Part of Lives of the Salaf — the Pious Predecessors (series completed)
· Lesson 24 of 72
A summary of the life of the Salaf between words and deeds | Episode (24) | Enjoining good and forbidding evil
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Transcript
Machine translation — may contain errors
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In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
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The lives of the salaf.
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Between speech and action.
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Enjoining good and forbidding evil.
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The importance and merit of enjoining good and forbidding evil.
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And the consequence for those who abandon it.
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Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, recited this verse:
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“O ye who believe! Ye have charge of your own souls. He who erreth cannot injure you if ye are rightly guided. Unto Allah ye will all return; and then He will inform you of what ye used to do.” (5:105)
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“O ye who believe! Ye have charge of your own souls. He who erreth cannot injure you if ye are rightly guided. Unto Allah ye will all return; and then He will inform you of what ye used to do.” (5:105)
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Then he said:
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"People misapply this verse, placing it where it does not belong."
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"Verily, I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, say:"
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"If people see an oppressor and do not restrain his hand,"
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"And see an evil and do not change it,"
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"Allah will encompass them all with His punishment."
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Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman, may Allah be pleased with him, said:
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"A man may enter a situation where he is obligated to speak for the sake of Allah,"
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"Yet he does not speak."
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"And his heart will never return to what it once was."
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He, may Allah be pleased with him, also said:
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"A man would speak a word during the time of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,"
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"And become a hypocrite because of it."
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"Yet today, I hear one of you say it four times in a single sitting."
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"You must enjoin the good and forbid the evil,"
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"And encourage one another toward righteousness,"
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"Or Allah will surely overwhelm you all with a punishment,"
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"Or He will cause your worst to rule over you,"
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"Then your best will call upon Him, and they will not be answered."
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Abu al-Darda', may Allah be pleased with him, said:
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"No believer gives a charity more beloved to Allah, the Almighty and Majestic,"
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"Than an exhortation with which he counsels his people,"
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"So that they disperse having been benefited by Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, through it."
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Al-Fudayl, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
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"Those who attained high status among us did not do so through excessive fasting or prayer,"
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"Rather, they attained it through generosity of soul, soundness of heart,"
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"And sincere counsel to the Ummah."
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Al-Dahhak, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
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"Enjoining good and forbidding evil is among the obligatory duties of Allah, the Blessed and Exalted."
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'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
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"It used to be said that Allah does not punish the general public for the sins of the elite,"
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"But if evil is committed openly,"
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"They all deserve punishment."
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Etiquette and advice for those who enjoin good and forbid evil.
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Abu al-Darda', may Allah be pleased with him, passed by a man who had committed a sin,
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And the people were reviling him.
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He said:
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"Tell me, if you found him in a well,"
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"Would you not pull him out?"
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They replied, "Yes."
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He said:
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"Then do not revile your brother,"
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"But praise Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, who has spared you."
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They asked, "Do you not hate him?"
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He said:
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"I only hate his action,"
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"So if he abandons it, he is my brother."
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Sa'id ibn Jubayr, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
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I said to Ibn 'Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him:
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"Should I enjoin the ruler to do good and forbid him from evil?"
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He said:
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"If you fear he will kill you, then do not."
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He said:
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Then I returned [to the topic],
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And he said the same to me.
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And he said:
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"If you must do it,"
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"Then do it between you and him."
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Tawus, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
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A man came to Ibn 'Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, and said:
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"Shall I stand before this ruler and enjoin him and forbid him?"
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He said:
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"Do not be a source of tribulation for him."
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He said:
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"What if he commands me to disobey Allah, the Almighty and Majestic?"
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He said:
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"That is what you intend?"
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"Then be a man in that moment."
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Al-Fudayl ibn 'Iyad, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
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"The believer conceals, counsels, and advises,"
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"While the wicked person exposes, shames, and spreads."
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Bishr ibn al-Harith, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
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"No one should enjoin good and forbid evil,"
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"Except one who can endure the harm."
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Talhah ibn Musarrif, may Allah have mercy on him, passed by Hujr ibn Wa'il,
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Who was sitting at the door of his house.
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He whispered something to him, then walked on.
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Hujr said,
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"May Allah reward you with good," and prayed for him.
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Then he said:
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"Do you know what he said?"
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He said:
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"I saw you looking around during the Friday prayer; do not do that."
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It was said to Imam Malik ibn Anas, may Allah have mercy on him:
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"There are people who, if I command them, they obey me,"
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"And others who, if I command them, I am harmed by them."
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"So what should I do?"
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He said:
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"If you fear and think they will not obey you,"
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"Then leave it and forbid it in your heart,"
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"For you have leeway in that."
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"But whoever you do not fear, enjoin him and forbid him,"
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"Especially if you seek the pleasure of Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, through it."
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"If you are like that,"
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"You will see nothing but good,"
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"Especially if you possess a gentle nature."
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Do you not see the words of Allah the Exalted
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To Musa and Harun, peace be upon them both:
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“And speak unto him a gentle word, that peradventure he may heed or fear.” (20:44)
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"If you are harsh in your command, it will not be accepted from you,"
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"And you will be exposed to what you dislike,"
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"And you will depart from the ranks of the people of the Qur'an."
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From Abu 'Abdullah ibn al-Rabi', may Allah have mercy on him,
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He said:
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I entered upon Sufyan al-Thawri, may Allah have mercy on him, in Basra,
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And I said, "O Abu 'Abdullah,"
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"I am with these inspectors (muhtasibun),"
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"And we enter upon these wicked people,"
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"And we climb over the walls."
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He said, "Do they not have doors?"
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I said, "Yes,"
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"But we enter upon them so they do not flee."
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He disapproved of that strongly,
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And criticized our actions.
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Then he said:
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"No one should enjoin good or forbid evil,"
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"Unless he possesses three qualities:"
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"Gentle in what he enjoins,"
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"Gentle in what he forbids,"
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"Just in what he enjoins, just in what he forbids,"
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"Knowledgeable in what he enjoins, knowledgeable in what he forbids."
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Imam Ahmad, may Allah have mercy on him, was asked:
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"People need tact,"
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"And gentleness in enjoining good, without harshness,"
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"Except for a man who openly declares his immorality,"
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"For he has no sanctity."
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He also said, may Allah have mercy on him:
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"Do not confront the ruler,"
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"For his sword is drawn."
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Abu al-'Abbas said:
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Juwayn once prayed behind Abu 'Abdullah, Imam Ahmad, may Allah have mercy on him.
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When he prostrated,
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He gathered his garment with his left hand.
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I was at his side.
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When we finished praying,
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He said to me, lowering his voice:
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"The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:"
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"When one of you stands for prayer,"
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"He should not tuck up his hair or his garment."
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When we stood up,
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Juwayn said to me,
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"What was he saying to you?"
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I said,
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"He said such and such to me,"
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"And I do not think the meaning was for anyone but you."
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The Wazir Ibn Hubayrah, may Allah have mercy on him, said to someone who enjoins good:
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"Strive to conceal the sinners,"
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"For the appearance of their sins is a blemish upon the people of Islam,"
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"And the most important of matters is to conceal faults."
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The obligation of enjoining good and forbidding evil,
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Even if one is deficient.
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'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
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"If a person were not to counsel his brother until he had perfected his own affairs,"
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"And completed what was torn in his worship of his Lord,"
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"Then people would abandon goodness,"
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"And enjoining good and forbidding evil would be lifted,"
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"And those who preach and strive for the sake of Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, with counsel on earth would be few."
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The obligation of enjoining good,
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Even if one does not act upon everything he says.
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From Abu al-Darda', may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
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"I enjoin you to do things that I do not do myself,"
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"But perhaps Allah will reward me for it."
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Malik ibn Dinar, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
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"I enjoin you to do things that my own actions do not reach,"
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"But if I forbid you from something and then I contradict you by doing it,"
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"Then on that day, I am a liar."
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Stories and incidents.
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From 'Umar ibn Muhajir, who said:
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'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz, may Allah have mercy on him, said to me:
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"If you see me deviate from the truth,"
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"Place your hand on my collar, shake me, and say:"
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"'O 'Umar, what are you doing?'"
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Shuja' ibn al-Walid said:
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I used to perform Hajj with Sufyan al-Thawri, may Allah have mercy on him,
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And his tongue would hardly ever cease from enjoining good and forbidding evil,
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Going and returning.
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Silah ibn Ashyam, may Allah have mercy on him, used to go out to the graveyard,
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And worship there.
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He would pass by young men who were playing and having fun,
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And he would say to them:
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"Tell me about a people who wanted to travel,"
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"So they avoided the road during the day,"
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"And slept during the night,"
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"When will they complete their journey?"
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He would pass by them like that and counsel them.
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One day he passed by them,
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And said this statement to them.
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A young man among them became alert and said:
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"O people, he means none other than us,"
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"We play during the day and sleep at night."
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Then he followed Silah and continued to accompany him to the graveyard,
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Worshipping with him until he died.
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Musa Ibn Ibrahim narrated:
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I was in the presence of Ma'ruf al-Karkhi, may Allah have mercy on him,
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when a man was there mentioning another person and began to backbite him.
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Ma'ruf began saying to him,
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"Remember the cotton [used for the eyes of the deceased] when they place it upon your eyes."
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Muhammad Ibn al-Munkadir, may Allah have mercy on him, once passed
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by a young man who was flirting with a woman.
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He said, "O my son,
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this is not how one repays the blessing that Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, has bestowed upon you."
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Ibn Jarir, may Allah have mercy on him, was
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someone who would not let the blame of any critic deter him from the cause of Allah,
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despite the immense harm and defamation he endured
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from the ignorant, the envious, and the heretic.