SELECTIONS FROM THE REVITALISATION OF THE SCIENCES OF RELIGION

Al-Ghazalis Ihya Ulum al-Din

On Enj inin! G

" an" F #$i""in! E%il

Cha&'(# On( Th( O$li!a'i n ) Enj inin! G " F #$i""in! E%il an" i's Vi#'u(s an" 'h( E%il ) N(!l(*'in! an" L sin! i' As for the evidence for enjoining good and forbidding evil in the Koran Allah, the Almighty said: Let there be one nation of you that shall call to righteousness, ordering honor, and forbidding dishonor. Those are the prosperous. Koran !h. " verse #$%& 'n this verse the obligation is clear, as (lory be to )im says: *And be.. this is an order, and the e+position of success is related to the order if it has been carried out, as )e said: *,those they are the successful. 't is sho-n that this is a collective duty, not an individual duty and if some have attended to it, the obligation -ill be lifted from the others. .ince )e did not say be all of you inviting to uprightness and enjoining right and forbidding -rong,/ but )e said: *0e a nation, )e )igh 1+alted has also said: *2et they the 3eople of the 0oo4& are not all ali4e. There are among the 3eople of the 0oo4 an upstanding nation that recite the verses of Allah the Koran& throughout the night and prostrate themselves, -ho believe in Allah and the Last 5ay, -ho order honor and forbid dishonor and race in good -or4s. These are the righteous. Koran !h. " verse ##"6##%& so Allah, the Almighty did not state that they are righteous just because they believe in Allah and the Last 5ay, but they enjoin good and forbid evil. And also Allah, the )igh, the 1+alted said: *The believers, both men and -omen, are guides to each other. They order -hat is just and forbid -hat is evil7 they establish their prayers , Koran !h.8 verse 9#& )e described them as believers in that they enjoin good and forbid evil, so the one -ho neglects enjoining good and forbidding evil is not one of the believers according to this verse.

As for the evidence of enjoining good and forbidding evil in Tradition, Abu 0a4r 6 may Allah be pleased -ith him 6 said in his speech: *: people you are reading this verse and e+plaining it contrary to its meaning: 0elievers, loo4 after your o-n souls, he -ho goes astray cannot harm you if you are guided. ,/ Koran !h. ; verse #$;& ' have heard the 3rophet, praise and peace be upon him, saying: Any people -ho are committing sins and there are among them those -ho are able to forbid them from doing that, and he failed to do so, surely Allah -ill smite them all -ith a severe punishment from )im/. The 3rophet, praise and peace be upon him, said: *: people, Allah said: 2ou should enjoin good and forbid evil or you -ill not get any response to your prayer/. As for the evidence of enjoining good and forbidding evil in the sayings of the !ompanions: Abu 5arda/ 6 may Allah be pleased -ith him 6 said: *2ou should enjoin good and forbid evil or Allah -ill incite against you an oppressor ruler -ho -ill not respect your elderly nor -ould he have mercy to your young, the best of you -ill pray against him, but their prayer -ill not be accepted, and you -ill see4 help but you -ill not get it, and you -ill see4 forgiveness but -ill not be forgiven. )athitha 6 may Allah be pleased -ith him 6 -as as4ed about the living dead, he said: *)e is the one -ho does not forbid the unla-ful by his hand nor by his tongue, nor by his heart. Ali ibn Abu Talib 6 may Allah be pleased -ith him 6 said: *The first of -hat you overcome in jihad is the jihad -ith your hands, then jihad -ith your tongues, then jihad -ith your hearts, but if your heart does not 4no- maruf enjoining good& and does not forbid the unla-ful, then it is turned upside do-n. 't -as said to <udail: *Are you not going to enjoin and forbid= )e said: *There -as a people -ho enjoined and forbade, then they became pagans, this is because they could not bear patiently the conse>uences of their enjoining and forbidding. 't -as said to al Tha-ri: *5o you not enjoining -hat is good and forbid -hat is evil= )e said: *'f the sea bursts, -ho is able to hold it bac4= This e+plains the real purpose of the 'slamic society: that people adopt piety and virtue in their lives and do their utmost to help eradicate sin, evil and injustice, and promote and establish virtue, goodness and justice in their individual and social relationships. .o to conduct human life upon these lines, the .hariah states its norms of virtues and good ma/rufat& and of avoidance of sin and evils mun4arat& to, -hich the individual and society conduct must conform. 't not merely provides an inventory

of virtues and vices for man but also lays do-n the -hole scheme of life is such a -ay that virtues may flourish -ithout being polluted or retarded by vices. The .hariah 'slamic La-& conducts human society to-ards the free gro-th of good, virtue and truth in every area of life. This gives full play to the forces of good in all directions and at the same time removes all impediments in the path of virtue. 'n order to eradicate evil from society, it prohibits vice and closes all possible doors from, -hich it can creep into society. Th( Vi#'u(s ) Enj inin! G " Vi#'u(s a#( *lassi)i(" in' 'h#(( *a'(! #i(s+ ?andatory fard& @ecommended matlub& 3ermissible mubah& The mandatory are obligatory and every member of a ?uslim society must observe and practice these commandments. The recommended virtues are those -hich are desirable and the .hariah -ants them to be observed and practiced by people. The gro-th of these is encouraged in a ?uslim society but actual observance is left to the discretion of the individual. All others, -hich are not prohibited are permissible and, again, are left to individual taste and social practice. The person has complete freedom of choice depending upon his o-n tastes and preferences. Cha&'(# T, Th( -#in*i&l(s ) Enj inin! G

" an" i's C n"i'i ns

Kno- that the principles in all citiAen/s arrest hisbah& of comprehensive obligation to-ards enjoining good and forbidding evil are four: Al muhtasab one for, -hich you can e+pect re-ard in the )ereafter& )e should be a faithful ?uslim and true believer -ho is fair and just, -ho has attained full age, is of sound mind and able. Al muhtasab alayh: Any human -ho commits a forbidden sin. Al muhtasab fi: 1very forbidden evil, -hich presents itself to you, and is 4no-n to be forbidden, -hich is openly evident to you. 'f anyone commits a sin inside his o-n house, closing his doors upon himself, it is not permissible for another person to spy upon him. Allah, the Almighty has forbidden that: *: you -ho believeB 5o not enter houses other than your o-n houses until you have as4ed permission, and given salutations to the people therein, Koran C% verse C9&

'htisab comprises degrees and ethics. As to the degrees, first is to 4no-, then to forbid, then to advise and admonish, then to scold, then to restrain -ith your hands, then to threaten -ith beating, then to beat, then to use a -eapon, then to see4 the help of others. As for the ethics, the ethics of al muhtasab, are comprised of three characteristics: 4no-ledge, piety, and good manners. Dhile these three characteristics al hisbah becomes one of the good deeds, -hich repel the unla-ful. Cha&'(# Th#(( Mun.a#a' Th( Cus' ma#y -# hi$i'i ns In 'h( Ha$i's ) 'h( -( &l( -# hi$i'(" 'hin!s /mun.a#a'0 a#( ) ', .in"s+ )aram unla-ful& ?ma4ruh disli4ed& ?uslims are to abstain totally from forbidden haram& things, but in the case of ma4ruhat disli4ed& the .hariah 'slamic La-& sho-s, e+pressly or by implication, disproval. There are several things, bet-een these t-o e+tremes of haram and ma4ruhat, -hich are on the border. The .hariah has, ho-ever, given strict prohibitory orders against those bordering on haram, but left the case of those bordering on ma4ruhat to the discretion and tastes of individual members of the ?uslim society. 0oth these measures help a great deal in establishing and promotion virtue and good and eradicating and discouraging evil and sin in society.