. Li (cont.)

Many times, because of his financial needs, he remains silent in front of the evil that the other one does. That is not proper. The true sustenance comes from Allah and not 1 Quoted in al-Bugha and Mistu, p. 260. 2 See al-Bugha and Mistu, p. 260. 3 As al-Nawawi (Sharh sahih, vol. 2, p. 23) wrote, "The [true] close friend and beloved of a man is the one who strives to build his Hereafter, even if that leads to some shortcoming in this world. And his enemy is the one who strives to destroy or lessen his Hereafter, even if because of that it may bring him some superficial benefit in this world." Hadith #34: "Whoever of You Sees an Evil. . . " from that other person. By remaining silent to get some financial gain, one is only risking Allah's displeasure in the Hereafter.1 • Removing evil by one's hand is not the sole right of the government nor does one have to take the ruler's permission to do so. Instead, it is the right of every Muslim who has the ability to do so as long as it does not lead to a greater harm or evil. 2 • The obligation to order good and forbid evil is not something specific for men only, as noted above. Women also, within their means and ability, must forbid evil. In particular, by their speech, they should repel evil among the other women, among their male relatives and among children. Ahmad records in his Musnad that Aisha saw a woman wearing a garment that had a shape of a cross on it. Aisha told her, "Remove that from your clothing for if the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) saw that on a garment, he would cut it off."3 Aisha one time saw her brother making ablution quickly to catch the prayer and she told him to complete the ablution for she heard the Prophet (peace be upon him) say, "Woe to the heels from the fire." (Recorded by Muslim.) If they are not able to forbid evil with their speech, then they must change it with their hearts, as is the case with men. Most likely, for women, because of the restrictions upon them, they will have to change evil most by their hearts only.4 • It is recommended to advise a person concerning his faults privately. This is because, in general, people respond in a much more positive fashion when being corrected privately and not in front of others. Imam al-Shafiee stated, "Whoever admonished his brother privately, he advised him and made him better. However, the one who admonished him publicly simply exposed him and shamed him. "5 1 Some people today are very keen on pointing out the evils of particular governments but when it comes to the evils in their friends, families and even their ownselves, they become very accommodating and compromising. It is as if it is all right for his friends to commit evil deeds but it is not all right for the governments to do it. Some even go to a strange opposite extreme. They will make numerous excuses for the government and will not allow anyone to criticize the government, but if another Muslim, even a Muslim scholar makes even the slightest mistake-­ not even an evil deed-- they will criticize him, brand him as a heretic and practically throw him out of the fold of Islam. Both of these two approaches described are wrong. A Muslim and a believer must be just. Evil is evil no matter who it comes from. It must be opposed or, at the very least, hated no matter who the source of the evil is. 2 This point is discussed in detail in al-Ammaar, pp. 70-75. He makes the point that one must distinguish between the person appointed by the government as an authority in ordering good and eradicating evil and one who does so on a voluntary basis. The voluntary worker does not need to be approved or appointed by the government. 3 Recorded by Ahmad. The meaning of the part concerning the Prophet (peace be upon him) is recorded in al-Bukhari. 4 For more on this point, see Fadhl-Ilaahi, Masooliyah al-Nisaafi al-Amr bi-l-Maroof wa al-Nahi an al-Munkar (Pakistan: Idaarah Tarjumaan al-Islaam, 1415 A.H.), passim. 5 Quoted in Sultaan, p. 293; also quoted with slightly different wording in al-Nawawi, Sharh sahih, vol. 2, p. 23. Commentary on the 40 Hadith of al-Nawawi • If no one opposes evil, evil will be allowed to spread. It may spread so much that it dominates and takes over a society. This is one of the greatest problems facing the liberal societies of the West. This "liberal" approach and call to "freedom" must not be allowed to dominate Muslim lands. In the West, even if a person does not believe that another act is correct, under the guise of "freedom and democracy," he has very little room to oppose it.