Enjoining the good.....forbiding the evil

Anas relates that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: ?None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.? [Sahîh al-Bukhârî and Sahîh Muslim]

Salam aleikum,

I wanted to send out an email and some words for all our new Muslims.

It's hard for me to express how happy I am that we have so many new brothers and sisters in Islam. It's a really special time and I know just like as the new Muslims feel overwhelmed with new information, we "older" muslims feel overwhelmed with trying to help everyone at the same time.

I really hope that everyone will take my words to heart and not just delete this email. It's important or I wouldn't take the time to address the current situation.

I love Islam. I love being a Muslim. I love making my prayers, I love the feeling I have with Allah when I pray. I worry for the Ummah, I worry for my brothers and sisters, because I love and care for each and everyone one of you.

If a Muslim, brother or sister, tries to correct an action that you are doing or gives you advice or a suggestion......please remember that we are doing so because we love you. We want the best for you and we want to protect you from punishment (on or after the day of judgement). We are not doing these things "to" you, we do these things "for" you.

At the forefront of what a Muslim should want for others is for them to be rightly guided. He should desire Islam for all humanity just as he desires it for himself. This should inspire him to call all to Islam and to call his fellow Muslims to righteousness and piety.

If a person does evil actions, then his imaan decreases, and quite possibly he may be punished in this world before the Hereafter.

So I ask my fellow brothers and sisters to help me in enjoining good and forbiding evil.......let's follow the words of the Quran, the sunnah, the Sahaba and the Scholars....

Let there be among you a community who enjoin good and forbid evil; it is they that shall be successful, [3:104]

Those who repent, those who worship, those who praise, those who persevere, those who bow down, those who prostrate, and those who enjoin good and forbid evil, [9:112]

Those of the Israelites who were unbelievers have already been cursed on the tongue of David and Jesus, son of Mary, for they were disobedient, and transgressed. They did not forbid one another from committing the evil that they wrought. What they used to do was foul indeed. [5:79]

Abu Sa`id (radhiallahu `anhu) that the Prophet sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam said, "Whoever sees something evil should change it with his hand. If he cannot, then with his tongue; and if he cannot do even that, then in his heart. That is the weakest degree of faith."

Umar ibn `Abdul `Aziz said, "It used to be that Allah the Most High does not punish the common people for the sins of the elite; but when the evil is done openly, and they do not repudiate it, they all become deserving of His punishment."

Malik ibn Dinar said "We have become accustomed to loving the world, so that we do not enjoin good or forbid evil to one another. Allah the Most High will certainly not permit us to continue doing this, but would that I knew what kind of punishment shall befall us!"


Salam aleikum,
Peace be with you all

Khadijah