08-07-2007, 07:49 PM
Enjoining good and forbidding evil:
Praise be to Allah and peace and prayer be upon our beloved Messenger, teacher and leader Mohamed, all Prophets and Messengers:
I was thinking how important is this worship, let us review how is it well stressed in Quran:
3:104
وَلْتَكُن مِّنكُمْ أُمَّةٌ يَدْعُونَ إِلَى الْخَيْرِ وَيَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ وَأُوْلَـئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ
Let there arise out of you a group of people inviting to all righteousness, enjoining good and forbidding evil. And it is they who are the successful.
3:110
كُنتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ تَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَتَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ وَتُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللّهِ وَلَوْ آمَنَ أَهْلُ الْكِتَابِ لَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَّهُم مِّنْهُمُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَأَكْثَرُهُمُ الْفَاسِقُونَ
You [true believers in Islamic Monotheism, and real followers of Prophet Muhammad and his Sunnah (legal ways, etc.)] are the best of peoples ever raised up for humankind; you enjoin good and forbid evil, and you believe in Allah. And had the People of the Scripture believed, it would have been better for them; among them are some who have faith, but most of them are rebellious.
The first Ayah is a direct command to assign a group of us Muslims who carry out this noble mission of inviting to enjoing good and forbidding evil. This group are described as the successful. The second noble Ayah actually made it conditional for us Muslims to be fit the adjective of being the best of people ever raised up is to do what? To call for good and forbid evil. This act means actually, in an effort to use the blessing of being native Arabic speaker, to call others, advice others, encourage others, to promote the good deeds, obedience, following of Quran and Sunnah on one hand. On the other hand, strive to prevent others from committing sins, expressing rejection to sins, showing others how this or that sin is unacceptable to Allah.
Unless we follow those noble commands, we shall not be fit the description of being the best among people.
In order to realize why our Duas are not granted – in many cases – I guess we all can safely say that we are suffering this trauma.
Let us check how the Messenger prayer and peace be upon him explained this in a hadeeth:
Narrated under the authority of Hudhayfa that the Messenger prayer and peace be upon him said: In the name of the One Whom my soul is in His Hand you shall enjoin good and forbid evil, if you don’t a nation shall be sent over you, then you invoke upon Allah but your supplication shall not be accepted (reported by Musand Ahmed)
This is serious brothers and sisters, the minute the Muslim Ummah shall cease to practice this worship, to cease being the best Ummah, Allah Shall send over us a nation, some nation probably to oppress, or whatever, but the more serious is that we invoke upon Allah, but our supplication shall not be accepted. Does this ring a bell? Does this bring about any reminder that we might be passing this stage?
Actually, these days many people would tell you why would I tell this or so and so this is wrong or right? They are grown up, they know. Yes but why wouldn’t we apply the Ayah and be among the successful?
However, there is a thin line between applying the Ayah in the name of Allah and doing so to show off. The Niyah (intention) is the criterion in this brothers and sisters. Let us revive this worship.