1. It is narrated from Hazrat Ayesha, may Allah be pleased with her, that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: «مُرُوا بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَانْهَوْا عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ قَبْلَ أَنْ تَدْعُوا فَلاَ يُسْتَجَابَ لَكُمْ.»Translation: (Before you pray, and your prayer isn’t accepted, enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil.)
2. It is narrated from Hazrat Abu Saeed Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him, that he said, “I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, say: «مَنْ رَأَى مِنْكُمْ مُنْكَرًا فَاسْتَطَاعَ أَنْ يُغَيِّرَهُ بِيَدِهِ فَلْيُغَيِّرْهُ بِيَدِهِ فَإِنْ لَمْ يَسْتَطِعْ فَبِلِسَانِهِ فَإِنْ لَمْ يَسْتَطِعْ فَبِقَلْبِهِ وَذَلِكَ أَضْعَفُ الإِيمَانِ.» Translation: (Whoever among you sees a wrong and is able to change it, let him change it with his hand (power); if he cannot, then let him change it with his tongue; and if he cannot, then let him change it with his heart (consider it bad), and this is the weakest degree of faith.)
3. Hazrat Abu Saeed Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him, narrates that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: «إِيَّاكُمْ وَالْجُلُوسَ فِي الطُّرُقَاتِ.» قَالُوا: «يَا رَسُولَاللَّهِ! مَا لَنَا بُدٌّ مِنْ مَجَالِسِنَا نَتَحَدَّثُ فِيهَا.» قَالَ رَسُولُاللَّهِ صلیاللهعلیهوسلم: «فَإِذَا أَبَيْتُمْ إِلَّا الْمَجْلِسَ فَأَعْطُوا الطَّرِيقَ حَقَّهُ». قَالُوا: «وَمَا حَقُّهُ؟» قَالَ: “غَضُّ الْبَصَرِ وَكَفُّ الأَذَى وَرَدُّ السَّلاَمِ وَالأَمْرُ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَالنَّهْىُ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ.” Translation: “Avoid sitting in the roads.” They said: “O Messenger of Allah! We have no choice but to hold meetings and talk in them.” The Prophet of Islam, peace be upon him, replied: “If you must sit on the roads, then give the road its rights.” They asked: “What are the rights of the road?” He said: “Lowering one’s gaze [from seeing the forbidden], removing harmful objects from the path, responding with greetings, and enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil.”
Reasons from Consensus (Ijma)
Allama Ibn Hazm, may Allah have mercy on him, states: «اتفقت الأمة على وجوب الأمر بالمعروف والنهي عن المنكر بلا خلاف بين أحد منهم لقوله تعالى: “وَلْتَكُن مِّنكُمْ أُمَّةٌ يَدْعُونَ إِلَى الْخَيْرِ وَيَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ وَأُوْلَئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ.”» Translation: Therefore, according to this verse, the Islamic Ummah has unanimously agreed, without a single dissent, that it is obligatory to enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil.
Imam Nawawi, may Allah have mercy on him, explains the word «فَلیُغَیِّرهُ» (“Let him change it”). In the hadith of the Prophet, peace be upon him, he states that the consensus of the Ummah indicates the obligation of this action. Regarding the obligation of enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil, the consensus of the Islamic Ummah aligns with the Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Prophet, peace be upon him, and it is also considered a matter of advice, which represents the essence of religion.
Imam al-Harameen, may Allah have mercy on him, while rejecting the theory of the Rawafiz regarding the obligation of enjoining the good and forbidding the evil, says: “Before these (Rawafiz) came into existence, Muslims unanimously agreed on its obligation, and contrary to the Mu’tazila’s theory, this obligation was established by Sharia, not by reason.”
The consensus of the great scholars of Islam, such as Allameh Jassas, Imam Ghazali, Sheikh Ibn Hazm, and Imam Nawawi, may Allah have mercy on them, has confirmed the obligation to enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil. Their conclusion is that commanding what is good is obligatory, forbidding what is evil is also obligatory, commanding what is good is mustahabb, and prohibiting what is forbidden is obligatory. Additionally, Makruh actions are recommended to be avoided.
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