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If You Concentrate On Your Own Rectification, Whilst Enjoining Good and Forbidding Evil To The Best of Your Ability, You Will Not Be Harmed By Those Who Are Astray

In The Name of Allaah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy

Allaah [The Most High] said:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا عَلَيْكُمْ أَنْفُسَكُمْ ۖ لَا يَضُرُّكُمْ مَنْ ضَلَّ إِذَا اهْتَدَيْتُمْ ۚ إِلَى اللَّهِ مَرْجِعُكُمْ جَمِيعًا فَيُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِمَا كُنْتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ

O you who believe! Take care of your own selves. If you follow the right guidance no hurt can come to you from those who are in error. The return of you all is to Allah, then He will inform you about (all) that which you used to do. [5:105]

Allaah [The Most High] said:[  يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا عَلَيْكُمْ أَنْفُسَكُمْ ۖ – O you who believe! Take care of your own selves]-Meaning: Strive to rectify and perfect your own souls, and keep them firm upon the straight path. That is because if you are righteous, you will not be harmed by the one deviated from the straight path; rather he only harms himself [or herself].  [However], this does not indicate that the servant [i.e. a Muslim] is not harmed if he abandons enjoining good and forbidding evil or becomes negligent of it, for indeed his guidance will not be complete except through fulfilling what is obligated on him [or her] with regard to enjoining good and forbidding evil.  If he is [genuinely] unable to stop evil with his hand and his tongue, but rejects it in his heart, then indeed he will not be harmed by the misguidance of others. [Ref A]

[إِلَى اللَّهِ مَرْجِعُكُمْ جَمِيعًا  – The return of you all is to Allah]-Meaning: Your final destination is the day of Judgement and your gathering will be in the presence of Allaah [The Most High]; [فَيُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِمَا كُنْتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ -then He will inform you about (all) that which you used to do]- Meaning: [Your] good and evil [deeds]. [Re 1]


Ref A:

Enjoining Good and Forbidding Evil

Question to Imaam Abdul Azeez Bin Baaz [Rahimahullaah]:

Is enjoining Ma’ruf and forbidding Munkar, namely correcting the wrong by the hand, a right for all Muslims or is it just confined to those in authority and their deputies?

A: Correcting the wrong is a right for all Muslims according to their ability, because the Messenger (peace be upon him) said, “Anyone of you who sees Munkar (that which is unacceptable or disapproved of by Islamic law and Muslims of sound intellect), let them change it with their hand (by taking action); if they cannot, then with their tongue (by speaking out); and if they cannot, then with their heart (by hating it and feeling that it is wrong); and that is the weakest of Iman (faith).”(Muslim, Abu Dawood, Tirmidhi & others)

However, changing by the hand must be based on ability that will not result in greater corruption or evil. Man has the right to rectify matters with his hand (by taking action) in his home, with his children, wife, and servants; and a manager has the authority to make changes with the hand within the organization they are responsible for, in accordance with the instructions that were given to them. Otherwise, people should not change with their hand anything they are not authorized to change.  If they do make changes in matters that they have no authority over, this will result in more evil and great corruption between them and the people and between the people and the state.

In this case they should make the change with their tongue (by speaking out). They may say: “O so andso! Fear Allah! That is not permissible. This is Haram (prohibited),” or: “That is Wajib (obligatory) on you,” and clarify it with Shar’iy (Islamic legal) evidence. This is what can be done by the tongue. As for changing matters with the hand, this should be done where one has authority, such as one’s home, with those under one’s responsibility, or those authorized by the ruler, such as organizations given permission and authority to enjoin Ma’ruf (that which is judged as good, beneficial, or fitting by Islamic law and Muslims of sound intellect). They should make changes in accordance to the degree of authority that has been given to them, in the way prescribed by the Shari’ah (Islamic law), without exceeding their jurisdiction. The same applies to the governor of a city; he should make changes with his hand, in accordance with the instructions he has. [Fataawaa Ibn Baaz 8/208. Salafitalk.net]

Ref 1:

[Source: (Tayseer Al-Kareem Ar-Rahmaan Fee Tafseer kalaam Al-Mannaan). Abridged and slightly paraphrased]

 

advice, ibaadah, worship