Levels of Enjoining Right and Forbidding Wrong
The Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said:
“Whoever among you sees something objectionable must change it with his hand; if he cannot, then with his tongue; and if he cannot, then with his heart—and that is the weakest level of faith.”
It is therefore clear that enjoining what is right, forbidding what is wrong, and completing this duty through jihad are among the greatest forms of good to which we have been called. Hence the maxim: “Let your enjoining right and forbidding wrong not itself be objectionable.” Because this ranks among the foremost obligations and recommended deeds, the benefit it brings must outweigh any resulting harm. Such is the purpose for which the messengers were sent and the scriptures revealed, and Allah does not love corruption; on the contrary, everything He commands is pure rectitude. Allah praises rectitude, those who set things right, and those who believe and perform righteous deeds, while censuring those who spread corruption in numerous passages.
Accordingly, when the harm of enjoining or forbidding outweighs its benefit, that action is not something Allah has commanded—even if, by refraining, a duty is neglected or a prohibition violated. The believer’s obligation is to fear Allah with respect to His servants; their guidance is not in his hands. This is the meaning of His words:
“O you who believe, take care of your own souls. Those who go astray will not harm you once you have been guided” (Qur’an 5:105).
True guidance is completed only by fulfilling one’s duties. Thus, when a Muslim performs the obligation of enjoining right and forbidding wrong as he performs his other obligations, the misguidance of those who stray will not harm him.
This duty is sometimes carried out with the heart, sometimes with the tongue, and sometimes with the hand. As for the heart, it is required in every circumstance, for it causes no harm; whoever fails to exercise it is not truly a believer, as the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said: “That is the lowest—or the weakest—level of faith.”