'Amar ma'ruf Nahi Munkar

Ordering Right and Prohibiting Wrong

KNOW that ordering all that is right and prohibiting all that is wrong is the greatest single element of this deen and it is the task with which Allah sent all of his messengers, peace be upon them all. If it were to be abandoned, all religion would cease, corruption would appear everywhere and the lands would be destroyed. In Sura Aal 'Imraan, Allah commands us to "hold fast to the rope of Allah altogether and do not divide yourselves". We are commanded to hold fast to the body of the Muslims and strive to promote unity and avoid division. This does NOT include, however, being complacent or cowardly with disobedience to Allah in our midst. Allah said in the very next verse:

آل عمران
وَلْتَكُنْ مِنْكُمْ أُمَّةٌ يَدْعُونَ إِلَى الْخَيْرِ وَيَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ وَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ(104)وَلَا تَكُونُوا كَالَّذِينَ تَفَرَّقُوا وَاخْتَلَفُوا مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا جَاءَهُمُ الْبَيِّنَاتُ وَأُولَئِكَ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ(105)

{Let there be among you a group who call to all that is good, order all that is right and prohibit all that is wrong and these are the successful ones. (104) And do not be as those who separated and differed after all clarifications had come to them. For these is a horrendous punishment. (105)

Note that in this verse, what Allah is commanding is fardh kifaya (that which a sufficient number must stand forth to fulfill and once they have, there is no sin on the rest of the Muslims) because Allah said "let there be among you a group" and he did not say "let each of you do this". But Allah Most High attributed success (al-falaah) specifically to those who engage in this most important obligation. There are many other verses in the Qur'an which deal with this obligation of ordering and prohibiting.

So, there is a general obligation upon the Muslims to ensure that all wrongdoing is prohibited and striven against and that all obligations are commanded and maintained in society and individuals. This, as we have said is fardh kifaya. There are situations, however, where ordering an prohibiting becomes fardh 'ain or an individual obligation. This is clearly stated in the following hadith:
مسلم
مَنْ رَأَى مِنْكُمْ مُنْكَرًا فَلْيُغَيِّرْهُ بِيَدِهِ فَإِنْ لَمْ يَسْتَطِعْ فَبِلِسَانِهِ فَإِنْ لَمْ يَسْتَطِعْ فَبِقَلْبِهِ وَذَلِكَ أَضْعَفُ الْإِيمَانِ
Whoever among you sees wrongdoing, let him rectify it with his hand. If he is unable, then with his tongue. And if he is incapable of that then with his heart and that is the weakest level of faith."
If ordering right and prohibiting wrong is negelected on both the individual and the collective level, all will suffer its harm. In the famous hadith about the ship, the Prophet (sas) said:

أحمد
مَثَلُ الْقَائِمِ عَلَى حُدُودِ اللَّهِ وَالْوَاقِعِ فِيهَا أَوْ الْمُدَّهِنِ فِيهَا مَثَلُ قَوْمٍ رَكِبُوا سَفِينَةً فَأَصَابَ بَعْضُهُمْ أَسْفَلَهَا وَأَوْعَرَهَا وَشَرَّهَا وَأَصَابَ بَعْضُهُمْ أَعْلَاهَا فَكَانَ الَّذِينَ فِي أَسْفَلِهَا إِذَا اسْتَقَوْا الْمَاءَ مَرُّوا عَلَى مَنْ فَوْقَهُمْ فَآذَوْهُمْ فَقَالُوا لَوْ خَرَقْنَا فِي نَصِيبِنَا خَرْقًا فَاسْتَقَيْنَا مِنْهُ وَلَمْ نُؤْذِ مَنْ فَوْقَنَا فَإِنْ تَرَكُوهُمْ وَأَمْرَهُمْ هَلَكُوا جَمِيعًا وَإِنْ أَخَذُوا عَلَى أَيْدِيهِمْ نَجَوْا جَمِيعًا

The analogy of the one who stands firm at Allah's boundaries, the one who transgresses them and the one who compromises regarding them is like a group of people who boarded a ship. Some of them ended up in the lower and more dangerous sections of the ship while others were above that. Every time those in the lower parts of the ship needed water, they passed by those in the upper parts and inconvenienced them. Then some of them said, "We could make a hole in our portion of the ship and we would be able to get water to drink without bothering those above us." If they were to leave them with this business of theirs, all of them would perish but if they seize their hands, all of them would be saved."

In our time, many Muslims have misunderstood Allah's statement:
البقرة
لَا إِكْرَاهَ فِي الدِّينِ قَدْ تَبَيَّنَ الرُّشْدُ مِنَ الْغَيِّ فَمَنْ يَكْفُرْ بِالطَّاغُوتِ وَيُؤْمِنْ بِاللَّهِ فَقَدِ اسْتَمْسَكَ بِالْعُرْوَةِ الْوُثْقَى لَا انْفِصَامَ لَهَا وَاللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ(256)

{There is no compulsion in the religion. Guidance has been made clear from falsehood. So, whoever rejects all false objects of worship and believes in Allah has held fast to the most trusted hand-hold which can never break and Allah is the Hearing the Knowing.}

You hear them all the time quoting this hadith as "proof" against acts of ordering the right and forbidding the wrong. For example, if Muslims in an area order the closing of businesses during prayer and order Muslims on the streets to proceed to the masajid, some of them condemn this loudly and say "there is no compulsion in religion". This is the height of ignorance and lack of understanding of the teachings of Islam. The meaning of the above verse is that there is no compulsion INTO the religion, i.e., no one can be forced to convert to Islam. That is both fact and law. It is fact because anyone who said the shahadah under duress would not have become Muslim anyway. It is law because it if forbidden for any Muslim to attempt to force anyone to become Muslim.

It does NOT mean that there are no issues of compulsion in Islam for indeed there are many. If a Muslim refuses to pay zakat to the imam, it can be taken from him by force. The Prophet (sas) said in the following authentic hadith:

أبو داود
فِي كُلِّ سَائِمَةِ إِبِلٍ فِي أَرْبَعِينَ بِنْتُ لَبُونٍ وَلَا يُفَرَّقُ إِبِلٌ عَنْ حِسَابِهَا مَنْ أَعْطَاهَا مُؤْتَجِرًا قَالَ ابْنُ الْعَلَاءِ مُؤْتَجِرًا بِهَا فَلَهُ أَجْرُهَا وَمَنْ مَنَعَهَا فَإِنَّا آخِذُوهَا وَشَطْرَ مَالِهِ عَزْمَةً مِنْ عَزَمَاتِ رَبِّنَا عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لَيْسَ لِآلِ مُحَمَّدٍ مِنْهَا شَيْءٌ

As for livestock of camels, for every forty head, one three year old female and no camels can be separated for the count. Whoever gives seeking thereby a reward will get its reward. And whoever witholds it, we will surely take it and half of his property along with it, a firm command from the commands of our Lord Mighty and Great. And there is nothing therein for the family of Muhammad.
There are countless other examples which could be cited from the law and from ordering right and prohibiting wrong where compulsion is prescribed and ordered in Islam. Please understand this and recognize and correct the next time you hear someone abusing the above words of Allah Most High.

Levels of Prohibiting the Wrong
We have already mentioned the hadith about the individual obligation to order and prohibit when wrongdoing is actually witnessed:

Whoever among you sees wrongdoing, let him rectify it with his hand. If he is unable, then with his tongue. And if he is incapable of that then with his heart and that is the weakest level of faith."

Another misunderstanding on the part of many Muslims is that the third level in this hadith means doing nothing and merely "hating the wrong in your heart". This is not correct. The wording of the hadith actually says that the third and weakest level of faith is to rectify with wrongdoing "with your heart". The meaning of this is that you must use the actions of the heart against the wrongdoing. Relevant actions of the heart include friendship, allegience, socializing, etc. If even these are not subjugated to the needs of ordering all right and prohibiting all wrong then as the hadith says, there is no faith at that point. The following hadith should help to make this clear:

الترمذي
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لَمَّا وَقَعَتْ بَنُو إِسْرَائِيلَ فِي الْمَعَاصِي نَهَتْهُمْ عُلَمَاؤُهُمْ فَلَمْ يَنْتَهُوا فَجَالَسُوهُمْ فِي مَجَالِسِهِمْ وَوَاكَلُوهُمْ وَشَارَبُوهُمْ فَضَرَبَ اللَّهُ قُلُوبَ بَعْضِهِمْ بِبَعْضٍ وَلَعَنَهُمْ عَلَى لِسَانِ دَاوُدَ وَعِيسَى ابْنِ مَرْيَمَ ذَلِكَ بِمَا عَصَوْا وَكَانُوا يَعْتَدُونَ قَالَ فَجَلَسَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَكَانَ مُتَّكِئًا فَقَالَ لَا وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ حَتَّى تَأْطُرُوهُمْ عَلَى الْحَقِّ أَطْرًا

The Prophet (sas) said, "When Banu Israel fell into disobedience, their scholars prohibited them but they did not stop. But they [the scholars] continued to sit with them in their gatherings and eat with them and drink with them so Allah struck all of their hearts together and cursed them {,,,upon the tongues of Daud and isa the son of Maryam. That was for their disobedience and the transgressions they committed}." The Prophet (sas) then sat up - he had been reclining - and said, "By the One in whose hand my soul is! Not until you take them to the truth forcefully!"

There are many forms of ordering and prohibiting and its disappearance is a sure sign of the corruption and decline of this Ummah. One of the highest forms is a word of truth - in spite of the danger - in the face of a corrupt ruler.

النسائي
أَنَّ رَجُلًا سَأَلَ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَقَدْ وَضَعَ رِجْلَهُ فِي الْغَرْزِ أَيُّ الْجِهَادِ أَفْضَلُ قَالَ كَلِمَةُ حَقٍّ عِنْدَ سُلْطَانٍ جَائِرٍ

...that a man asked the Prophet (sas) when he (sas) had already placed his foot in the stirrup, "Which jihad is best?" He (sas) said, "A word of truth in the presence of an unjust ruler."
أحمد
إِذَا رَأَيْتُمْ أُمَّتِي تَهَابُ الظَّالِمَ أَنْ تَقُولَ لَهُ إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ ظَالِمٌ فَقَدْ تُوُدِّعَ مِنْهُمْ

When you see my nation in fear of the oppressor such that they are unable to say to them, "You are surely an oppressor", then he has gained their agreement [to his oppression]."
Ordering and prohibiting cannot be neglected and it is not enough to rectify your own actions. Misunderstanding of this concept is very dangerous and dates all the way back to the Companions.

أحمد
قَامَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فَحَمِدَ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَأَثْنَى عَلَيْهِ فَقَالَ يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّكُمْ تَقْرَءُونَ هَذِهِ الْآيَةَ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا عَلَيْكُمْ أَنْفُسَكُمْ لَا يَضُرُّكُمْ مَنْ ضَلَّ إِذَا اهْتَدَيْتُمْ إِلَى آخِرِ الْآيَةِ وَإِنَّكُمْ تَضَعُونَهَا عَلَى غَيْرِ مَوْضِعِهَا وَإِنِّي سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ إِنَّ النَّاسَ إِذَا رَأَوْا الْمُنْكَرَ وَلَا يُغَيِّرُوهُ أَوْشَكَ اللَّهُ أَنْ يَعُمَّهُمْ بِعِقَابِهِ

Abu Bakr stood up, praised Allah Mighty and Great and said, "O people, you read this verse {O you who believe, upon you is your selves, those who go astray cannot harm you when you are upon guidance...} and you surely distort and misunderstand its meaning. Verily, I heard the Messenger of Allah (sas) say, "Surely if the people see wrongdoing and do not rectify it, Allah is just about to gerneralize his punishment to all of them."

Allah mentions in Quran Surah Al Maidah : 3
This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion. But if any is forced by hunger, with no inclination to transgression, Allah is indeed Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.

The ayah above told us that Islam is perfect Deen (way of life) which comes from The Creator of this world and all mankind. Islam provides all guidance for every single things in this life from the simple and basic things e.g. how to eat and choose the food, how to sleep, to walk, to speak, to love someone yet the sophisticated one e.g. system to run a state, economic system, social system, judicial system and also what is the important role of woman for their society.

As we know woman is not only a mother or wife but they are also the 1st teacher for next generation. As the teacher of Leader-be (children) they do need a perfect and comprehensive understanding about how they will set up the future. When they want their children are safe from bad influence from society then ultimately they have to know what kind of society will bring bad impact to their children future and also how they can participate in its changes.

If we look into how Islam deals with woman and their role in society then we can find many verses in Quran which show that they have important role as well as man.

The Muslim men and the Muslim women, the believing men and the believing women, the devout men and the devout women and the truthful men and truthful women, the enduring men and the enduring women, the humble men and the humble women, the charitable men and charitable women, the fasting men and the fasting women, the chaste men and the chaste women, and the men and women who engage much in Allah's praise-for them Allah has prepared forgiveness and a great reward [ Al-Azhab: 35]