Enjoining good and forbidding evil Taught by Br Wajdi Akkari Commentary of Shaikh Ibn Uthaymeen Lesson 48

Hadith `Ubadah bin As-Samit (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: We swore allegiance to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) 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 Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) to say what was right wherever we were, and not to fear from anyone's reproach. [Al-Bukhari and Muslim] This is in contradiction from the Khawarij who believe that majority of the Muslims are Kaafir due to their sins They go against the leaders often, the first time was when one of their leaders went to the Prophet ﷺ and said “O Muhammad! Be just” when he ﷺ was distributing war booty. The Khawarij see most muslims as kaafir and hence see their bloodshed as lawful We should take it to the people of knowledge to prevent such evil. If they do not fulfil their duty we are not held accountable

Hadith explanation Ibn Uthaymeen says we do not issue with those in power as this would bring about greater evil and divide the Muslims and nothing has split the Muslims more than this since the time of 'Uthman RA. The Prophet has said that we should not go against the leader unless there is clear evidence of Kufr, then it is permissible. Sound confirmed knowledge, it is clear Kufr and not disobedience or corruption, even if it was major sins and oppression, evident infidelity. Not an issue of understanding, e.g. making the haram halal, it becomes incumbent on the people to remove him. Evidence from Allah that it is Kufr He added a fourth condition, that we cannot go against the leader if the proof is weak or doubtful If despite all this we are weak, we should not go ahead as it would result in the death of the righteous and hence it would result in greater evil

Narration Abu Musa Al Ashaari (R.A) once saw Ibn Mas'ud and told him: "Oh, Abu Abdurrahman (i.e. Abdullah ibn Mas'ud) ! I recently saw something in the Masjid which I did not approve." Ibn Mas'ud then asked: "What was it?" Abu Musa said: "You will see it if you stay alive...In the Masjid, I saw a group of people sitting in circles waiting for the Salah. Each circle is led by a person. And every person in these circles carries small stones. The leader of a circle would say: 'Say 'Allahu Akbar' a hundred times,' they will say Allahu Akbar a hundred times; then he says 'Say 'La ilaha Illa Allah', a hundred times" they will say La ilaha ill Allah a hundred times; he they says: 'Say 'Subhan Allah', a hundred times, they will say Subhana Allah a hundred times. Then Ibn Mas'ud said: "What did you tell them?" He (Abu Musa al ashaari) said: 'I didn't say anything, I wanted to wait for your opinion." Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (angrily) said: "Could you not order them to count their sins, and assured them of getting their rewards. "Then Abdullah ibn Mas'ud went ahead and we accompanied him. As he approached one of the circles, he said: "What is this that you are doing?"

Narration They said: "Oh! Abu Abdurrahman, these are pebbles to count the number of times we say Allahu Akbar, La ilaha Ill Allah, and Subhana Allah." He said: "Count your own sins, and I assure you that you are not going to lose anything of your rewards (Hasanat). Woe unto you, people of Muhammad, how fast you will be doomed. Those are your Prophet's companions available, these are his clothes not worn out yet, and his pots are not broken yet. I swear by Whom my soul is in His Hands that you are either following a religion that is better than the Prophet's religion or you are opening a door of aberration." They said: "We swear by Allah, oh, Abu Abdurrahman, that we had no intention other than doing good deeds." He said: "So what? How many people wanted to do good deeds but never got to do them? The Prophet of Allah has told us about people who recited the Qur'an with no effect on them other than the Qur'an passing through their throats. I swear by Allah, I am almost sure that most of you are from that type of people." Then he (Ibn Masood) left them. The Prophet ﷺ said that there hands would appear crusty due to continuous prostration, however they were deviant and hence the dogs of the hellfire.