The Root Cause

From the above "Hadith" it is clear, that the abandonment of the act of "Amir bil maruf wa nahi anil munkar" (enjoining the good and forbidding the evil) has usually been the root cause of "Allah Ta'ala's" anger and displeasure and His eventual wrath. And if the "Ummat-e-Mohammadiah" be- comes guilty of that neglect and omission, the punishment to he given to them will be more severe than to the earlier people, because they would have failed to recognise their exclusive obligation and neglected to fulfil the sole mission in their life. For this reason, the Holy Prophet (sallallaho alaihe wasallam) has enjoined the act of "Amir bil maruf wa nahi anil munkar" (enjoining the good and forbidding the evil) "as the essence and the pivot of the faith of Islam" and the abandonment of that act as the cause of decay and decline of the faith. In the "Hadis" of Abu Saeed Khudri, (radi Allaho anho) it is mentioned: "When anyone of you witnesses the commission of evil, he should use his hands to prevent it; and if he has not the power to do this, he should use his tongue; and if he has not the power to do even this, he should use the power of his heart; and this last represents the weakest degree of faith." 

There is yet a clearer version of the same "Hadis" from Ibnu Masud (radi Allaho anho): It is usual for Allah to so arrange that every Prophet leaves behind a group of his companions who perpetuate His message, who follow it rigorously and pre- serve the holy message exactly in the form in which the Messenger left it. Then comes an epoch of mischief and error, an epoch that witnesses the birth of people who step aside from the path laid down by the Prophet. Their actions are at variance with their proclamations; their activities are not warranted by the holy law. So whosoever arises in defence of Truth and Law, and opposes the miscreants with his hands , is a true believer; he who cannot do this but uses his tongue, is a believer too; and he who cannot, do even this, but uses the power of his heart, is also a believer; but less than this, there is no degree of faith-(Muslim). The vital importance of Tabligh (the task of propagation) has been further emphasized by Imam Ghazali, (rahmatullah alaih) in the following manner: "There can be no doubt that the act of "amr bil maruf wa nahi anil munkar" is that solid pillar of Islam, on which each and every article of faith rests. It is for this very mission that Allah Ta’ala deputed all the Holy Prophets. If unfortunately, it is ignored or forgotten and its methods and practices are given up , one has to say that the very purpose of prophethood is totally defeated and rendered meaningless. Thereafter, the conscience, which is the capital wealth of man, will wither and degenerate. Indolence and dullness of mind will prevail. The highway to vice and arrogance will be opened up and barbarity will spread in the whole world. All achievements of man will become dangerous and even harmful. Human relationship will break down. Civilization will be ruined. Mankind will be reduced to utter moral destitution. But, the vivid realisation of all this will come only on the Day of Judgement, when the entire mankind will be under trial before the Almighty Allah Ta'ala and called upon to account for each and every action." "Alas! Alas! The fear has come true, that which was apprehended is before our eyes. T h e tower of knowledge and enlightenment has been demolished and its benefits and effects have been completely wiped out. Consequently, mutual contempt and humiliation are rampant. Nothing, of the sublime relation- ship between man and his Creator, is left in human hearts; on the contrary, man, like an animal, has become the slave of his passions. Indeed, not only is there a paucity of true Muslims in this world now, but it is practically impossible to meet anyone who is prepared to bear the inevitable privations for the sake of propagating Islam. "Any Muslim who dares to take steps to remove the present state of ruin and devastation, endeavours to revive the act of propagation and comes forward to shoulder that heavy responsibility, will surely rank a s the noblest a n d the most distinguished being among the whole of man- kind." He said this nearly eight hundred years ago, but his statement is very accurately applicable to us today. 

We must ponder and calmly think out what is to be done in these circumstances. There are some well-known causes which seem to be responsible for the apathy and in-difference that prevail today. These are discussed below