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Fatwa CenterEnjoining good and forbidding evil
Question
Please explain enjoining good and forbidding evil in the light of Hadeeth.
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad 
is His slave and Messenger.
Enjoining good and forbidding evil is among the most important religious rites in Islam. It is among the most distinct and apparent deeds that differentiate Islam from other religions.
However, some conditions must be met before enjoining good and forbidding evil. In fact, bad deeds are not the same; they range from Kufr (disbelief) to aggression, dissoluteness, major sins, … etc. Allah describes the believers as people who enjoin good and forbid evil. Allah Says (what means): {The believing men and believing women are allies of one another. They enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and establish prayer and give Zakat and obey Allah and His Messenger. Those - Allah will have mercy upon them. Indeed, Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise.} [Quran 9: 71]
Allah also Says (what means): { And let there be [arising] from you a nation inviting to [all that is] good, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong, and those will be the successful.} [Quran 3:104]
Ibn Katheer 
said (while explaining the above verse): “What is meant here is that there should be a group of this Ummah (nation) who work on enjoining good and warning against evil although this matter is obligatory upon every single Muslim depending on his/her ability." Abu Hurayrah 
narrated that the Prophet said: "Whoever amongst you sees an evil, he should change it with his hand (i.e. physically), if he is unable he should change it with his tongue (i.e. verbally) and if he is unable, he should change it with his heart (by detesting it in his heart) and that is the weakest level of faith." [Muslim]
Imam Ahmad also reported from Huthayfah ibn al-Yamaam that the Prophet said: "(I swear) By whom in whose Hand's my soul is, you should enjoin good and forbid evil otherwise Allah shall inflict on you a punishment. You will then ask Him and He will not respond to your supplication."
Allah knows best.
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