SELECTIONS FROM THE REVITALISATION OF THE SCIENCES OF RELIGION Al-Ghazali’s Ihya’ Ulum al-Din On Enjoining Good and Forbidding Evil Chapter One The Obligation of Enjoining Good Forbidding Evil and its Virtues and the Evil of Neglecting and Losing it As for the evidence for enjoining good and forbidding evil in the Koran Allah, the Almighty said: ‘Let there be one nation of you that shall call to righteousness, ordering honor, and forbidding dishonor. Those are the prosperous.” (Koran Ch. 3 verse 104) In this verse the obligation is clear, as Glory be to Him says: “And be..” this is an order, and the exposition of success is related to the order if it has been carried out, as He said: “…those they are the successful.” It is shown that this is a collective duty, not an individual duty and if some have attended to it, the obligation will be lifted from the others. Since He did not say ‘be all of you inviting to uprightness and enjoining right and forbidding wrong,’ but He said: “Be a nation…” He High Exalted has also said: “Yet they (the People of the Book) are not all alike. There are among the People of the Book an upstanding nation that recite the verses of Allah (the Koran) throughout the night and prostrate themselves, who believe in Allah and the Last Day, who order honor and forbid dishonor and race in good works. These are the righteous.” (Koran Ch. 3 verse 113-114) so Allah, the Almighty did not state that they are righteous just because they believe in Allah and the Last Day, but they enjoin good and forbid evil. And also Allah, the High, the Exalted said: “The believers, both men and women, are guides to each other. They order what is just and forbid what is evil; they establish their prayers …” (Koran Ch.9 verse 71) He described them as believers in that they enjoin good and forbid evil, so the one who neglects enjoining good and forbidding evil is not one of the believers according to this verse. As for the evidence of enjoining good and forbidding evil in Tradition, Abu Bakr - may Allah be pleased with him - said in his speech: “O people you are reading this verse and explaining it contrary to its meaning: ‘Believers, look after your own souls, he who goes astray cannot harm you if you are guided. …’(Koran Ch. 5 verse 105) I have heard the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, saying: ‘Any people who are committing sins and there are among them those who are able to forbid them from doing that, and he failed to do so, surely Allah will smite them all with a severe punishment from Him’.” The Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, said: “O people, Allah said: ‘You should enjoin good and forbid evil or you will not get any response to your prayer’.” As for the evidence of enjoining good and forbidding evil in the sayings of the Companions: Abu Darda’ - may Allah be pleased with him - said: “You should enjoin good and forbid evil or Allah will incite against you an oppressor ruler who will not respect your elderly nor would he have mercy to your young, the best of you will pray against him, but their prayer will not be accepted, and you will seek help but you will not get it, and you will seek forgiveness but will not be forgiven.” Hathitha - may Allah be pleased with him - was asked about the living dead, he said: “He is the one who does not forbid the unlawful by his hand nor by his tongue, nor by his heart.” Ali ibn Abu Talib - may Allah be pleased with him - said: “The first of what you overcome in jihad is the jihad with your hands, then jihad with your tongues, then jihad with your hearts, but if your heart does not know maruf (enjoining good) and does not forbid the unlawful, then it is turned upside down.” It was said to Fudail: “Are you not going to enjoin and forbid?” He said: “There was a people who enjoined and forbade, then they became pagans, this is because they could not bear patiently the consequences of their enjoining and forbidding.” It was said to al Thawri: “Do you not enjoining what is good and forbid what is evil?” He said: “If the sea bursts, who is able to hold it back?” This explains the real purpose of the Islamic society: that people adopt piety and virtue in their lives and do their utmost to help eradicate sin, evil and injustice, and promote and establish virtue, goodness and justice in their individual and social relationships. So to conduct human life upon these lines, the Shariah states its norms of virtues and good (ma’rufat) and of avoidance of sin and evils (munkarat) to, which the individual and society conduct must conform. It not merely provides an inventory of virtues and vices for man but also lays down the whole scheme of life is such a way that virtues may flourish without being polluted or retarded by vices. The Shariah (Islamic Law) conducts human society towards the free growth of good, virtue and truth in every area of life. This gives full play to the forces of good in all directions and at the same time removes all impediments in the path of virtue. In order to eradicate evil from society, it prohibits vice and closes all possible doors from, which it can creep into society. The Virtues of Enjoining Good Virtues are classified into three categories: Mandatory (fard) Recommended (matlub) Permissible (mubah) The mandatory are obligatory and every member of a Muslim society must observe and practice these commandments. The recommended virtues are those which are desirable and the Shariah wants them to be observed and practiced by people. The growth of these is encouraged in a Muslim society but actual observance is left to the discretion of the individual. All others, which are not prohibited are permissible and, again, are left to individual taste and social practice. The person has complete freedom of choice depending upon his own tastes and preferences. Chapter Two The Principles of Enjoining Good and its Conditions Know that the principles in all citizen’s arrest (hisbah) of comprehensive obligation towards enjoining good and forbidding evil are four: Al muhtasab (one for, which you can expect reward in the Hereafter) He should be a faithful Muslim and true believer who is fair and just, who has attained full age, is of sound mind and able. Al muhtasab alayh: Any human who commits a forbidden sin. Al muhtasab fi: Every forbidden evil, which presents itself to you, and is known to be forbidden, which is openly evident to you. If anyone commits a sin inside his own house, closing his doors upon himself, it is not permissible for another person to spy upon him. Allah, the Almighty has forbidden that: “O you who believe! Do not enter houses other than your own houses until you have asked permission, and given salutations to the people therein…” (Koran 24 verse 27) Ihtisab comprises degrees and ethics. As to the degrees, first is to know, then to forbid, then to advise and admonish, then to scold, then to restrain with your hands, then to threaten with beating, then to beat, then to use a weapon, then to seek the help of others. As for the ethics, the ethics of al muhtasab, are comprised of three characteristics: knowledge, piety, and good manners. While these three characteristics al hisbah becomes one of the good deeds, which repel the unlawful. Chapter Three Munkarat The Customary Prohibitions In the Habits of the People Prohibited things (munkarat) are of two kinds: Haram (unlawful) Mmakruh (disliked) Muslims are to abstain totally from forbidden (haram) things, but in the case of makruhat (disliked) the Shariah (Islamic Law) shows, expressly or by implication, disproval. There are several things, between these two extremes of haram and makruhat, which are on the border. The Shariah has, however, given strict prohibitory orders against those bordering on haram, but left the case of those bordering on makruhat to the discretion and tastes of individual members of the Muslim society. Both these measures help a great deal in establishing and promotion virtue and good and eradicating and discouraging evil and sin in society.