Thursday, January 27, 2011

The Importance of Enjoining What Is Good

People of wisdom state:In the time of Yusha 'alaihis-salam, Allahu ta'ala destroyed a tribe that consisted of forty thousand pious Muslims and sixty thousand disobedient, sinful Muslims. The angels asked Him, "O our Lord! We will destroy the disobedient ones, but what will we do to the abids [those who worship much]?" Allahu ta'ala answered, "Destroy them, too!" The angels wondered the reason behind this and asked Him about it. Thereupon, Allahu ta'ala said, "[The reason why this is so is that] they did not call evil whom I called evil. They ate and drank with the evil doers and befriended them. They did not enjoin them to do what was good [amr bil ma'ruf]. While they were heading for the Fire, they made no effort to rescue them from it, nor did they convey my religion. They did not even make a grimace. Then destroy them all."
So we should strive to save not only ourselves but also our families, people around us, communities we live in, and the company we keep. Saving people means conveying the religion of our Lord to them correctly. However, the real savior is Allahu ta'ala; we are only trying to be a means, an instrument. Guidance is from Allahu ta'ala.

Allahu ta'ala has sent human beings to the earth so that they should worship Him, and He said, "I created humans and genies so that they should worship Me alone." That is, it means "I created them so that they should know Me, accept Me as their Lord, and obey what I say" because He states that He has put the whole universe at their service. Whatever exists on the earth and in the heavens is for the benefit of humans. The human, who is so honored and esteemed, becomes utterly contemptible if he forgets what he was created for.

If any part of the body has a minor wound, the whole body suffers and falls ill. Similarly, we are one Ummah. One Ummah means one body. How can a person save himself on his own? Just as a person is composed of cells, so a community, like cells, is composed of individuals. If adversities that befall Muslims living in any country do not sadden us, it is that there is something wrong with us. If we are not deeply moved by the terrible conditions those Muslims are in and by the sufferings they are going through, there is a defect in our faith.

If there is a person at a gathering whom Allahu ta'ala is pleased with, He forgives them all for the sake of that person. Allahu ta'ala is so merciful that He, when people of the same path and faith come to His presence, does not select the good ones and reject the others. In the Hereafter people will be with whomever they kept company in the world. Therefore, what should be done is to be with good people and to be among them.

May Allahu ta'ala always make us encounter good people and enable us to do good deeds! May He bless us with the lot of being in the company of virtuous people and attaining their association! May He protect us against the evils of enemies, of our nafses, and of devils!

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