Consequences of Abandoning Enjoining Good and Forbidding Evil
Not Accepting of Prayer (Dua)
A person, in every situation and at every moment of his life, needs to pray, supplicate, and turn to Allah, who is closer to him than his own jugular vein, as Allah the Almighty says: «وَنَحْنُ أَقْرَبُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ حَبْلِ الْوَرِيدِ» Translation: “And We are closer to him than his jugular vein.”
In addition to the closeness of Allah Almighty to man, whenever a man turns to Allah and asks Him for something, there is no doubt that if the servant is good and righteous, his request will be accepted, and his prayer will be answered. Allah Almighty says regarding the response to the prayers of His servants: «وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا لِي وَلْيُؤْمِنُوا بِي لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَ» Translation: “And when My servants ask you about Me, say: Indeed, I am near. I respond to the Prayer of the supplicant when he calls upon Me. So let them respond to My call and believe in Me, that they may be guided.”
Prayer and Prayer to Allah Almighty is a form of worship that is greatly beloved and strengthens the relationship between the two. Certainly, whatever is worship and rewardable, abandoning it is punishable and considered a sin. Allah Almighty punishes people in various ways for committing sins, transgressions, and prohibitions, or for abandoning commands and rulings. Since abandoning enjoining good and forbidding evil is also a sin and disobedience to the command of Allah Almighty and the guidance of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), Allah Almighty punishes those who neglect this duty and does not leave the matter indifferent. As the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: «مُرُوا بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَانْهَوْا عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ قَبْلَ أَنْ تَدْعُوا فَلاَ يُسْتَجَابَ لَكُمْ.» Translation: “Enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil before you supplicate, and your Prayer is not answered.”
«وَالَّذِى نَفْسِى بِيَدِهِ لَتَأْمُرُنَّ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَلَتَنْهَوُنَّ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ أَوْ لَيُوشِكَنَّ اللَّهُ أَنْ يَبْعَثَ عَلَيْكُمْ عِقَابًا مِنْهُ ثُمَّ تَدْعُونَهُ فَلاَ يُسْتَجَابُ لَكُمْ.» Translation: “By Him in Whose Hand is my soul, either you will enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong, or Allah will soon bring upon you a punishment that will not be answered no matter how much you supplicate (Dua) to Him.”
In another hadith narrated by Hazrat Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him), it is also stated: «وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ لَتَأْمُرُنَّ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَلَتَنْهَوُنَّ عَنْ الْمُنْكَرِ أَوْ لَيَبْعَثَنَّ عَلَيْكُمْ قَوْمًا ثُمَّ تَدْعُونَهُ فَلَا يُسْتَجَابُ لَكُمْ» Translation: “By Him in Whose Hand is my soul, either you will enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong, or Allah will soon cause a tyrant people to rule over you, then no matter how much you pray, your prayers will not be answered.”
In these three hadiths, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) warns Muslims that if they abandon enjoining what is right, firstly, their prayers will not be accepted, and they will be deprived of this closeness, which can disrupt their relationship with the Creator in some way. Secondly, in addition to breaking the chain of their relationship with Allah, Allah will punish them and impose a penalty until they realize their wrongdoing. Thirdly, He will cause a people who are tyrants and oppressors to rule over them, who will be harsh on them, deprive them of the comforts of their lives, and ruin their existence. These three types of punishment are consequences of abandoning enjoining good and forbidding evil, with the foremost being the non-response to Prayer, which adds to many deprivations.
It was narrated from Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) that she said: “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) entered the house, and something had angered him. He performed ablution and then left the house, and no one spoke to him. He entered the mosque, so I approached through the holes in the wall and heard him saying: «يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّوَجَلَّ يَقُولُ مُرُوا بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَانْهَوْا عَنْ الْمُنْكَرِ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ تَدْعُونِي فَلَا أُجِيبُكُمْ وَتَسْأَلُونِي فَلَا أُعْطِيكُمْ وَتَسْتَنْصِرُونِي فَلَا أَنْصُرُكُمْ.» Translation: “O people! Indeed, Allah the Almighty says: ‘Enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil, before you call upon Me and I do not answer you, and ask Me and I do not give you, and seek help and I do not help you.’”
If we wish to draw a conclusion from the aforementioned hadiths, we will certainly reach the point that enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil has a strong and direct connection with Prayer. It should also be known that Prayer plays a key role in the progress of the call to faith and guidance. In fact, Prayer is one of the factors that change the course of human life and, like a lamp, illuminates the path for mankind. In different situations, Prayer is the only remedy for incurable mental, psychological, and physical pains, alleviating sorrow and grief, eliminating fear and stress, and establishing the connection of the servant with the Creator. What greater blessing is there than for a servant to be in direct contact with his Creator? What in the world is more valuable than the relationship between a servant and his Lord, for the sake of which this relationship becomes severed?
Certainly, prayer is a strong bridge of communication between a servant and his Lord. By abandoning enjoining good and forbidding evil, this bridge becomes shaky. The instability of this highway of communication severs relationships and attachments. In other words, by forsaking the duty of enjoining good and forbidding evil, prayers are not accepted. The rejection of prayers severs the connection between the worshipper and the worshipped. This is one of the unfortunate consequences of neglecting the command of enjoining good and forbidding evil that befalls mankind.
By admin2
