The second group consists of those who seek to enjoin right and forbid wrong, whether by word or by hand, without qualification, understanding, forbearance, patience, or consideration of which actions are appropriate and which are not, and what lies within their ability and what does not. As Abū Thaʿlabah al-Khushanī related in the hadith:

“I asked the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, about this verse. He replied: ‘Rather, enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong. But when you see avarice obeyed, desires followed, worldly life preferred, and everyone admiring his own opinion, and you encounter a situation beyond your ability to handle, then attend to yourself and leave the affairs of the general public alone. For ahead of you are days when remaining patient will be like grasping burning embers. Whoever acts rightly during those days will have the reward of fifty men doing the same deeds.’”

Such a person enjoins and forbids, believing that he is thereby obeying Allah and His Messenger, while actually overstepping the prescribed limits. Many adherents of innovation and desires have taken this course, such as the Khawārij, the Muʿtazilah, the Rāfidah, and others who erred in their efforts to enjoin right, forbid wrong, and wage jihad for that purpose. The harm they caused outweighed the good they did. For this reason, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, commanded patience with the injustice of rulers and forbade fighting them so long as they maintained the prayer. He said:

“Give them their due rights, and ask Allah for your rights.”

We have discussed this at length elsewhere. Thus, among the principles of Ahl al-Sunnah wa-l-Jamāʿah are adhering to the united Muslim community, refraining from fighting the rulers, and abstaining from fighting during civil strife. By contrast, adherents of desires—such as the Muʿtazilah—regard fighting the rulers as one of the foundations of their religion. The Muʿtazilah hold that the foundations of their religion number