“If only there had been among the generations before you, persons having wisdom prohibiting from al fasaad in the earth, except a few of those whom We saved from among them. Those who did wrong [zalamoo] persued the enjoyment of this life and were mujrimoon. And your Lord would never destroy the towns wrongfully while their people were righteous reformers [muslihoon].” (11:116-115) A society is protected if there are people who protect from and prohibit the corruption. However, when they are absent the society is nearing destruction as people enjoy the prohibited and harmful excesses of the material world, and indeed these things contribute to their destruction. The Muslims must not only be saalihoon [reformed themselves] but they must also be muslihoon, i.e. they also call others to islaah.

Qays narrated that Abu Bakr as Siddiq said during a khutbah ‘You have read this verse “O you who believe! Guard your own souls, if you follow the right guidance (which includes commanding ma’roof and forbidding munkar), no harm can come to you from those who stray” (al Maai’dah 5:105) I heard Nabi (saw) say “When people see an oppressor but do not stop him or overwhelm him, it is nearer that Allah will overtake them all with His punishment.” (ABU DAWOOD, TIRMIDHI, MAALIK) So to guard your own soul requires not ignoring society but rather to forbid the munkar in it and this is safety for the soul unless there was a real fear of physical harm or a fear that a greater munkar would come. Abu Umayyah ash Sha’bani related that he asked Abu Tha’labah al Khushni ‘What do we make of this verse?’ He said ‘By Allah I have asked an expert about it, rasool Allah (saw). He told me “Command one another to ma’roof and forbid one another from doing munkar. But when you see meanness being obeyed, private whims and desires being followed, this world being preferred and every person cherishing his own opinion, then concern yourselves only with your own soul and abandon commanding the mass of people.” (ABU DAWOOD, TIRMIDHI) and in another version Abu Umayyah ash-Sha'bani said: I asked Abu Tha'labah al-Khushani: What is your opinion about the verse "Care for yourselves". He said: I swear by Allah, I asked the one who was well informed about it; I asked the Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him) about it. He said: “No, enjoin one another to do what is good and forbid one another to do what is evil. But when you see niggardliness being obeyed, passion being followed, worldly interests being preferred, everyone being charmed with his opinion, then care for yourself, and leave alone what people in general are doing; for ahead of you are days which will require endurance, in which showing endurance will be like grasping live coals. The one who acts rightly during that period will have the reward of fifty men who act as he does.” Another version has: He said (The hearers asked:) ‘Apostle of Allah, the reward of fifty of them?’ He replied: “The reward of fifty of you.” (ABU DAWOOD)

“And fear the fitnah which affects not in particular those who do wrong and know that Allah is severe in punishment.” (al Anfaal 8:25) Zaynab bint Jahsh reports that she asked Nabi (saw) ‘Will we perish although there are righteous people among us?’ Nabi (saw) replied “Yes when wickedness is abundant.” (MUSLIM) Hudhayfah reported that Nabi (saw) said “By Him in whose Hand is my life, you must command ma’roof and forbid munkar otherwise it is near that Allah will send punishment on you from Himself. You will then call Him but you will not be responded to.” (TIRMIDHI) Nu’maan bin Basheer narrated that Nabi (saw) said “The likeness of the man who remains passive in the hudood of Allah and of the man who commits them is like the people who got on board a ship. Some of them are in the lower deck and some in the upper. Those who are in the lower met with water dropped by those in the upper (deck) and thus they troubled them. So they took an axe and began to make a hole in the bottom of the ship. Then (those of the upper deck) came and said ‘What happened to you?’ They said ‘You troubled us and we have no alternative but to take water in.’ If they catch hold of their hands, they save them and they also save themselves. And if they leave them, they destroy them and they also destroy themselves.” (BUKHAARI, TIRMIDHI) A’diy bin A’diy al Kandi reported ‘A slave of mine spoke to us that he had heard my grandfather say ‘I heard rasool Allah (saw) say “Verily, Allah ta’ala does not punish all for the actions of the few until seeing munkar between them and they have the ability to prevent that but they do not prevent it. So when they do that Allah sends punishment to the public and the few.” (BAGHAWI ‘Sharhus Sunnah’)

Ibn Masoo’d reports that Nabi (saw) said “There was not a single prophet among those who were sent before me who did not have apostles and companions who followed his sunnah and obeyed his commands. But afterwards other generations came whose words belied their actions and whose actions were not in accordance with what they commanded others to do. Whoever struggles against them with his hand is a believer. Whoever struggles against them with his tongue is a believer. And whoever struggles against them with his heart is a believer. But when none of these things are done then not a single mustard seeds weight of imaan is present.” (MUSLIM)

Zaynab, Ummul Mu’mineen said ‘The Prophet (saw) once awoke and his face was dark and he said three times “Laa ilaaha ill Allah, Woe to the Arabs because of an evil which will soon come. Today the barrier of Jooj and Ma’jooj has been breached by so much…” and he made a circle with his thumb and forefinger.’ And Zaynab remarked ‘O Rasool Allah, even when the righteous still dwell among us?’ And he (saw) said “Yes when corruption [khubth] becomes widespread” (BUKHAARI, MUSLIM) It is reported that U’mar ibn A’bdul A’zeez said ‘It used to be said that Allah ta A’la does not punish the common people for the sins of the elite, but when evil is done openly and they do not forbid it, they all become deserving of His punishment.’ (reported by Imaam Qazwini in ‘Mukhtasar Shu’bul Imaan’)

All of the above narrations establish that there is a level of munkar that is reached in which the believers can expect a punishment to descend upon them and reach all of them. Munkar exists at all times and in every society just as it existed among the companions of nabi (saw) to a lesser degree, this is because man by his nature is prone to error as is confirmed throughout the Quran and Sunnah. However, the munkar should always be prevented and punished where applicable. Also the Muslims must seek to make the Islamic concepts of a’qeedah and Shari’ah dominant in the society so that those committing munkar would be ashamed or afraid to display it openly. The combined effect of the application of the a’qeedah and shari’ah and the introducing of Islamic solutions to every problem and the propagation of Islam through all available means would have an effect on the individuals in the society so that they would adopt the Islamic beliefs, thoughts and emotions as their normal state. The people would be encouraged back towards their fitra whci is to believe in Allah, recognise his signs and adopt the path of tawheed and apply it their lives. This would mean that the branches of munkar would be removed and its foundations replaced with the foundation of ma’roof and its motivation replaced with the Islamic motivation of at Tarheeb wat Targheeb and the additional worldly motivation of the benefit [maslaha] and supremacy of the shari’ah rules. This is confirmed by studying the objectives, effects and benefits of the Islamic way of life in detail and by studying the relationship with the a’qeedah and actions and the relationship of the actions with the results in both worlds and the relationship between the individuals in society and the a’qeedah, shari’ah and system of Islamic governance.

Even the u’lemaa’ from the salaf feared the corruption of their own times even though, the ummah of their times was secured in Darul Islam, implementing the shari’ah at the State level and they were united under one Imaam, yet today we have an absence of all of these and many hundreds of times the munkar that they witnessed. It is reported that Maalik ibn Dinaar once recited the ayah “There were in the city nine men who cause corruption in the land and would not cause reform…” (27:48) and he said ‘Nowadays there are people in every tribe and district who cause corruption in the land and do not cause reform’ It is also reported that he said ‘we have become accustomed to loving the world so that we do not command ma’roof or forbid munkar to one another. Allah ta’ala will certainly not permit us to continue doing this, but would that I knew what kind of punishment will befall us!’ (both statements reported by Imaam Qazwini in ‘Mukhtasar Shu’bul Imaan’) And indeed Maalik ibn Dinaar was correct as Allah (swt) has not permitted the Muslim world to continue in neglect of their duties, the Muslim world is now in its weakest condition ever. Millions of women are raped and their screams of desperation are left with no response. Thousands of children are orphaned daily due to starvation, disease and the oppressive military invasions orchestrated by the disbelievers. Crime is rampant in every community and the weak are left to the merciless externally imposed authorities who torture, imprison and slaughter all but their slaves. This sickening condition we can only expect to continue or even worsen unless a sufficient number of believers arise in response to the ayah “O you who believe! Whoever from among you turns back from his deen, Allah will bring a people whom He will love and they will love Him, humble towards the believers and stern towards the disbelievers, striving in the way of Allah and never fearing the blame of the blamers. That is the Grace of Allah which He bestows on whom He wills. And Allah is All Sufficient [Waasi’un] for His creatures needs, All Knower [A’leem]” (al Maai’dah 5:54)

However, even in the absence of the complete Islamic system the Muslims have been emphatically commanded to bring about change in society by da’wah and amr bil ma’roof wan nahi anil munkar. From the beginning of the mission of every prophet we see the prophetic actions were directed towards calling people to tawheed and reforming the society in accordance with the laws that had been revealed to them, this is confirmed by numerous ayaat such as “And We send not the messengers but as givers of good news [mubashireena] and as warners [mundhireena]. So whosoever belioeves and does righteous action upon such shall come no fear nor shall they grieve.” (al Ana’m 6:48) and “Messengers of good news [mubashireena] and warning [mundhireena] in order that mankind should have no plea against Allah after the messengers. And Allah is A’zeezan Hakeeman” (an Nisaa’ 4:165) This is one type of proof that demonstates that the messengers came to constantly be engaged in amr bil ma’roof wan nahi anil munkar and this is because the warning is for those of false belief and wrong actions and the good news is for those of correct belief and righteous action. The second verse also establishes that the message must be conveyed to mankind and Nabi (saw) was specifically sent with the additional task of conveying to mankind one shari’ah so that everyone is commanded to be of the same deen and following the same prophet.

It is established by the wahi that the environment has an effect on the beliefs, thoughts emotions and actions of people. It is reported by Abu Hurayrah that Nabi (saw) said “Each child is born on the Fitrah but his parents make him a Jew or a Christian. It is like the way an animal gives birth to a normal offspring. Have you noticed any born mutilated before you mutilate them?” (BUKHAARI Eng/Arabic [vol.8 no.597] MUSLIM [no.6423]) So the environment will either have a positive or negative influence, if a negative influence is not removed then their will be harmful consequences. These harmful elements must be removed or avoided within the self, within the family, within the community, within the country and globally. So if the Muslims neglected to forbid the munkar in themselves then they would become corrupt as their bad deeds would continue to accumulate and misguide them further, Abu Hurayrah “When the believer sins a black spot is put on his heart. If he repents, refrains and seeks forgiveness his heart is cleaned from it. If he sins again it increases until it takes over his heart. That rusting is mentioned by Allah, the Most High, in His book – “Nay, but on their hearts is the rusting for that which they have earned (Mutafiffeen :14)” (TIRMIDHI [no.3334] IBN MAAJAH [4244] AHMAD [2/297] IBN HIBBAAN [2448] AL HAAKIM [2/157] declared ‘saheeh’ by adh Dhahabi and Al Haakim) Similarly if they were to neglect forbidding munkar within their families then this would lead to the disobedience of the wife and the disobedience of the children and then they would carry this munkar to their other relatives and friends, it is reported by Abu Moosa that Nabi (saw) said “The parable of the righteous gathering and the evil gathering is like the dealer of musk and the blacksmith’s furnace. You will not leave the dealer of musk without buying some of it or getting some of its smell, while the furnace will either burn your house or clothes or give you a bad smell.” (BUKHAARI Eng/Arabic [vol.3 no.314 vol.7 no.442], MUSLIM) Ibn Hajr al Asqalaani (d. h) said regarding this hadeeth ‘in this hadeeth is the prohibition of gatherings which will harm the participants in their deen and worldly life, and it encourages gatherings in which the participants will derive benefit’ (‘Fathul Baari’ [4/324]) Imaam an Nawawi (d. h) said regarding this hadeeth ‘It shows the virtue of the gatherings of the righteous, the good people, people of valor, honour, good character, piety, knowledge and manners and the prohibition of gatherings of the evil people, people of innovations, and whoever slanders people or steeps himself in sin and falsehood and other types of blameworthy behaviour’ (Sharh Muslim [16/178]) This would lead to the breakdown of the family which would then be replaced with many social harms such as fornication, adultery, homosexuality and prostitution. And such an environment would then mislead even those who were in functioning families. And if the Muslims would not forbid the munkar within their local communities then these communities would effect the other communities that they interact with and anyone living within these communities would become effected by the munkar. And from among the greatest form of munkar is that the haraam is made permissable by the rulers, judges and legislators as this would give license to the whole country to follow dalaalah. If the legislators, rulers and judges allowed the absence of the necessary ma’roof to remain absent then this would give license for all the people to neglect their obligations and this detrimental state of affairs would escalate. This poisonous disease would mean that people are educated with munkar and encouraged and motivated towards committing munkar, their economic and social transactions would not be based on the shari’ah of Islam but the inadequate and ever changing rules of kufr that serve the few at the expense of the vast majority. This would mean that riba would be permissable so that gigantic corporations and financial institutions would be able to feed like parasites off of the falsely induced fears of people and the poor would therefore get poorer and they would turn to criminal activities in order to survive which would then lead to more hostilities. The relations between people would not be based upon tawheed and righteous actions but it would be based on a false criterion that would be harmful so that social unrest would occur such relations would include tribalism, racism and nationalism all of which are harmful bonds that lead to divisions and hostilities.

When a people have been taught and developed in a continuous state of munkar then they would grow to tolerate it at first and next there would be a regression to regarding the munkar as a norm and this would lead to a total acceptance of it and even regarding the munkar as ma’roof. And indeed it is common to see many people who call themselves Muslims today regarding many of the things known from the deen by necessity (ma’loom min ad deen bid duroorah) as munkar as permissable. Examples of this are those who call the Muslims to support the kaafir political parties, and those who justify ribaa in the forms of insurance, mortgages and interest also those who contribute to the corruption of the society by the sale of music, corrupt films and alcohol. Anas reported that Nabi (saw) said “Among the signs of the Hour are the following – knowledge will decrease and ignorance will prevail, fornication and the drinking of wine will be common…” (BUKHAARI kitaabul I’lm) and A’bdullah ibn A’mru ibn al A’ss reported that Nabi (saw) said “The Hour will not come until Allah takes away the best people on earth, only the worst people will be left they will not know any good nor forbid any evil.” (AHMAD[1/454]) Many people who regard themselves as Muslims often do not realise that they have are uttering kufr daily performing kufr acts, so from this we see that not even the first pillar of Islam is understood by many people Abu Hurayrah reported that Nabi (saw) said “Woe to the Arabs from the great evil which is nearly approaching them, it will be like patches of dark night. A man will wake up as a believer and be a kaafir by nightfall. People will sell their religion for a small amount of worldly goods. The one who clings to his religion on that day will be as one who is grasping a hot coal or thorns” (AHMAD [2/390])