- Islamic Education / Children education in Islam
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- Chidren education 2008
All praise be to Allah, the Lord of Creations, and peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, the faithful and the honest. O Allah our Lord, lead us out from the depths of darkness and illusion, unto the lights of erudition and knowledge, and from the muddy shallows of lusts unto the heavens of Your Vicinity.
The Social Education is very Important in educating children in Islam:
This is the lesson twenty-fifth of Educating Children in Islam in which we are discussing the social education. It is considered one of the most important types of educating children in Islam. In each of the coming lessons, we will Incha Allah be tackling one of the crucial issues in social education. Let’s start today with enjoining Al-Maruf and forbidding Al-Munkar.
Enjoining Al-Maruf, Forbidding Al-Munkar Make this Ummah the Best:
Dear brother, how does the truth spread? By enjoining Al-Maruf and forbidding Al-Munkar. How does the evil shrink? It is again by enjoining Al-Maruf and forbidding Al-Munkar. Enjoining Al-Maruf and forbidding Al-Munkar is almost considered by many Islamic scholars the sixth pillar of Islam. As you all know that the five pillars in Islam are Testimony, Prayer, Fasting, Zakat (Obligatory Charity) and Hajj (Pilgrimage). The sixth pillar is enjoining Al-Maruf and forbidding Al-Munkar. The proof can be noticed in the following ayah:
﴾ You [true believers in Islamic Monotheism, and followers of Prophet Muhammad and his Sunnah]are the best of peoples ever raised up for mankind﴿
Now, this Ummah which is supposed to be the “best of peoples” is stumbling. Any horse may stumble, any sage may err. Unfortunately, we are in the age of stumbling. Why do you think this Ummah is the best of peoples? Almighty says:
﴾ You enjoin Al-Maruf (i.e. Islamic Monotheism and all that Islam has ordained) and forbid Al-Munkar (i.e. polytheism, disbelief and all that Islam has forbidden), and you believe in Allah﴿
This Ummah is the best of peoples because its people enjoin Al-Maruf, forbid Al-Munkar and believe in Allah.
Enjoining Al-Maruf and Forbidding Al-Munkar make the Truth spreads and the Falsehood Shrinks:
Few days ago, one of our brother in faith who is keen on making his home religiously committed and his children properly raised told me an interesting story about his little child. He sent his child to a nursery. One day, the teacher there played a song and the little children enjoyed it very much except his child who said, “We should not be listening to this song Miss. Allah does not approve of the singer.” Both the teacher and the children in the class flustered. She immediately turned off the music. Imagine, he is only a little child!
When we teach our children to enjoin Al-Maruf and forbid Al-Munkar, the truth spreads, whereas the wrong and evil shrink. What happens nowadays breaks the hearts. You may visit a respectful Muslim, who even goes regularly to the Masjid, and see how he welcomes his niece who is wearing indecent cloths. He tells how much she looks beautiful and elegant instead of advising her to stop wearing such clothes. He says no word to forbid Al-Munkar.
Dear Brother, when we do not forbid Al-Munkar, we deserve to be annihilated. Have you ever thought why the Jews were deserved to be destroyed? Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ They used not to forbid one another from Al-Munkar (wrong, evil-doing, sins, polytheism, disbelief which they committed. ﴿
One of our dear brother is a taxi-driver on the road of Damuscus_Beirut and his Islamic knowledge is limited. Yet, he is a true believer. He told me that once he was taking two passengers, a girl and a young man, they told him to wait for a man coming to give them a bag. After a while, an old man of about seventy came out carrying a bag on his head. The young man slapped his face and said to him angrily: “Why are you late?” Then, he took the bag, put it in the taxi, and ordered the taxi-driver to move on. When they were in highlands, the girl (his wife) asked him: “Why did you hit your father?” The driver stopped suddenly and asked him: “Was he your father?! Get out of my taxi and take the money you paid me. How dare you hit your father?”
Enjoining Al-Maruf and Forbidding Al-Munkar is the Duty of Everyone:
Everyone of us should enjoin Al-Maruf and forbid Al-Munkar, but we should do that gently. Sometimes you hear someone is describing Allah using the worst abusive words and no one objects, not even saying one single word to stop him. There should be enjoining Al-Maruf and forbidding Al-Munkar brother.
One of our sisters in faith, who wears Hijab, took a bus and driver played an indecent song. Thus, she told him: “You play such a song at your home, not in a public bus, this bus is not yours. Turn off the tape recorder.”
Say a word or give a piece of advice that could be useful for someone. One of our brother told me how he gave up drinking alcohol. He said, “Once I was waiting for the bus, after an hour, the bus stopped for me. When the driver noticed that I was holding bottles of wine in my hands, he ordered me to get off the bus, saying: “I never take a passenger holding wine with him.” He swore by Allah that those words of the driver encouraged him to repent.
Get used to give pieces of advice. One day, I entered the office of one of the big merchants who is so much loved and respected by sh3er for being a generous benefactor. I noticed that one of his employees was an immoral girl, so I gave him a piece of advice about her. He was surprised and told me: “Hundreds of people have entered my office, and none of them bothered himself to say a word about this Munkar.” He decided to dismiss her for she might be a bad influence on sh3er. It is unacceptable to have an employee like that girl, so you have to say a word about that. Teach your son to pay attention to such mistakes and teach him what is right and what is wrong, what is acceptable and what is rejected and what is allowed and what is forbidden.
He Who stops Enjoining Al-Maruf and Forbidding Al-Munkar Loses his Goodness:
This is why enjoining Al-Maruf and forbidding Al-Munkar is the sixth pillar of Islam. In fact, when your child is taught to enjoin Al-Maruf and forbid Al-Munkar, he will be well-disciplined.
Some secondary schools send questionnaires to fathers to ask them the following question: “Does your son perform his prayers?” How many fathers started to pray after being asked this question? They were embarrassed before their sons, so they started to pray. How embarrassing the situation of the father who is asked about the prayer of his son, and he himself does not pray. This polite question is intended to ask the father indirectly and gently to perform his prayers. Some people try by a remark that is very precise, gentle and indirect to attract people’s attention and make them think. Other people prefer to keep silent if something forbidden is committed before them. Whoever declines to enjoin Al-Maruf and forbid Al-Munkar, loses his goodness as it is mentioned in following ayah. Remember, The Jews were destroyed because:
﴾ They used not to forbid one another from Al-Munkar (wrong, evil-doing, sins, polytheism, disbelief which they committed. ﴿
If you find your sister committing a sin, tell her gently: “This is a sin dear sister. Please, take my advice and stop committing it."
Straightness is Essential to Enjoin Al-Maruf and Forbid Al-Munkar:
By the way, whoever enjoins Al-Maruf and forbids Al-Munkar must be straight. If he is negligent or heedless, people will ask him to keep silent, will rebuke him because of his own sins or tell him to start with himself before giving pieces of advice to other people.
Teach your child to enjoin Al-Maruf and forbid Al-Munkar, and you will reap the fruit. An Imam of a Masjid told me: “Once, we got up late and we had no time to have breakfast, so I prepared a sandwich for my child and I told him: “Eat it on your way to school.” The little child reminded the father of the Hadith saying: “But Dad the Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, said:
((Eating in the market place is lowly))
These words are uttered by a little child! How wonderful to have a little child saying the truth. Teach your child these values. When you want to perform your prayer, ask your sister to perform it with you if she has not performed hers yet. There should be exchanging pieces of advice at our home. There should be this kind of gentle guidance and direction at our homes dear brother.
Avoiding Rudeness and Offensiveness :
Try not to be rude when you enjoin Al-Maruf and forbid Al-Munkar Let your task in enjoining Al-Maruf be itself Maruf, and the one in forbidding Al-Munkar be without Munkar. If enjoining Al-Maruf and forbidding Al-Munkar, will cause something that is worse than what you are trying to forbid, do not forbid.
Our Master Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, has a memorable word concerning this point:
“The best of you is neither who knows the good, nor who knows the evil, but the best of you is who knows the two evils, could distinguish between them and choose the less evil of them.”
Pay Attention to the following precise ayah:
﴾ And fear the Fitnah (affliction and trial) which affects not in particular (only) those of you who do wrong (but it may afflict all the good and the bad people) ﴿
This means that this Fitnah can afflict even the straight believers. What is their fault to be afflicted just like the rest? They do not enjoin Al-Maruf and forbid Al-Munkar:
((Almighty Allah sent some angels to destroy the people of a particular town. When the angels reached there, they found a worshiper engrossed in worship. The angels said, “O our Lord! Your particular slave is busy in worship, how can we send punishment on this town? The reply came, ‘Do not care about this man because he has never been angry for Our sake and never behaved curtly with the sinners. ))
You can find a straight man, but he does not care for anybody. He cares neither for his family, his children, for his sister nor for people around him. He cares only for himself. Enjoining Al-Maruf and forbidding Al-Munkar means that you care for other people and serve them. However, to perform this pillar, you should be a straight person. You will never be able to advise other people to leave Al-Munkar if you do not adhere to the Islamic teachings. If your faith has gaps, then it will be easy for other people to criticize you and ask you to keep silent.
Dear brother, I would like to repeat what I have mentioned previously: this Ummah is the best of peoples because its people enjoin Al-Maruf and forbid Al-Munkar.
Recommending One Another to the Truth is One of the Requirements of Salvation
Dear brother, recommending one another to the truth is one fourth of salvation; it is one condition of salvation. Salvation, in fact has four requirements. You can find the proof in the following ayah:
﴾ By Al-Asr (the time). * Verily, man is in loss. * Except those who believe (in Islamic Monotheism) and do righteous good deeds, and recommende one another to the truth((i.e. order one another to perform all kinds of good deeds (Al-Maruf) which Allah has ordained, and abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds (Al-Munkar) which Allah has forbidden)), and recommend one another to patience (for the sufferings, harms, and injuries which one may encounter in Allah’s Cause during preaching His religion of Islamic Monotheism or Jihad) ﴿
Recommending one another to the truth is one of the requirements of salvation; it is one fourth of salvation. When the father is deeply convinced that enjoining Al-Maruf and forbidding Al-Munkar is extremely important, and he performs this act of worship at home with his wife, children, sister…etc, the child takes notice of this. For example, before making his prayer, the father can ask his children: “Who has not performed his prayer yet, let him come and pray with me.” This is a way of enjoining Al-Maruf and forbidding Al-Munkar. Also he can ask his son on bed: “Have you prayed Al-Isha son?” When you do that as a father, your children will notice how responsible and caring you are. Teach your children to get used to kindly accept enjoining Al-Maruf and forbidding Al-Munkar, and teach them to get used to say a word of truth.
The Kind Word is Charity:
Sometimes, the son sees his father making unforgivable and dangerous infringements in selling. Politely and without embarrassing his father, he can tell him: “O father, this is forbidden. The Imam said that. Would do you like to ask him? Perhaps I did not catch his point correctly.” By Allah, there are ways to enjoin Al-Maruf and forbid Al-Maruf which are ultimate in wisdom and wonderment.
At once, Al-Hassan and Al-Hussein, may Allah be pleased with them, saw an old man who did not know how to make Wudu correctly (Wudu is the partial ablution necessary before performing any prayer). They asked him to judge whose Wudu was better (the one made by Al-Hassan or the one made by Al-Hossein.) They made Wudu in front of him, and then asked him: “Whose Wudu is better?” The old man answered: “By Allah my Wudu was made improperly.” He could understand their message.
Try to enjoin Al-Maruf and forbid Al-Munkar without causing any embarrassment to other people. I heard about a scholar in Egypt whose father was a smoker. The father has a good reputation and they both respect each other very much. The father thought that his son did not know that he was a smoker because he had never smoked in front of him. The dignified scholar wanted to forbid such Munkar without hurting his father, so he begged one of his relative who was a smoker to visit his father while they were together and smoke in front of them. As agreed upon, the guest came when the two were together and he started to smoke. The scholar addressed the guest and told him about the harmful effects of smoking on health and religion. The son swore by Allah that his father stopped smoking from that time forth.
There is always a way to forbid Al-Munkar without hurting or embarrassing anybody. The scholar was intelligent; he was talking to the guest, but in fact, he was addressing his father indirectly. How polite he was!
Now you dear brother! You should think of the words you choose when you talk to people, and remember that the kind word is charity:
((A man utters irresponsively a word which makes him enter Paradise, and a man says irresponsively a word which throws him in Hell for seventy autumns.))
The Righteous Man and the Right-doer:
Almighty Allah says:
﴾ And your Lord would never destroy the towns wrongfully, while their people were right-doer﴿
If they are righteous, they might be destroyed, but if they are right-doers they will not be destroyed. The righteous is interested only in himself, while the right-doer is interested in sh3er too. Get used to be straight in order to strengthen your position and be able to give people pieces of advice. Try to advise people in private not in public. Speak directly to the concerned one in private; a husband to his wife; a teacher to his students; a boss to his employees. No one can bear insult, so when you enjoin Al-Maruf and forbid Al-Munkar, make sure that no one else can hear you other than that that person. Do it in private and you will notice how he will be more able to accept your advice. He even will praise you and be grateful to you.
Listen again:
﴾ And your Lord would never destroy the towns wrongfully, while their people were right-doer﴿
This means that the right-doers are under the protection of Allah, but the righteous are not.
The True Believers are the Auliya of One Another:
Imagine that there is a street which includes twenty houses that are attached to each other. If the fire sets the first house and the neighbors do not hurry up to suppress it, soon the fire will reach the other houses, one by one. This simple image is referred to in the following ayah:
﴾ And fear the Fitnah (affliction and trial) which affects not in particular (only) those of you who do wrong (but it may afflict all the good and the bad people) ﴿
The Fitnah, if not suppressed, will affect the other houses soon, one by one. Listen to one of the characteristics of the true believers:
﴾ The believers, men and women, are Auliya (helpers, supporters, friends, protectors) of one another﴿
What are the characteristics of the believers?
﴾ They enjoin (on the people) Al-Maruf (i.e. Islamic Monotheism and all that Islam orders one another to do) and forbid (people) from Al-Munkar (polytheism and disbelief of all kinds, and all that Islam has forbidden) ﴿
Don’t you want to be a perfectionist true believer? One of the characteristics of the true believer is being perfectionist:
﴾ The believers, men and women, are Auliya (helpers, supporters, friends, protecters) of one another; they enjoin (on the people) Al-Maruf (i.e. Islamic Monotheism and all that Islam orders one to do), and forbid (people) from Al-Munkar (i.e. polytheism and disbelief of all kinds, and all that Islam has forbidden); they perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat), and give the Zakat, and obey Allah and His Messenger. Allah will have His Mercy on them. Surely Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise. ﴿
The Muslim Should Say the Truth Even if it hurts Him:
Ubadah bin As-Samit, May Allah be pleased with him, reported: “We swore allegiance to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessing be upon him) to hear and obey; in time of difficulty and in prosperity, in hardship and in ease, to endure being discriminated against, and not to dispute about rule with those in power, except in case of evident infidelity regarding which there is a proof from Allah. We swore allegiance to Muhammad the Messenger of Allah peace and blessing be upon him to say what was right wherever we were, and not to fear from anyone’s reproach”.
About thirty years ago and in one of the Islamic countries, there was a tendency to abolish completely the pillar of Fasting. They tried to make that religiously permitted through asking a dignified and a well-known scholar to create a Fatwa in which he had to say that people were not obliged to fast in Ramadan. That scholar of course refused although they tried to bribe him. Then they threat him that he would be killed if he did not create that Fatwa, but he insisted on his position. At last and to their surprise, he accepted to create such a Fatwa. The people in charge decided to postpone the gathering in which he was supposed to create the Fatwa in order to have a wider publicity for it, so that more people could hear it. On the day of that gathering, the dignified scholar said:
﴾ O you who believe! Observing As-Saum (the fasting) is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become Al-Muttaqun (the pious_See V.2:2) ﴿
He goes on saying, "According to this ayah every Muslim who breaks his fasting in Ramadan with no excuse whatsoever, is Kafer (infidel.)" The next day, he was killed. He did something very significant; his word cut the way on those weak Muslims to abolish this pillar of Islam. This is the word which Allah describes it saying:
﴾ See you not how Allah sets forth a parable? A goodly word as a goodly tree, whose root is firmly fixed, and its branches (reach) to the sky (i.e. very high). * Giving its fruit at all times, by the Leave of its Lord, and Allah, and Allah sets forth parable for mankind in order that they may remember. ﴿
The True Believers are Allies to One Another:
Dear Brother, I think that nowadays we are in dire need of the ayah No. seventy two in Surat Al-Anfal. This ayah is very clear and precise, Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Verily, those who believed, and emigrated and strove hard and fought with their property and their lives in the Cause of Allah as well as those who gave (them) asylum and help,_these are (all) allies to one another. ﴿
Listen to some of the characteristics of the true believers that are mentioned in this ayah: believing in Allah, emigrating and striving hard in the Cause of Allah. Listen again:
﴾ Those who believed, and emigrated and strove hard and fought with their property and their lives in the Cause of Allah ﴿
Now, listen to the ayah that follows it:
﴾ And those who disbelieve are allies of one another, (and) if you (Muslims of the whole world collectively) do not do so [i.e. become allies, as one united block under one Khalifah (a chief Muslim ruler for the whole Muslim world) to make victorious Allah’s religion of Islamic Monotheism], there will be Fitnah (wars, battles, polytheism) and oppression on the earth, and a great mischief and corruption (appearance of polytheism). ﴿
Just like true believers who cooperate with each other, plan together and worry about their unity, strength and victory…etc, the disbelievers cooperate with each other. Listen again:
﴾ And those who disbelieve are allies of one another﴿
A Main Cause of Fitnah:
Whenever I am invited to make the contract of marriage, I remind the attendants of the following ayah although it has nothing to do with marriage:
﴾ If you are suffering (hardships) then surely, they (too) are suffering (hardships) as you are suffering, but, you have a hope from Allah (for the reward, i.e. Paradise) that for which they hope not﴿
Unlike Muslims, the disbelievers are making their great efforts and striving hard, but for the cause of the evil, for calling people to make sins and for extinguishing the Light of Allah:
﴾ They (the disbelievers, the Jews and the Christians) want to extinguish Allah’s Light (with which Muhammad peace and blessings be upon him has been sent_ Islamic Monotheism) with their mouths, but Allah will not allow except that His Light should be perfected even though the Kafirun (disbelievers) hate (it) ﴿
Remember:
﴾ And those who disbelieve are allies of one another﴿
Now listen to this:
﴾ Verily, those who believed, and emigrated and strove hard and fought with their property and their lives in the Cause of Allah as well as those who gave (them) asylum and help,_these are (all) allies to one another. ﴿
﴾ (and) if you (Muslims of the whole world collectively) do not do so﴿
This ayah is the second part of the one which precedes it. It indicates that if Muslims do not believe, do not emigrate, do not strive hard, do not fight with their properties and their lives in the Cause of Allah or do not give asylum and help, the following is the absolute result:
﴾ there will be Fitnah (wars, battles, polytheism) and oppression on the earth, and a great mischief and corruption (appearance of polytheism) ﴿
In fact we Muslims suffer from a great mischief and corruption because we kept away from enjoining Al-Maruf and forbidding Al-Munkar.
The Other Party is Cooperating and Conspiring Against Muslims:
You may see a respectful woman wearing Al-Hijab and her daughter besides her wearing extremely indecent clothes. Why do not her mother or father enjoin Al-Maruf and forbid Al-Munkar? I would like to repeat the ayah which I have mentioned previously:
﴾ (and) if you (Muslims of the whole world collectively) do not do so [i.e. become allies, as one united block under one Khalifah (a chief Muslim ruler for the whole Muslim world) to make victorious Allah’s religion of Islamic Monotheism], there will be Fitnah (wars, battles, polytheism) and oppression on the earth, and a great mischief and corruption (appearance of polytheism). ﴿
Remember that:
﴾ And those who disbelieve are allies of one another﴿
And that:
﴾ Verily, those who believed, and emigrated and strove hard and fought with their property and their lives in the Cause of Allah as well as those who gave (them) asylum and help,_these are (all) allies to one another. ﴿
﴾ (and) if you (Muslims of the whole world collectively) do not do so﴿
If we do not believe, emigrate, strive hard, fight in the Cause of Allah or give asylum and help one another, our Ummah will be an easy prey for the other party. If Muslims are not allies of one another, the other party (the disbelievers) will cooperate and conspire against them.
﴾ there will be Fitnah (wars, battles, polytheism) and oppression on the earth, and a great mischief and corruption (appearance of polytheism). ﴿
The Heroism of Muslims is Manifested in Stopping the Evil:
I would like to pay your attention to a crucial issue; the evil is as old as human beings themselves. Your heroism is manifested in stopping the evil from taking over the arena. There are bars where wine is served and there are houses of prostitution. One the other hand, there are Masajid where honesty, truthfulness, chasteness and commitment spread. In short, the wrongdoers should not be the majority in the arena.
I was told many stories about trustworthy men who can really be excellent examples of true Muslims. By Allah, a driver in this town has found twenty million Liras. He kept looking for the owner for four days until he found him. A German tourist visited Turkey and lost five hundred thousand Euros in a restaurant. The owner of that restaurant called the police and kept the money with him while they were looking for the man. After two days, the man was found; he came to the restaurant and was very grateful to its owner.
Sometimes, Islam is promoted by stances like those. The above mentioned story spread in the internet and gave a good Image about Islam to the non-believers. Enjoining Al-Maruf and forbidding Al-Munkar is the main basis of this religion; it is its sixth pillar. Let your tongue speak out the truth and always remember that a person who does not speak out against the wrong is a mute evil. There are bars, but there are Masajid, there is lying, but there is honesty, there is hypocrisy, but there is faithfulness, there is stinginess, but there is generosity, there is cowardice, but there is courage and there is disorder, but there is discipline…etc. Thus, the heroic act of every Muslim is preventing the evil from conquering the arena.
By Allah, once I entered a department where an amiable true believer with good reputation works. His straightness and righteous deeds made other employees in the same department think twice before doing anything in front of him out of embarrassment. All the employees of the same department serve the citizens who enter it following the example of that employee who is straight, gentle, well-doer and well-disciplined. He has almost become an exemplar for them.
Let me tell you this anecdote: a man was in the desert riding his horse, and then he passed by a thief of horses who was in a very miserable situation. He felt pity for him and asked him to ride his horse. As soon as this thief was on the back of the horse, he pushed the rider back to fall down and ran away with the horse. The owner of the horse called him saying: “I give you this horse, I will not ask for it any longer, but when you wonder in the desert riding my horse, do not tell people about what you did. Otherwise, chivalry will be lost. It is the foremost virtue of the desert".
I keep saying time and time again: dear brother, enjoin Al-Maruf and forbid Al-Munkar.
Enjoinibng Al-Maruf and Forbidding Al-Munkar is an Act of Worship:
In fact, the Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, was very articulate. They taught us at the university that the most eloquent saying after the Noble Qur’an is Hadith.
Listen to the following Hadith which was narrated by An-Nu'man bin Bashir:
((The Prophet said, "The example of the person abiding by Allah's order and restrictions in comparison to those who violate them is like the example of those persons who drew lots for their seats in a boat. Some of them got seats in the upper part, and the sh3er in the lower. When the latter needed water, they had to go up to bring water (and that troubled the sh3er), so they said, 'Let us make a hole in our share of the ship (and get water) saving those who are above us from troubling them. So, if the people in the upper part left the sh3er do what they had suggested, all the people of the ship would be destroyed, but if they prevented them, both parties would be safe.))
I always say that since we belong to the same Ummah, we are on the same boat. Thus, if one person makes a mistake, everybody will be affected by it. Enjoining Al-Maruf and forbidding Al-Munkar is an act of worship. Why do you pray every day? Because performing prayers is an obligatory act of worship. Why do you fast in Ramdan? Because fasting in Ramadan is also an obligatory act of worship. Similarly, enjoining Al-Maruf and forbidding Al-Munkar is an obligatory act of worship that we should perform. It is the sixth pillar of Islam.
Sometimes, the mother commits a serious mistake and none of her children tells her a word. You should pay her attention to that, even if she is your mother. Tell her: “O mother, what you have just done is unacceptable in Islam. It is prohibited in the Noble Qur’an.” She may not listen to you in the first time, but she will accept that if you politely and gently keep reminding her. As you enjoin Al-Maruf and forbid Al-Munkar frequently, there will be discipline at home.
Enjoining Al-Maruf and Forbidding Al-Munkar Leads to Discipline:
Dear brother, enjoining Al-Maruf and forbidding Al-Munkar leads to discipline at home and at work. Listen to this ayah:
﴾ Those among the Children of Israel who disbelieved were cursed by the tongue of Dawud (David) and Isa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary). That was because they disobeyed (Allah and the Messengers) and were ever transgressing beyond bounds. ﴿
The reason why the Children of Israel were destroyed is that they did not enjoin Al-Maruf and forbid Al-Munkar.
The West is Humiliating Us:
Dear brother, as you can see, our lands are occupied. Five of our Islamic countries have been colonized, and our wealth has been stolen. The Western world is humiliating and impoverishing us using several means. The reason can be found in the following Hadith. The Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessing upon him, said:
((There is no true god but Allah! Woe to the Arabs from the Great evil that has approached (them). Today a hole has been opened in the dam of Gog and Magog like this.) The prophet peace and blessing be upon him made a circle with his index finger and thumb. Zainab bint Jahsh his wife added: “O Messenger of Allah! Shall we perish while still there will be righteous people among us?” The Prophet peace and blessing be upon him said: “Yes, when wickedness prevails”.))
The righteous are only few and they keep silent about the mistakes and sins which are committed every day. I mentioned previously in this lecture that if people are righteous they might be destroyed, but if they are right-doers, they are under the protection of Allah Who will surely save them from any evil.
Hudhaifah, May Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessing upon him, said:
((By Him in Whose Hand my life is, you either enjoin Al-Maruf and forbid Al-Munkar, or Allah will certainly soon send His punishment to you. Then you will make supplication and it will not be accepted))
How serious it is to supplicate Allah loudly after each prayer during times of hardship, but He Almighty does not answer:
((Then you will make supplication and it will not be accepted))
Enjoining Al-Maruf and Forbidding Al-Munkar Should be done Gently:
Dear brother, I keep repeating that enjoining Al-Maruf and forbidding Al-Munkar is the sixth pillar of Islam. Make sure to do it, and teach your children to do it too, but gently and without causing any scandal. Advise the concerned person in private, and try do that using kind words.
Bukhari and Muslim narrated on the authority of Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, that the Messenger, may Allah have peace and blessing be upon him, said:
((O people ! Allah says: Enjoin good and forbid evil before you call me and I will not reply to you, and before you ask Me and I will not give you, and before you seek My forgiveness and I will not give victory to you.))
This is our situation nowadays. Listen again:
((Before you ask Me and I will not give you, and before you seek My forgiveness and I will not give victory to you.))
Prophet Muhammad, may Allah have peace and blessing upon him, was an articulate speaker, and Allah has informed him about some of the signs of the Hour:
((The Prophet peace and blessing be upon him said: (Imagine ) what will be the condition when your wives and children will become disobedient and rude?
The Companions asked: “Will it happen, O Messenger of Allah?”
The Prophet peace and blessing be upon him said: “Worse than that.”
The Companions required: “What will be worse than that, O Prophet of Allah?”
The Noble Prophet replied: “You will stop enjoining Al-Maruf and forbidding Al-Munkar.”
The Companions asked inquisitively: “Will it happen O Messenger of Allah?”
The Messenger of Allah gave the same answer: “Worse than that is going to happen.”
The Companions asked again: “What can be worse than that O Messenger of Allah”.
The Messenger peace and blessing be upon him replied: “You will start enjoining Al-Munkar and forbidding Al-Maruf .”
The Companions asked: “Will it happen, O Messenger of Allah?” The question came from the depth of anxiety and fear.
The Prophet peace and blessing be upon him: “Yes, but worse than that”. Once more shocking words came, and this increased the concern which appeared in the question again.
The Companions: “What is worse than that, O prophet of Allah?”
The Messenger’s answer was: “Maruf will become Munkar and Munkar will become Maruf among you.”))
Dear brother, this lesson is to be continued next time. It is one of the most important lessons of social education. Adopt this way of life, and teach your children to adopt it too. May Allah help us all in performing the sixth pillar of Islam which is Enjoining Al-Maruf and Forbidding Al-Munkar.
