Enjoining of the good and the Forbidding of the evil
عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ خَالِدٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عُمَرَ بْنِ عَرَفَةَ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا الْحَسَنِ ( عليه السلام ) يَقُولُ لَتَأْمُرُنَّ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَ لَتَنْهُنَّ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ أَوْ لَيُسْتَعْمَلَنَّ عَلَيْكُمْ شِرَارُكُمْ فَيَدْعُو خِيَارُكُمْ فَلَا يُسْتَجَابُ لَهُمْ
A number of our companions, from Ahmad Bin Muhammad Bin Khalid, from Muhammad Bin Isa, from Muhammad Bin Umar Bin Arafa who said,
‘I heard Abu Al-Hassan-asws saying: ‘You should be enjoining with the good and should be forbidding from the evil, or else your evil ones would become office bearers upon you, then your good ones would be supplicating, but it would not be Answered for them’’.[1]
كنز: روى الشيخ المفيد قدس الله روحه بإسناده إلى محمد بن السائب الكلبي قال: لما قدم الصادق (عليه السلام) العراق نزل الحيرة فدخل عليه أبو حنيفة وسأله عن مسائل وكان مما سأله أن قال له: جعلت فداك ما الامر بالمعروف ؟
It is reported by Sheykh Al Mufeed, may Allah-azwj Sanctify his soul, by his chain going up to Muhammad Bin Al Saib Al Kalby who said,
When Al-Sadiq-asws proceeded to Al-Iraq, he-asws encamped at Al-Hira. Abu Haneefa came to him-asws and asked him about certain issues, and it was from what he asked him-asws, that he said to him-asws, ‘May I be sacrificed for you-asws! What is ‘Amr Bin Marouf’ (enjoining of the good)?’
فقال (عليه السلام): المعروف يا أبا حنيفة المعروف في أهل السماء المعروف في أهل الارض وذاك أمير المؤمنين علي بن أبي طالب (عليه السلام)
He-asws said: ‘المعروف’ Al-Marouf’, O Abu Haneefa, is the one well-known among the people of the sky and the one well-known among the people of the earth, and that is Amir Al-Momineen Ali-asws Bin Abu Talib-asws’.
قال: جعلت فداك فما المنكر ؟ قال: اللذان ظلماه حقه وابتزاه أمره، وحملا الناس على كتفه
‘May I be sacrificed for you-asws! So, what is ‘Al-Munkar’ (the evil to be forbidden from)?’ He-asws said: ‘Those two (Abu Bakr & Umar) who oppressed him-asws of his-asws rights and swindled his-asws command, and loaded the people upon his-asws shoulders’.
قال: ألا ما هو أن ترى الرجل على معاصي الله فتنهاه عنها ؟
He said, ‘Is it not what you see the man upon an act of disobedience of Allah-azwj so you forbid him from it?’
فقال أبو عبد الله (عليه السلام): ليس ذاك أمر بمعروف ولا نهي عن منكر إنما ذاك خير قدمه
Abu Abdullah-asws said: ‘That is not ‘Amr Bil Marouf’ nor is it ‘Nahy An Munkar’. But rather, that is (the) good he sends forward’.
قال أبو حنيفة: أخبرني جعلت فداك عن قول الله عزوجل: (ثم لتسئلن يومئذ عن النعيم)
Abu Haneefa said, ‘May I be sacrificed for you-asws! Inform me about the Words of Allah-azwj Mighty and Majestic: Then you will be Questioned on that Day about the boons (benefits) [102:8]’.
قال: فما هو عندك يا أبا حنيفة ؟ قال، الامن في السرب، وصحة البدن، والقوت الحاضر. فقال: يا أبا حنيفة لئن وقفك الله أو اوقفك يوم القيامة حتى يسألك عن كل أكلة أكلتها وشربة شربتها ليطولن وقوفك
He-asws said: ‘So, what is it as, with you, O Abu Haneefa?’ He said, ‘The security in the flock (community) and the health of the body, and the daily subsistence of the present’. He-asws said: ‘O Abu Haneefa! If Allah-azwj were to Pause you, or stops you on the Day of Qiyamah until He-azwj Questions you about every food you had eaten and drink you had drunk, your pausing would be prolonged’.
قال: فما النعيم جعلت فداك ؟ قال: النعيم نحن، الذين أنقذ الله الناس بنا من الضلالة، وبصرهم بنا من العمى، وعلمهم بنا من الجهل
He said, ‘So, what (are) the Boons, may I be sacrificed for you-asws?’ He-asws said: ‘We-asws are the Boons, those Allah-azwj Saved the people through us-asws from the straying, and made them seeing through us-asws from the blindness, and Taught them through us-asws from the ignorance’.
قال: جعلت فداك فكيف كان القرآن جديدا أبدا ؟ قال: لانه لم يجعل لزمان دون زمان فتخلقه الايام، ولو كان كذلك لفني القرآن قبل فناء العالم
He said, ‘May I be sacrificed for you-asws! How will the Quran be fresh forever?’ He-asws said: ‘Because it is not Made for a (particular) era, an era made defunct by the days, and if it was like that, the Quran would perish before the annihilation of the universe’.[2]
[1] Al Kafi – V 5 – The Book of Jihaad Ch 25 H 3
[2] Bihar Al Anwaar – V 10, The book of Argumentation, S 3 Ch 13 H 10