Qaala: Iyaakum wa al-juloos fiy at-turuqaat. Qaaloo: Yaa rasool Allah
maa lana min majaalisna budd
natahaddathu fihaa. Faqaala Rasul Allah: "Fa idhaa abaitum
illa al-majlis, fa a'too at-tariq haqqahu."
Qaaloo: Wa maa haqqu at-tariq yaa rasool Allah? Qaala: "Ghadhu
al-basar wa kaffu al-adhaa wa radd
as-salaami wa al-amr bi al-ma'roof wa an-nahiy 'an al-munkar."
The Prophet (sas) said: "Stay away from sitting in the ways."
They said: O Allah's Messenger our
sittings are necessary to us that is where we discuss things.
The Prophet (sas) said: "If you have refused
not to sit there, then give the street its right." They said:
And what is the right of the street, O Messenger
of Allah? He (sas) said: "To lower your gaze, to
withold all harm from others, to return the greeting
of salaam and to command what is right and to prohibit what is wrong."
Muslim & Bukhari
Commanding right and prohibiting wrong is an obligation on every Muslim.
It becomes an absolute obligation
upon the individual Muslim who witnesses wrongdoing and is capable
of doing something to oppose it. Allah
said:
{Let there be among you a nation who calls to good they command what
is right and
prohibit what is wrong. These are the successful ones.} Aal 'Imraan:
104
The Prophet (sas) made this a specific obligation on the one who witnesses
wrongdoing and allowe only one
of three courses of action:
Qaala Rasool Allah: Man ra'a minkum munkaran fal yughairriruhu
bi yadihi. Fa in lam yastiti' fa bi
lisaanihi. Fa in lam yastiti' fa bi qalbihi wa laisa waraa'a
dhalika habba khardalin min imaan.
The Prophet (sas) said: "Whoever among you witnesses wrongdoing,
let him correct it with his
hand. If he is unable, then let him correct it with his tongue.
If he is unable [to do that], then let him
correct it with his heart and beyond that there is not a single mustard
seed's weight of faith."
A Muslim who witnesses wrongdoing must fulfill one of these three actions in response to it:
1.Change it with his hand. Prevent the wrongdoing
by physical intervention where appropriate and where
the individual has the ability to do so.
2.Change it with his tongue. Through warning, preaching
and reminder. To remind the disobedient with
the verses of Allah and the statements of
the Prophet (sas) as to the wickedness of what they are doing
or neglecting.
3.Change it with his heart. This does NOT mean to
continue to mix and socialize with the wrongdoers
while "rejecting" their wrongdoing secretly
in one's heart. This in fact is what the Prophet (sas) has
warned us about when he cautioned us about
not falling into one of the traps the Jews fell into before us:
the scholars ordered and prohibited but the
people ignored them and continued in their foolishness.
Then, the Prophet (sas) said: "...but
they continued to eat with them, drink with them and sit with
them and so Allah made their hearts one and
the same." Rather, the meaning of "changing" evil
with your heart means that as a last resort
you must use your emotional and social relationships to turn
the disobedient back from their wrongdoing
by cutting yourself off from them and refusing to have any
relationship with them until they change their
ways. If you fail to do so, Allah may make your heart and
their hearts the same as the Prophet (sas)
informed us.
The greeting if "As-salaamu alaikum" and its response of "Wa alaikum
as-salaam" is one of the symbols of
Islam. It is something which the Prophet (sas) informed us that
if we spread it far and wide that Allah will place
love between our hearts. To give the salaam upon seeing a Muslim
is highly desired. To return the salaam
once it has been given is an absolute obligation. Even though
this obligation is so easy and only requires a
few words to roll off the tongue, how many times have we seen Muslims
who reject and disobey in this simple
obligation? Because of foolishness like jealousy, hatred, nationalism
or a prior disagreement. Allah said:
{When you are greeted with a greeting, then greet back with something
better or just
return it. Allah is taking account of all things.} An-Nisaa:
86
The "street" or going out can be a test for Muslim and many of them
are failing it. When Muslims begin
enjoying going to the mall and such places just for the "action" and
the stimulation of going there, they fall into
something hated by Allah and his Prophet (sas). If they realized
what was upon them in that context:
Lowering the gaze. Not looking
at anything forbidden and Allah knows that almost everything your eyes
rest upon in the mall is something forbidden.
Witholding all harm. Not speaking
about anyone, insulting anyone, hurting their feelings, etc. This
and
the previous item constitutes most of
what the youth who spend their time in the mall are in fact doing.
Returning the salaam. How many
Muslims have you seen who feel intimidated to return the greeting of a
Muslim when they are in the mall or
other public place?
Enjoining right and forbidding wrong.
Now there's a mouthful. How could you possibly keep up with this
in a place which is 99.9% munkar?
These are places of fulfilling needs or of some specific benefit - for
example if some Muslims set of a da'wah
booth to inform about Islam in such places.
On the other hand, going out can be filled with reward and blessing if one is up to its requirements:
The Prophet (sas) said: "Every body part of people is a sadaqa
on every day on which the sun comes
up. If you make justice between two it is a sadaqa.
If you help a man with his load carrying it for
him or lifting it onto his mount that is a sadaqa. A kind word
is a sadaqa. Every step which you take
walking to the prayer is a sadaqa. And, to remove something harmful
from the way is a sadaqa."
Muslim & Bukhari