Serious consequences of not enjoining good and forbidding evil

8-1-2008 | IslamWeb

Question:

Is it true that refraining from enjoining good and forbidding evil is a cause for the Wrath of Allaah?

Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.

 

A number of jurists, such as Badr Ad-Deen Az-Zarkashi and Imaam Ibn Hajar Al-Haytami  may  Allaah  have  mercy  upon  them stated that refraining from enjoining good and forbidding evil is one of the grave major sins. They added that, at the same time, it is only obligatory on someone who is capable of doing it and fears no threat against himself or his property. There is no doubt that committing sins, especially, the grave major ones, is a reason for being subject to the Wrath of Allaah.

In the following verse, Allaah The Almighty describes the believers, males and females, Saying (what means): {The believing men and believing women are allies of one another. They enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong.}[Quran 9:71]

Imaam Al-Ghazaali  may  Allaah  have  mercy  upon  him in his commentary on this verse, stated that it suggests that whoever does not enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong is considered a disbeliever. Al-Qurtubi  may  Allaah  have  mercy  upon  him believed that enjoining good and forbidding evil is one thing that distinguishes the believers from the hypocrites.

Hence, all Muslims must cooperate in spreading goodness and preventing evil because if they fail to do so, they are subjecting themselves to real danger. The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, told us that those who are capable of changing evil and yet do nothing about it, are in real danger for they are subjecting themselves to the Punishment of Allaah. [Abu Daawood] 

Allaah Knows best.

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