Social Ethics
We begin by mentioning the social consequences of leaving this obligation. It has already been stated that the very deprivation of the blessings of this obligation is a punishment that is compounded by a number of harms:
Spread of Corruption and the Inversion of Values:
Abandoning the obligation of enjoining good and forbidding evil will automatically pave the way for the spread and prevalence of corruption. Those who engage in corruption will find no restraint or deterrent to stop their transgressions. Additionally, it will embolden others to join these corrupt individuals, leading to a widespread corruption that does not even exclude those who remain silent or neglect this obligation. The Prophet (pbuh) said: “When a sin is committed in secret, it only harms the one who commits it; but when it is committed openly and not opposed, it harms the general public.”[1]
If this obligation continues to be neglected, public morality will initially be affected by doubt, which will then transform into delight in sin, until the members of this society reach a point where they criticize those who uphold this obligation. Eventually, the situation will escalate to the point where sin and corruption become values in themselves, replacing honor, virtue, and piety.
They referred to this gradual decline in the well-known hadith: “How will it be for you when your women become corrupt, and your young men become immoral, and you do not enjoin the good nor forbid the evil?”
They asked, “Will that really happen, O Allah’s messenger?!”
He replied, “Yes, and even worse! How will it be for you when you command the evil and forbid the evil?!”
They asked, “Will that really happen, O Allah’s messenger?!”
He replied, “Yes, and even worse! How will it be for you when you see what is right as wrong and what is wrong as right?!”[2]
2- Dominance of the Oppressors and Tyrants:
Allah Almighty is the God of all people, and from His position of divinity, He grants individuals and communities the success befitting them in achieving perfection, provided they are qualified by fulfilling their duties and carrying out their responsibilities, which reflect their commitment to divine guidance. Matters in this world are not based on compulsion, as it has already been stated that Allah’s support for individuals and the Islamic community in personal and social life is, in part, dependent on supporting Allah’s religion by performing and reviving the obligation of enjoining good and forbidding evil.
Therefore, abandoning this obligation and forsaking Allah’s religion will result in Allah forsaking this nation and society.
Consequently, the result will be that this society is deprived of divine care and attention. Moreover, the natural and inevitable outcome will be the rise of a corrupt environment that will produce nothing but corrupt individuals, and the rulers of this society will be of the same nature. Al Imam Ali (a.s) referred to this when he said: “Do not abandon enjoining good and forbidding evil, or Allah will place the worst of you in charge, then you will pray, and your prayers will not be answered.”[3]
3- Divine Punishment:
Al Imam Ali (a.s) said: “What unites people is either satisfaction or displeasure. It was only one man who hamstrung the she-camel of Thamud, yet Allah’s punishment encompassed them all because they all approved of it.”[4]
A society that neglects this obligation becomes subject to Allah’s displeasure. Thus, failing to fulfill this duty will not only result in the inevitable consequences of corruption and the domination of tyrants, but the punishment that descends will not be limited to those who commit the forbidden acts. It will be widespread.
The Prophet (pbuh) said: “You must enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong, or Allah’s punishment will encompass you all.”[5]
4- Removing the Blessings of Sustenance:
Al Imam Al Sadiq (a.s) said: “Whenever a youth grows up among a people and is not disciplined for his disobedience, the first punishment Allah inflicts upon them is a decrease in their sustenance.”[6]
Allah Almighty does not withhold His provision from any creature, even atheists. As He says: “To all, both these and those, We extend from the bounty of your Lord. And the bounty of your God is never restricted”.[7]
However, certain sins, chief among them neglecting the obligation of enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong, have effects revealed in the narrations from the Ahl al-Bayt (pbuh), relating to either an increase or decrease in sustenance or the loss of its blessings.
Moreover, fulfilling one’s duties and upholding religion is a cause for the increase and growth of sustenance and its blessings. Conversely, neglecting this obligation leads to a reduction in sustenance and the loss of its blessings.
Conclusion:
The most significant consequence of neglecting the obligation of enjoining good and forbidding evil is the reversal of values within society. Concepts and principles become distorted to the point that it resembles a form of moral disfigurement. Just as fulfilling this duty contributes to the beauty and grandeur of the nation, abandoning it weakens the nation’s cultural, educational, security, and economic immune system, rendering it an unbalanced and deformed entity.
In other words, neglecting this obligation strips the nation of its identity and independence, making it vulnerable to various invasions and paving the way for its downfall—a demise we hope Allah protects our nation from.
The Prophet (pbuh) said: “People will remain in goodness as long as they enjoin what is right, forbid what is wrong, and cooperate in righteousness and piety. But if they stop doing so, blessings will be taken away from them, they will be afflicted with internal strife, and they will have no helper on Earth or in Heaven.”[8]
* The Life of a Society, Al Maaref Islamic and Cultural Institution
[1] Wasail Al Shia, part 6, page 136
[2] Al Kafi, part 5, page 59
[3] Al Kafi, part 7, page 52
[4] Bihar Al Anwar, part 60, page 214
[5] Jawahir Al Kalam, Sheikh Al Jawaheri, part 21, page 359
[6] Wasail Al Shia, part 16, page 133
[7] Surah Al Isra’ verse 20
[8] Wasail Al Shia, part 11, page 398
source: english.almaaref