Delay in forbidding evil

Question ID: 
2210
mk8***@gmail.com asks:

Question

Question
If it is permissible to delay denouncing evil(النهي عن المنكر) for a good reason, then if I see someone cursing, for example, if I advise him and he curses and he does not respond, and I say I will delay the advice until he calms down, but he calms down and I did not advise him, and two days passed, should I advise him after two days or is the obligation waived? And why is it waived when it is a debt? I hope for a detailed answer, may God bless you, because this is an important issue and most websites do not answer in detail, unfortunately.

Answer

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Commanding righteousness and preventing evil is one of the most important part of our Deen. This noble act is an obligation on the whole ummah. Some of it's laws which is relevant to your question will be mentioned so that you understand how to implement it.

1) Commanding righteousness and preventing evil is obligatory in obligatory actions and recommended in recommended actions. For example, if you see someone leaving out masah on the nape in wudhu, it is only recommended to inform him, not obligatory because masah of the nape is recommended, not obligatory.

2) For it to be obligatory , there are two conditions (1) Conviction in it being accepted (2) Safety from harm.

3) If the person upon whom advising was compulsory gave advice to the person involved in wrong, and he did not accept it, then it does not remain compulsory thereafter to advise him again.

4) It is important for one to be soft-natured and forbearing. If a person gives advice to others just to show off his own piety or merely to object, then the end-results will not be positive. This attitude will upset people, and they will become more persistent in the sin instead of abstaining therefrom.

Coming to your question, since you already advised him, it is not obligatory on you to advise again. Secondly, if when you start advising him he curses you before you can even complete your advice, this shows that your advice will not be of benefit to him, so it no more remain obligatory on you to continue advising him. Nevertheless, in both cases where the obligation falls off, it is still permissible or recommended to advise. Therefore, if you want to give him advice again, you can as when someone's anger goes away and cools down, he is more prone to listen to advice.

ثُمَّ اعْلَمْ أَنَّهُ إِذَا كَانَ الْمُنْكَرُ حَرَامًا وَجَبَ الزَّجْرُ عَنْهُ، وَإِذَا كَانَ مَكْرُوهًا نُدِبَ، وَالْأَمْرُ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ أَيْضًا تَبَعٌ لِمَا يُؤْمَرُ بِهِ، فَإِنْ وَجَبَ فَوَاجِبٌ، وَإِنْ نُدِبَ فَمَنْدُوبٌ (مرقاة، باب الأمر بالمعروف)

وَيَنْبَغِي أَنْ يَكُونَ التَّعْرِيفُ أَوَّلًا بِاللُّطْفِ وَالرِّفْقِ لِيَكُونَ أَبْلَغَ فِي الْمَوْعِظَةِ وَالنَّصِيحَةِ ثُمَّ التَّعْنِيفِ بِالْقَوْلِ لَا بِالسَّبِّ وَالْفُحْشِ ثُمَّ بِالْيَدِ كَإِرَاقَةِ الْخَمْرِ وَإِتْلَافِ الْمَعَازِفِ ذَكَرَ الْفَقِيهُ فِي كِتَابِ الْبُسْتَانِ أَنَّ الْأَمْرَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ عَلَى وُجُوهٍ إنْ كَانَ يَعْلَمُ بِأَكْبَرِ رَأْيِهِ أَنَّهُ لَوْ أَمَرَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ يَقْبَلُونَ ذَلِكَ مِنْهُ وَيُمْنَعُونَ عَنْ الْمُنْكَرِ فَالْأَمْرُ وَاجِبٌ عَلَيْهِ وَلَا يَسَعُهُ تَرْكُهُ وَلَوْ عَلِمَ بِأَكْبَرِ رَأْيِهِ أَنَّهُ لَوْ أَمَرَهُمْ بِذَلِكَ قَذَفُوهُ وَشَتَمُوهُ فَتَرْكُهُ أَفْضَلُ، وَكَذَلِكَ لَوْ عَلِمَ أَنَّهُمْ يَضْرِبُونَهُ وَلَا يَصْبِرُ عَلَى ذَلِكَ وَيَقَعُ بَيْنَهُمْ عَدَاوَةٌ وَيَهِيجُ مِنْهُ الْقِتَالُ فَتَرْكُهُ أَفْضَلُ، وَلَوْ عَلِمَ أَنَّهُمْ لَوْ ضَرَبُوهُ صَبَرَ عَلَى ذَلِكَ وَلَا يَشْكُو إلَى أَحَدٍ فَلَا بَأْسَ بِأَنْ يَنْهَى عَنْ ذَلِكَ وَهُوَ مُجَاهِدٌ وَلَوْ عَلِمَ أَنَّهُمْ لَا يَقْبَلُونَ مِنْهُ وَلَا يَخَافُ مِنْهُ ضَرْبًا وَلَا شَتْمًا فَهُوَ بِالْخِيَارِ وَالْأَمْرُ أَفْضَلُ كَذَا فِي الْمُحِيطِ. (الفتاوى الهندية - كتاب الكراهية)

Answered by:
(Mf) Abdul Haadi
For the Jamiatul Ulama of Mauritius