بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
قال جل ذكره: اذهب أنت و أخوك بئايتي و لا تنيا في ذكري
“You, and your brother, go [to Fir’aun] with My signs, and not do not be negligent of My remembrance.”
(سورة طه، آية ٤٢)
عن النبي صلى الله عليه و سلم فيما روي عن الله تبارك و تعالى انه قال يا عبادي اني حرمت الظلم على نفسي و جعلته بينكم محرما فلا تظالموا
“O, My slaves! Without a doubt, I have made oppression unlawful for Myself, and I have made it unlawful for you all, so do not oppress one another.”
( صحيح مسلم، كتاب البر و الصلة و الآداب، باب تحريم الظلم)
In the time of the Sahabah رضي الله عنهم one of the governors of Madinah, drunk off his own power, unjustly violated the wealth of one of the companions. That companion told the governor, “I swear by Allah, if you don’t give me back my right, I will take up my sword,” and then he went and stood in the Masjid of the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه و سلم and invoked the Hilf al-Fudhul (Alliance of Virtue).1
The Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه و سلم once mentioned:
لقد شهدت في دار عبدالله بن جدعان حلفا ما أحب أن لي به حمر النعم ولو ادعى به في الإسلام لأجبت
“I was present in the house of Abdullah ibn Jud’an at the formation of such an alliance that I wouldn’t like to possess red camels in exchange for, and if I was called to it in Islam, I would surely respond.”2
The alliance referred to was formed because the custodians of the Ka’bah, the masters of Makkah, the Quraysh used to engage in acts of oppression in the Haram, due to which Abdullah ibn Jud’an and Zubayr ibn Abdul-Muttalib stood up and called them to make a pact to help one another and to side with the oppressed against the oppressors.3
Because Allah has ordered the believers to help the oppressed, the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه و سلم said that if he was called to a similar pact in Islam, he would respond.4
So the companion invoked this pact to help the oppressed, whomsoever they might be, and stand with them until their rights were restored to them. Abdullah ibn Zubayr رضي الله عنه responded, “And I also swear by Allah that if he calls us, I will take up my sword and stand with him until he is given his right, or we all die.”
The news of this reached al-Miswar ibn Makhramah رضي الله عنه, and he responded in a similar manner. And the news reached Abdullah ibn Uthman ibn Ubaydullah, and he responded in a similar manner. When all this reached the ears of the governor, he restored the companions right.5
It is an obligation on the Muslims to stop wrong doing with every possible means. Enjoining the good and prohibiting the wrong is an obligation on every individual of the Muslim ummah, in accordance with each individuals’ ability.
The Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه و سلم has said:
من رأى منكم منكرا فليغييره بيده فإن لم يستطع فبلسانه فإن لم يستطع فبقلبه و ذلك أضعف الإيمان
“Whoever see a wrong being done should stop it with their hands, if they are not able to do so they should stop it with their tongue, and if they are not able then they should dislike it in their heart, and this is the weakest form of faith.”6
Some scholars have called this hadith half of the Divine law, and others have said that this is Islam, in its entirety, because Islam is either some good act that is necessary to enjoin, or a wrong from which it is necessary to forbid people.7
This narration explains that their are two stages of preventing wrong:
1. Stopping it with the hand and the tongue, and this is necessary in accordance with one’s strength and ability.
2. Objecting to the wrong with one’s heart. This is fardh (obligatory) on every Muslim in every state.8
Some of the Ulama have pointed out that using physical actions to stop wrongdoing is for the people in positions of authority, speaking out against the wrong is for the people of knowledge, and disliking it in one’s heart is for the general masses.9
Once Yahya ibn Mu’adh al-Razi رحمه الله was speaking about the importance of enjoining good and forbidding wrong when a woman said, “This is an obligation we (i.e. women) have not been burdened with.” Yahya responded, “Assuming that you all do not have the weapons of the tongue and hand, the weapon of your heart has not been taken away.”10
If we can not, within the bounds of our sphere of influence and to the extent we are able, stand up and physically change the wrongdoing and acts of oppression going on around us, and we can’t speak out against it, or write about it, this doesn’t give us license and permission to do absolutely nothing. At the very least, we should hate it in our hearts.
Allah جل ذكره says:
واتقوا فتنة لا تصيبن الذين ظلموا منكم خاصة واعلموا أن الله شديد العقاب
“Fear a fitnah that will not solely affect those who are oppressive; and know that Allah is severe in punishment.”11
In this ayah, Allah cautions his slaves who have accepted the truth from a fitnah, a test, and a severe trial that will be widespread and all-embracing, touching the sinners and the non-sinners; it will not come down solely on the disobedient people or those engaged in sins, rather it will envelope both sides in such a manner that it will not be warded off or lifted.12
As the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه و سلم said:
إن الله عز و جل لا يعذب العامة بعمل الخاصة حتى يروا المنكر بين ظهرانيهم و هم قادرون على أن ينكروه فلا ينكروه فإذا فعلوا ذلك عذب الله الخاصة و العامة
“Without a doubt, Allah, Mighty and Majestic, will not punish the general masses due to the actions of a few, unless they see wrong amongst them, and despite being capable of criticizing and objecting to it they do not do so. When they do that, Allah will punish [all of them].”13
That is everyone will be punished for the actions of a small group [of disobedient people]; the general masses will be punished for not objecting to the wrong just like the small group [of sinners] will be punished for their wrong actions.14
When people are openly doing wrong actions then it is from the obligatory actions for everyone who sees [that wrong] to stop it. If they are quiet, then they are all sinful. [The sinner] because of his action, and [the one who was quiet] because of his [tacit] consent.15
This ummah is the heir of a great message sent by Allah so that mankind would be extracted from [layers of] darkness and brought into the light. It is essential that they hold fast to the prophetic inheritance by enjoining every good thing and forbidding every wrong, with full faith and hoping for reward from Allah. Umar ibn al-Khattab رضي الله عنه used to recite the following ayah:
كنتم خير أمة أخرجت للناس تأمرون بالمعروف و تنهون عن المنكر
‘You are the best nation brought forth for the benefit of the people; you enjoin that which is good and forbid the wrong,’16 and then say, “Whoever is pleased that they should be from this nation, let them fulfill the condition Allah has put upon it.”17
Action Plan
Maulana Ahmad Abdul-Rahim, a graduate of Darul Uloom Trinidad, has advised that the following needs to be done:
1. The Imams need to side with the pain and anger of all the oppressed and all sermons should reflect that, and only that.
2. We should look internally at how our communities have manifested racism and perpetuated it in overt and not so overt ways.
3. We should have real points to discuss how to purge the community of those symptoms. And it should not be a job only for the Imam. The Imam should, after giving the sermon, defer to people more experienced than him in dealing with these issues such as people like myself who not only have lived this experience their whole lives but who’ve also studied it in depth, and/or elder statesman and stakeholders in the community from the African American background.
4. Ulama should partner with local antiracist groups to learn about racism, systemic oppression, and American history in this regard. They should join these organizations as humble workers rather than leaders and learn strategies on how to address racism in our communities, and thereafter eradicate it.
References:
1. ( المفهم لما اشكل من كتاب تلخيص مسلم، ج ٦، ص ٤٨٣-٤٨٤، ط. دار ابن كثير)
2.(سنن الكبرى، ج ٦، ص: ٥٩٦، ط. دار الكتب العلمية)
3. (المصدر السابق، ج ٦، ص ٥٩٦)
4. (احكام القرآن للجصاص ج ٣، ص ٢٨٤، ط. دار الإحياء التراث العربي)
5. (المفهم لما اشكل من كتاب تلخيص مسلم، ج ٦، ص ٤٨٣-٤٨٤)
6. (صحيح مسلم، كتاب الإيمان، باب بيان كون النهي عن المنكر من الإيمان)
7. (بهجة الناظرين شرح رياض الصالحين، ص ٢٧٥، ط. دار ابن الجوزي)
8. (المصدر السابق، ص ٢٧٦-٢٧٨)
9. (موسوعة فتح الملهم بشرح صحيح مسلم، ج ١، ص ٨٠٥، ط. دار الضياء)
10. (رسالة المسترشدين، ص ٩١، ط. مكتب المطبوعة الإسلامية)
11. (سورة الأنفال، آية ٢٥)
12. (تفسير ابن كثير، ج ٤، ص ٣٧، ط. دار طيبة)
13. (مسند أحمد، ح ١٧٨٧٢، ط. بيت الأفكار الدولية) & (مرقاة الفاتيح ج ٩، ص ٣٤٩، ط. دار الكتب العلمية)
14. (حاشية مسند الامام أحمد بن حنبل، ج ١٠، ص ٣٣٨، ط. الأوقاف القطرية)
15. (تفسير القرطبي ج ٩، ص ٤٨٨، ط. مؤسسة الرسالة)
16. (سورة ال عمران، آية ١١٠)
17. (بهجة الناظرين، ص ٢٧٣)
