THERE IS A story that Allah ﷻ mentions in surah al Araf that is worth revisiting again and again.
He ﷻ describes a village by the sea at the time of Bani Isra’il. Like most villages by the sea, the people’s livelihood was dependent upon the bounties from the sea.
Allah ﷻ wanted to test the people so He sent the fish in abundance on the day of the Sabbath when the people could not work. And He held back the fish the other days.
Some people in the village thought of clever ways to bypass what was happening by setting up their nets and other traps the night before the Sabbath. Technically they could say that they were not working but the truth was otherwise.
They were the wrongdoers.
Another group in the village saw what they were doing and proceeded to warn them against their actions.
There was a third group that emerged from amongst the villagers. They did not involve themselves in the deceit, but they also did not speak against it. Allah ﷻ captures the conversation between these two groups of believers, those who spoke out and those who remained silent.
لِمَ تَعِظُونَ قَوْمًا ٱللَّهُ مُهْلِكُهُمْ أَوْ مُعَذِّبُهُمْ عَذَابًا شَدِيدًا
‘Why do you call to a people whom Allah is about to destroy or to punish with severe torment?’ (al Araf 164)
قَالُوا۟ مَعْذِرَةً إِلَىٰ رَبِّكُمْ وَلَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَّقُونَ
‘They replied: ‘To be free from guilt before your Lord, and perhaps they may fear Allah.’ (al Araf 164)
Those who remained silent saw no benefit in advising or warning and had lost hope in the wrongdoers. The wrongdoers after all had chosen to do wrong and so Allah would deal with them severely. This group felt safe in their own righteousness.
The warners however give us an insight into what it means to be truly righteous.
First and foremost, they saw a personal benefit from speaking up against sin. They advised and warned and preached so that they would not be accounted by Allah on the Day of Reckoning and so that they could say to Allah that they had tried their best to help those amongst them who had strayed.
Secondly, they felt a genuine sense of responsibility and care for those around them. Even though the chance of change was small, they did not give up hope in those who had gone astray for they knew that guidance is ultimately with Allah ﷻ and their role was just to convey the message and remind them in the best way.
Allah ﷻ mentions the fate of only two groups.
فَلَمَّا نَسُوا۟ مَا ذُكِّرُوا۟ بِهِۦٓ أَنجَيْنَا ٱلَّذِينَ يَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ ٱلسُّوٓءِ وَأَخَذْنَا ٱلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا۟ بِعَذَابٍۭ بَـِٔيسٍۭ بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَفْسُقُونَ
‘When they ignored the warning they were given, We rescued those who used to warn against evil and overtook the wrongdoers with a dreadful punishment for their rebelliousness.’ (al Araf 165)
Those who did evil were punished and those who warned were saved. And those who remained silent? Allah ﷻ knows best of their situation.
What we do know is that the Prophet ﷺ told us: ‘When the people see the wrongdoer, and they do not stop him from doing wrong, then it is soon that Allah shall envelop them in a punishment from Him.’ (Tirmidhi)
And he ﷺ established a general rule: “Whoever among you sees evil, let him change it with his hand. If he is unable to do so, then with his tongue. If he is unable to do so, then with his heart, and that is the weakest level of iman.” (Muslim)
It is easy to become complacent in the face of evil, to become desensitized to it, and to feel that we cannot do anything. In fact, we are often taught to accept much evil under the guise of tolerance and not being ‘judgemental’ whilst the boundaries of evil and good are becoming increasingly blurred under societal ideas of ‘moral relativism’. We have to understand and resist this. After all, good needs to triumph over evil and good men cannot afford to be silent or do nothing.
Our deen teaches us a clear and constant difference between right and wrong and gives us the courage to stand up for what is good and true.
That is what makes the Believers unique:
كُنتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ تَأْمُرُونَ بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ وَتَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ ٱلْمُنكَرِ وَتُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱللَّهِ
‘You are now the best people brought forth for (the guidance and reform of) mankind. You enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and believe in Allah.’ (ale Imran 110)
May Allah ﷻ grant us a clear sense of right and wrong and the strength to command the good and forbid the evil. Ameen
Living For Islam 