Hisbah — Enjoining Good and Forbidding Evil

Definition

Hisbah (حسبة) is the Islamic institution responsible for commanding right and forbidding wrong (al-amr bil-ma'ruf wal-nahy an al-munkar). As a personal duty, every Muslim is obligated to promote good and oppose evil according to their ability. As an institution, the hisbah was a government body that ensured public morality, market integrity, consumer protection, and urban order in Islamic cities.

Quranic and Prophetic Basis

Allah says: 'Let there arise from you a group inviting to good, enjoining what is right, and forbidding what is wrong. Those are the successful ones' (3:104). The Prophet said: 'Whoever among you sees an evil, let him change it with his hand. If he cannot, then with his tongue. If he cannot, then with his heart, and that is the weakest of faith' (Muslim). These texts establish both the individual obligation and the communal responsibility for maintaining moral and social order.

The Muhtasib

The muhtasib was the official responsible for hisbah. Their duties included inspecting markets for fraud, checking weights and measures, ensuring food safety and quality, preventing price gouging, maintaining cleanliness of public spaces, addressing noise complaints, ensuring buildings did not encroach on roads, and upholding public decorum. The muhtasib had the authority to inspect, fine, and punish violators. This role combined what modern governments split among market regulators, health inspectors, building inspectors, and consumer protection agencies.

Historical Significance

The hisbah system was remarkably sophisticated. Al-Mawardi, al-Ghazali, and Ibn Taymiyyah all wrote detailed treatises on its principles and procedures. The institution ensured that Islamic markets were among the most regulated and fair in the medieval world. Visiting European merchants noted the honesty and order of Muslim markets, and many hisbah principles influenced later European trade regulations. The concept remains relevant today as Muslim-majority countries explore how to integrate hisbah principles into modern regulatory frameworks.