Date : 01-02-2010

Question :

Many violations of Sharia are committed by members of my household, namely singing, watching Turkish serials on TV, and the like. However, when I try to forbid this evil, my father says to me "What my daughters do isn`t your business", picks up a fight, and sometimes curses Allah, The Almighty. Will Allah hold me accountable if I stopped forbidding these evil deeds?


The Answer :

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of The Worlds, and may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.



Enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil is a communal obligation; therefore, it is imperative upon whoever sees or hears an evil committed by his family members, relatives and neighbors to disapprove of it since he is closest to their hearts, and knows how to convince them. Nevertheless, enjoining good and forbidding evil has its own principles and conditions that have to be met before one does it. They are:



1- It must be done to the extent of one`s ability. A proof of this is the Hadith reported on the authority of Abu Sa`eed al-Khudree (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) say: “Whosoever of you sees an evil, let him change it with his hand; and if he is not able to do so, then [let him change it] with his tongue; and if he is not able to do so, then with his heart — and that is the weakest of faith.” [Muslim]. Therefore, one who has done his best to change an evil is free from the liability before Allah, The Almighty.



2- It doesn`t lead to a greater sin knowing that changing an evil deed will cause someone to commit Kufr (Disbelief), or some major sins. There are many texts from the Noble Quran and the Prophetic Sunnah that support this view. For example: "Revile not ye those whom they call upon besides God, lest they out of spite revile God in their ignorance. Thus have We made alluring to each people its own doings. In the end will they return to their Lord, and We shall then tell them the truth of all that they did." {Al-An`am/108}.



Although you (Asker) concern about your family and being displeased with their falling into sin are commendable, we advise you to observe the aforementioned conditions, and try to find a more productive approach, but never give up on guiding them to the righteous path, even if harm befalls you as a result. Muslim scholars have stated: "It is not a condition that the efforts of the one enjoining good and forbidding evil pay off; still, he must persevere in making them, even if he is certain that they are usually of no avail, because Allah Says (What means): (teaching benefits the Believers, Adh-Dhariyat/55)." {Moghni Al-Mohtajj,vol.6/pp.11}. And Allah Knows Best.