Sunan at-Tirmidhī Ḥadīth [2169] – Either You Command Good and Forbid Evil, or…

Commanding good and forbidding evil is a religious, communal and social obligation. The entire body of the people or society has a duty to fulfill this obligation within their ability and responsibility. If the entire body of the people (or society) fails in performing this duty, the entire community shall suffer punishment and any amount of supplication shall fail to avert retribution from Allāh. A condition of civil war in the society is but a facet of this retribution.

• Reference: [2169 (4/229-230, Sunan at-Tirmidhī, Dārussalām (Eng)]

Allāhu Akbar! May Allāh forgive us – nowadays, a large majority of Muslims are deserving of this punishment. The laymen are laymen, but even the distinguished people have abandoned the obligation of calling towards good and forbidding evil.

• Reference: [9530 (9/76), Fatḥur Rabbānī, Ansarus Sunnah Publications, Lahore (Ur)]

Translated by ‘Imrān (Germany)

His saying – peace and blessings be upon him – that: “By He in Whose Hand is my soul”, this is swearing. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) swore by Allāh in it because the souls of the creatures are in His Hands – the Mighty and Sublime. He guides them (i.e., the souls) if He wishes and causes them to stray if He wills, He kills them if He wills and causes them to remain alive if He wishes. So all the souls are in the hands of Allāh guiding them or leaving them to stray, He causes them to live and die. He – free is He from all imperfections – said: “By a soul and Him who perfected him in proportion then He showed Him what is wrong for him and what is right for him” (91:7-8)

The souls of the entire creatures are in His Hands alone; so the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) swore. He would regularly swore using this expression, “By He in Whose Hand is my soul.” Sometimes he (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) employed the expression, “By He in Whose Hand is the soul of Muḥammad” owing to the fact that, the soul of Muḥammad is the finest. So he would swear with it.

Thereafter, he – peace and blessings be upon him – mentioned the reason for the oath, that we should enjoin good and forbid evil, or else Allāh will cover us with torment from Him such that we will supplicate to Him and He will not grant our request – We ask for wellbeing from Allāh alone.

We had mentioned a number of aḥādīth, all of which point to the obligation of enjoining good and forbidding evil, and warn against abandoning that. Therefore, it is our duty to enjoin good. If we find any of our brothers falling short as regards an obligation, we should enjoin him and warn him against the act of disobedience. And if we see a brother of ours committing an evil, we should forbid him from it and caution him so that we unite as a single nation. Because when we are separated, with each of us viewing differently, conflict, disunity and differences will occur among us. But if we are together upon the truth, we will achieve goodness, bliss and success.

This ḥadīth also contains proof that is allowed to swear even without being asked to swear. However, this is only necessary concerning matters of great importance and concern. As for trifling matters, swearing is not necessary except if you are put to oath by way of affirming the truth. Then in such situations, the individual may swear.

Therefore, the ḥadīth shows the obligation of enjoining good and forbidding evil: It is mandatory, among the religious obligations and its mandatory acts. In fact, some scholars considered it as the sixth pillar of Islām even though the correct opinion is that it is not the sixth pillar. Yet, it is among the most important obligations. If the Ummah fails to implement this obligation, the people will act each according to his own views, every group will device its own methods. But if they collectively enjoin good and forbid evil, approach will align and they will become a single entity as Allāh – the Exalted – has ordered: “You (believers in monotheism) are the best of peoples ever raised up for mankind; you enjoin al-ma’rūf and forbid al-munkar, and you believe in Allāh” (3:110) “Let there arise out of you a group of people inviting to all that is good (in Islām), enjoining al-ma’rūf and forbidding al-munkar, and it is they who are the successful. And be not as those who divided and differed among themselves after the clear proofs had come to them. It is they for whom there is awful torment.” (3:104-105)

Nevertheless, it is incumbent on the person enjoining good and forbidding evil to note an important matter: His intention for doing it must be to rectify his brothers; not vengeance or subjugation. If he intends to revenge against or subjugate him, he becomes self-conceited. Similarly, he will belittle his brother and even think that Allāh will not show mercy on him and say: ‘This is way from Allāh’s mercy’ and by so doing, his deeds waste away.

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) said: “A man scorned the other and said: ‘By Allāh! Allāh will not forgive so-and-so.’” And then Allāh the Mighty and Sublime said: “Who is that who preempts me to say that I will not forgive this fellow, I have forgiven the fellow, and I render your own deeds useless.” [Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim (2621)]

Consider this man who made an utterance and ruined his world and Hereafter. All his deeds and efforts became wasted because he made this utterance of arrogance and scorn regarding his brother and distancing him from the Mercy of Allāh. Consequently, that caused the ruin of his world and hereafter.

The point is that: It is compulsory for the one enjoining and forbidding evil to regularly bear it in mind that his intend should not be self-patronage or vengeance against his brother. he should rather be like a sincere doctor whose aim is to cure the sick fellow. The person who is sick with evil should be cured from the evil of this detestable act. Likewise, the person who leaves an act of obligation should be helped to observe the obligatory deed.

Therefore, when Allāh sees his sincerity of purpose, He will bless his effort, and make him a guide for whoever He wishes among His slaves. So, he will attain tremendous good, and huge benefit is derived from him as well.

Allāh alone grants success.

• Reference: [193 (2/446-449), Riyāḍuṣ Ṣāliḥīn, Dārussalām (Eng)]

To abandon the practice of enjoining virtue and forbidding vice is likely to incur the displeasure of Allāh. This trend is indeed fraught with the danger of rejection of prayers and supplications by Him.

• Reference: [193 (1/199), Riyāḍuṣ Ṣāliḥīn, Dārussalām (Eng)]

Meaning: By Allāh! One of these two things is bound to happen: that you call to good and forbid evil, or the punishment of Allāh. So if you fail to call to good and forbid evil, then your du’ā will not be accepted as a deflection against the punishment that Allāh will impose on you because of it. That is, du’ā can ward off punishment and calamity, but the punishment that comes from abandoning the call to good and the forbidding of evil cannot be warded off and will not be accepted.

• Reference: [5140 (4/191-192), Mishkāt al-Maṣābīḥ, Maktabah Muḥammadiyah (Ur)]

Translated by ‘Imrān (Germany)

• Musnad Aḥmad (23301 (38/332-333)) ^{[Shu’ayb al-Arna’ūṭ]}
• Musnad Aḥmad (23327 (38/352-353)) ^{[Shu’ayb al-Arna’ūṭ]}
• Musnad Aḥmad (23194 (16/584)) ^{[Aḥmad Shākir]}
• Musnad Aḥmad (23200 (16/591)) ^{[Aḥmad Shākir]}
• Ṣaḥīḥ at-Targhīb (2313 (2/576-577))
• Shu’ab al-Īmān (7152 (10/54))
• Al-Mu’jam al-Kabīr (10267 (10/180))
• Sharḥ as-Sunnah (4154 (14/345))
• Tuḥfatul Ashrāf (3366 (2/657))
• ‘Umdatul Tafsīr [Aḥmad Shākir] (1/400 & 1/715)
• Mishkāt al-Maṣābīḥ (5140)
• Riyāḍuṣ Ṣāliḥīn (193)
• Ṣaḥīḥ al-Jāmi’ (7070 (2/1189))

Grade:

• Ṣaḥīḥ (because of shawāhid) by Majlis ‘Ilmi Dar ad-Da’wah, New Delhi (Sunan at-Tirmidhī (1/208))
• Ṣaḥīḥ by Shaykh al-Albānī (Sunan at-Tirmidhī (1/490))
• Ṣaḥīḥ isnād by Shaykh Aḥmad Shākir (‘Umdatul Tafsīr (1/715))
• Ṣaḥīḥ isnād by Shaykh Dr. Ḥamzah Aḥmad Zayn (Musnad Aḥmad (23194 (16/584) & 23200 (16/591)))
• Ḥasan by Ḥāfiẓ Zubayr ‘Alī Za’ī (Sunan at-Tirmidhī (1/656) & Mishkāt al-Maṣābīḥ (3/154)
• Ḥasan by Shaykh al-Albānī (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Jāmi’)
• Ḥasan by Imām at-Tirmidhī
• Ḥasan li-ghayri by Shaykh al-Albānī (Ṣaḥīḥ at-Targhīb)
• Ḥasan li-ghayri (but this is a weak isnād) by Shaykh Shu’ayb al-Arna’ūṭ (Jāmi’ al-Kabīr (2309 (4/243)) & Musnad Aḥmad (23301 (38/332-333) & 23327 (38/352-353)))