THE LOVE OF GOOD SHOULD BE IN HARMONY WITH WHAT ALLAH LOVES

This principle is that the love of a believer for what is good, and
hishatred for what is evil, and his desire for the accomplishment of
the good and his desire for the avoidance and prevention of evil
should be in harmony with what Allah loves and hates. Allah loves all
that He has enjoined upon us in His shari'a , and dislikes all thatHe
has forbidden us in His shari'a . Furthermore, the action of the
believer in that which he loves (the good), and his avoidance
andopposition to that which he hates (the evil), must be to the extent
of his ability and his strength, for verily, Allah does not demand
from any of us more than what is within our ability. Allah says:
[Fear Allah (have taqwa of Allah) as much as you are able] Qur'an 64/16.
THE LOVE AND HATE OF THE HEART
What is upon the believer in terms of his actions must not be confused
with his obligations in terms of the actions of the heart. It is
obligatory upon the believer for his hatred of evil and his love of
good, and his desire to do good and his desire to oppose and avoid
evil to be perfect, complete, and without doubt or hesitation. Any
lack in this area is none other than a lack in faith ( imaan ). This
is in contrast with the actions of his body which is only within the
bounds of his ability.
When the will of the heart, its likes and dislikes are complete and
perfect (i.e. in harmony with the love and hate of Allah ta'ala) and
then the believer does of that all that is within his ability, he will
be given the reward of one who carried out the orders of Allah
perfectly. Some of the people have loves and hates which are not in
harmony with the love of Allah and His Prophet and the hates of Allah
and His Prophet, and this is a type of hawaa (the inclinations, lusts,
or tendencies of the self). If he follows them, then he is a follower
of hawaa. Allah said:
[And who is more astray than theone who follows his hawaa without any
guidance from Allah?] Qur'an 28/50
The origin of hawaa is that which the self loves, and that which the
self hates is a corollary of it.
WHAT EXACTLY IS HAWAA
The meaning of hawaa is the loving and the loathing which is in the
self. It is not in and of itselfblameworthy, since it is not under the
control of the person, rather what is blameworthy is the following if
these likes, desires and dislikes. Allah said to Dawood:
[O Dawood, we have made you a successor on the Earth, so rule between
the people with the truth, and do not follow hawaa lest it lead you
astray from the path of Allah.] Qur'an 38/26
And Allah said in another aya:
[And who is more astray than theone who follows his hawaa without
guidance from Allah?] Qur'an 28/50
The Prophet (sas) tells us in the hadith:
"Three things which save: fear of Allah in public and private,
moderation in poverty and in wealth, and speaking the truth when angry
and when contented.And three things which lead to destruction:
obedience to greed, following of hawaa , and a person's being pleased
with himself."
The love and the hate of which we are speaking brings about certain
"tastes" and feelings and desires in the presence of the loved or
hated thing. Whoever follows these desires and feelingswithout an
order from Allah and His Prophet, is the one described as the follower
of his hawaa . In fact, this may even reach the levelof shirk wherein
he takes as his god his own hawaa! (See Qur`an 43/25)
THE FOLLOWING OF HAWAA IN THE PREVIOUS RELIGIONS
The following of hawaa in matters pertaining to religion and worship
is more grievous and serious than the following of hawaa in matters of
ordinary worldly desires. The first of these is the condition of those
who became kuffar from the Christiansand the Jews and the
polytheists,as Allah said about them:
[And so, if they do not answer your call, know that they only follow
their own hawaa , and who is more astray than the one who follows his
own hawaa without guidance from Allah, andAllah does not guide those
who oppress.] Qur'an 28/50
And, in another verse, Allah said:
[(Allah) gives to you an analogy from your own selves: Do you have,
among that which your right hands possess (i.e. slaves) any partners
in that which Allah has given you such that they are equal to you. You
fear them as you fear one another. Thus, we explain the signs to a
people whounderstand. No, those who oppress follow their hawaa without
knowledge. Then, who will guide the one who Allah sends astray, and
they have no helpers.] Qur'an 30/28-29
And Allah said in another verse:
[(Allah) has explained for you thatwhich you have been forbidden inall
except cases of absolute necessity. Verily, many go astray via
(following) their own hawaa and without knowledge, and verily Allah is
most knowledgeable of the violators.] Qur'an 6/119.
And, in another verse, Allah said:
[Say: O, people of the book, do not introduce excesses into your deen
which are not of the truth. And do not follow the hawaa of apeople who
have already gone astray. They have led many people astray, and have
themselves become lost from thestraight path.] Qur'an 5/77.
And, Allah said:
[The Jews and the Christians will never be satisfied with you until
you follow their traditions and ways. Say: verily, the guidance of
Allah, that is the guidance. And if you follow their hawaa even
afterthe knowledge which has come to you, you will have no
protectornor any helper against Allah.] Qur'an 2/120.``
And, again in Sura Al-Baqarah, Allah said:
[And, if you follow their hawaa after the knowledge which has come to
you, verily, you are of theoppressors.] Qur'an 2/145.
Allah said:
[And judge between them with what Allah has sent down, and do not
follow their hawaa and beware of them lest they tempt you away from
some of what Allah has sent down to you.] Qur'an 5/49.
Thus whoever goes outside the dictates of the Qur'an and the Sunnah -
among those who are called "scholars" or"worshippers" are known as the
people of hawaa , just as the salaf , may Allah have mercy on them,
used to refer to them as " Ahlu -l-hawaa ) i.e. the people of hawaa .
This is because anyone who has not followed the knowledge has followed
his hawaa . What's more, knowledge of the deen (way, or religion) does
not come about except through the guidance of Allah with which He sent
His Prophet (sas). Thus, Allahsaid:
[And, verily many of them go astray by (following) their own hawaa and
without knowledge.] Qur'an 6/119.

REBELLION AGAINST THE IMAM OF THE MUSLIMS

For this reason, the Prophet ordered us to be patient when there is
injustice on the part of the ruler of the Muslims, and forbad us to
fight them, as long as they maintain the prayer, and he said:
"Give them what is due to them, and ask Allah what is due to you."
(Muslim and others)
Thus, one of the basic principles of Ahl As-Sunnah Wa Al-Jamaa :
loyalty to the larger group of the Muslim Ummah, not rebelling against
its rulers, and keeping away from battles when chaos and fitna arises.
As for the deviant groups such as the mu'tazilah, they view
fightingthe Imams of the Muslims as one of the principles of their
religion. The Mu'tazilah make the basis of their religion five
principles: " Tauhid " - which in their terminology means the negation
of all of Allah's names and characteristics, Divine Justice - which
means the denying of the decree of Allah in all things, the station
between the two stations- i.e. their erroneous theory that anyone who
sins is no longer a believer and not quite a kafir , he is stuck
somewhere in between, the carrying out of threats - taking literally
the threats of punishment which Allah attachesto various sins in the
Qur'an, and enjoining right and forbidding wrong - part of their
theory here is warfare against the imams of the Muslims.


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And Allah Knows the Best!

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Published by :->
M NajimudeeN Bsc- INDIA

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BENEFITS MUST OUTWEIGH NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES

Enjoining right and forbidding wrong being one of the greatest
obligations or commendable actsin Islam, it is essential that the
benefit therein outweigh its negative consequences. This is the
general spirit of the messages of the prophets and the revealed books,
and Allah does not like chaos and corruption. All that which Allah has
enjoined is beneficial, and theepitome of benefit. Allah has praised "
salah " (the opposite of corruption) and the " musliheen "(reformers,
or those who bring about salah ). And He has praised those who believe
and do good works ( saalihaat) , while condemning corruption ( fasaad
) and those who cause it in many places in the Qur'an. Thus whenever
the adverse effects ( mafsada ) of any act of enjoining or forbidding
are greater than its benefit ( maslaha ), it is no longerpart of what
Allah has enjoined upon us, even if it be a case of neglecting
obligations or committing the forbidden. This isbecause it is upon the
believer to fear Allah in relation to His slaves,and their guidance is
not his responsibility. This is part of the meaning of the verse in
which Allah says:
[O, you who believe, your selves are your responsibility, those who go
astray will not harm you when you stick to guidance.]
"Sticking to guidance" is only accomplished by fulfilling and carrying
out all obligations. Thus,when a Muslim does what is obligatory upon
him by way of enjoining right and forbidding wrong, just as he
fulfilled all other obligations, the going astray of those who go
astray will not do him any harm.
METHODOLOGY OF ENJOINING RIGHTAND FORBIDDING WRONG
Enjoining right and forbidding wrong is done sometimes with the heart,
sometimes with the tongue, and sometimes with the hand (i.e. physical
force). As for practicing it with the heart, it is obligatory upon
everyone in everytime and situation, since its practice brings no
hardship. whoever fails to do even that is not even a believer as in
the full version of the previously cited hadith:
"Whoever of you sees wrong being committed, let him rectify it with
his hand, if he is unable, then with his tongue, and if he usunable,
then with his heart, and this is the weakest of faith -- or inanother
version: beyond this there is not a single mustard seed's weight of
faith ( iman ).
Ibn Masood was once asked:
"Who are the living dead?"
to which he replied:
"He who does not acknowledge the right as such, and does not reject the wrong."
He is referring to the person described in the following agreed-upon
hadith who consistently failed to reject wrong when tested. The
Prophet said:
"Tests are shown to the hearts like a straw mat, straw by straw.
Whichever heart accepts them, and absorbs them, gets a black spot
placed on it, and whichever heart rejects them, gets a white, clear
spot on it. This goes on until the hearts are of two types: a heart
which is white, smooth, and clear like a polished stone which will not
be harmed by further trials or tests for as long as the heavens and
the earth last,and another dark and blemished; it is like a hook
turned over the wrong way on which nothing canbe hung - it neither
acknowledges what is right nor rejects what is wrong, except for that
which happens to coincide with its lusts and inclinations with which
this heart has become fully absorbed."
PITFALLS OF ENJOINING RIGHT AND FORBIDDING WRONG
Two groups of people fall into error in this area:
One group leaves what is obligatory upon them in the area of enjoining
right and forbidding wrong, clinging to an incorrect interpretation of
the aya quoted previously:
[O, you who believe, your selves are your responsibility, those who go
astray will not harm you when you stick to guidance.]
Abu Bakr once explained this error in a khutba saying:
"O people, verily you read this aya, and you apply it where it does
not belong, for I heard the Prophet (sas) say: Verily when thepeople
see the wrong-doer, and do not seize his hand, Allah is about to
inflict them with a general punishment."
The second group desires to enjoin and forbid the people withtheir
tongues and their hands absolutely and in all situations without
sufficient knowledge of the shari'a, nor forbearance, nor patience,
nor regard for that which is beneficial and that which has more harm
than benefit and that which is possibleand that which is not possible.
This is as in the hadith narrated by Abu Tha'laba Al-Khushaniy:
"... rather enjoin on one another what is right and forbid what is
wrong until you see obedience togreed and following of lusts and
preoccupation with this world and the absolute fascination of each one
with his own opinion, and when you see a situation over which you have
no power, what is upon you then is your private affairs. For verily,
the Daysof Patience are coming; patience in those days is like
squeezing a hot coal in your hand. The rewardof one who fulfills all
of his obligations in those days is equal to the reward of fifty such
peopletoday."
This group, then, enjoins and forbids believing that they are in
obedience to Allah ta'ala when in reality they are transgressors of
His boundaries. In this way, manyof the deviant and misguided groups
considered themselves to be enjoiners of right and forbidders of wrong
such as the khawaarij, and the mu'tazilah, and the raafidha (Shi'a),
and others of those who erred in understanding that which Allah gave
them in terms of enjoining right and forbidding wrong, and fighting
jihad, and other issues. The corruption caused by this kind of
enjoining and forbidding is much greater than any good which may
result.

ENJOINING RIGHT AND FORBIDDING WRONG

WHAT IS MA'RUF (RIGHT) AND MUNKAR (WRONG)?
Carrying out the punishments prescribed by Allah on whoever
transgresses the bounds of the shari'a is a part of prohibiting wrong.
It is obligatory upon those in authority ( Uluu-ul-amr ) i.e. the
scholars from each group or nation, and their amirs, and their elders,
to stand over the general population enjoining good and prohibiting
wrong, thus ordering them with all that which Allah and His Prophet
have enjoined. For example, the rulings of Islamic Law ( Shari'a )
e.g. the five prayers in their proper time periods, obligatory alms,
obligatory fasting, and pilgrimage to Makka. Also, belief in Allah,
His angels, His revealed books, His prophets, and the Judgement Day,
belief in the pre-destination of all things the good and the bad, and
the concept of ihsaan (the highest level of iman or faith) which means
to worship Allah as if you see Him for, verily, even if you do not see
Him, He always sees you. Moreover, the good ( ma'ruf ) includes
everything both internal and external which has been enjoined by Allah
and His Prophet. These include: absolute sincerity to Allah ( ikhlaas
), dependance on Allah ( tawakkal ),that Allah and His Prophet be more
beloved to the believer than anyone else, hope for Allah'smercy and
fear of His punishment, patience with the decree of Allah and complete
surrender to His order, truthfulness of speech, fulfilling of
obligations, returning trusts totheir owners, good behavior toward
parents, maintaining of family ties, cooperation in all actsof
righteousness and good, benevolence and generosity toward one's
neighbors, orphans, poor people, stranded travellers, companions,
spouses, and servants, justice and fairness in speech and actions,
calling people to good character, and acts of forbearance such as
establishing relations with those who cut you off, giving those who
deny you, and forgiving those who oppress you. Enjoiningpeople to be
close together and cooperative, and forbidding themdiffering and
dividing themselves is also a part of enjoining what is right.
As for the bad ( munkar ) which Allah and His prophet have forbidden,
its ultimate and worstform is the association of partners with Allah.
Associationism means to pray to someone or something else along with
Allah. This partner could be the sun, the moon, starsor planets, an
angel, one of the prophets, a righteous man or saint, one of the jinn,
images or graves of any of these, or anything else which is called to
other than Allah the Exalted. Associationism is also to seek aid or
succor from any of the above, or to prostrate to them. All of this and
anything like it is the associationism ( shirk ) forbidden by Allah on
the tongues of all of His prophets.
Everything which Allah has forbidden is also part of the munkar such
as unjustified killing, taking people's property by unlawful means,
taking of property by force or intimidation,interest, or gambling, all
types of sales or contracts which the Prophet has prohibited, breaking
of family ties, cruelty to parents, cheating in weights and measures,
and any form of transgression on the rights of others. Also in this
category are all innovated acts of "worship" which Allah and His
prophet have not ordained or sanctioned.