. Li (cont.)

1 b and replace, "changing by the hand" with "changing by the tongue" to identify the cases wherein a person should is required to change the evil with his tongue and the cases where he must change it with his heart. Evil is never to be accepted. One should never be pleased with it. Everyone is required to "change" the evil around him. If a person cannot change the evil with his hand or his speech, he must then "change" it with his heart. This might be all that a person can do. Ibo Masood was quoted as saying, "Soon those who live among you will see evil and he will not be able to do anything other than have Allah know that he hates it."1 Everyone has different capabilities when it comes to changing evil. Some have the ability to change it with their hands while others do not have that ability. Those that do not have that ability are not sinful due to their shortcoming. Similarly, there are some who have the ability to change things with their speech while others, again, may not have that ability. However, there is one level concerning which everyone is capable. Nobody is excused when it comes to this level. This is the level of changing the evil with one's heart. There are two requirements upon a Muslim with respect to his heart and evil. First, he must change it with his heart, as mentioned in this hadith. Second, he must fight it or struggle against it (jihad) with his heart, as mentioned in the hadith narrated by Abdullah ibn Masood, 1 Quoted in ibn Rajab, Jaami, vol. 2, p. 245; al-Bugha and Mistu, p. 254. Commentary on the 40 Hadith of al-Nawawi "There is no prophet that was sent to a nation before me except that he had from his nation helpers and companions. They would follow his way and implement his orders. Then came afterwards generations that would say what they did not do and do what they did not say. Whoever struggled against them1 with his hand is a believer. Whoever struggled against them with his tongue is a believer. And whoever struggled against them with his heart is a believer. Beyond that there is no faith, even equivalent to the amount of a mustard seed." (Recorded by Muslim.) Al-Nawawi states that a person should directly repel or change an evil if he has the ability to do so. He says, for example, a person should himself break musical instruments, wine caskets and so forth when he can. If he finds a stolen item and he knows its owner, he should return it. If, however, he believes that by doing such it will lead to greater harm, such as himself or others being killed or physically harmed, then he tries to change the matter by his speech and admonition. If he fears that this also might lead to some greater harm, then he must refrain from that also and simply "change" the evil by his heart. If repelling the evil is going to lead to bloodshed or fighting, he must stop himself and take the matter to the proper authorities and let them handle it. 2 That is the only shareeah option open to him at that point. He does not have the right to stop any evil if his action would lead to greater harm for either himself or others. It is when the person reaches this level of fearing bodily harm or loss to his wealth or family that he is no longer required to remove evil by his hand or tongue. Again, just fearing people's speech or being verbally abused, insulted or ridiculed is not enough of an excuse to prevent one from changing evil with one's hand or tongue. Allah knows what is in the hearts of human beings. He knows who would repel evil if he had the chance and who may claim to repel evil in his heart but does not really do so. If a person truly hates an evil in his heart and wishes that he could remove that evil but simply does not have the means to remove that evil, Allah will reward him for his intention in the same way that He rewards the one who removes that evil. Ibn Taimiya wrote, 1 Struggling against something is more comprehensive than changing an evil. 2 Al-Nawawi, Sharh sahih, vol. 2, p. 24. According to al-Ghazzaali (in al-Zabeedi, vol. 8, p. 98), if it takes more than one person to remove an evil by hand, they may support each other and work to remove that evil. Even if they have to resort to force to do so, they may if it is a case of necessity and no other option is av?ilable to them.