40 Hadith of al-Nawawi In fact, al-Masood argues that the ordering of good and the eradicating of evil can be obligatory upon a person even if it may surely lead to his death. This is the case where the guidance of a large number of people is dependent upon his speaking of the truth. In that case, he must speak the truth. The evidence for that is the lengthy hadith recorded by Muslim concerning the young boy and the king, the incident which Surah al-Burooj is in reference to.