Tafsir of Al Imran 3:104

The particle min (from) denotes partiality (tab'id): This is because enjoining good and forbidding evil are communal obligations (furuḍ al-kifāyāt). Furthermore, only those who possess knowledge of what is good and what is evil are fit for this task, as well as knowing how to structure the command and how to execute it. An ignorant person might forbid a good act or command a forbidden one. They might know the ruling in their own school of thought but be ignorant of it in another, thus forbidding what is not actually forbidden. They might use harshness where gentleness is required, or gentleness where harshness is needed. They might rebuke someone who will only persist further due to that rebuke, or rebuke someone when doing so is futile—such as rebuking those who are hardened in sin or public executioners and their ilk.

It is also said that min is for clarification (tabyīn): Meaning, "Be a nation that enjoins," similar to His saying: "You are the best nation produced [as an example] for mankind: you enjoin [what is right]..." (Al 'Imran: 110). And those are the successful ones—they are the ones specifically designated for success, to the exclusion of others.

From the Prophet (ﷺ): When asked while on the pulpit, "Who are the best of people?" he replied: "The one who enjoins good most, forbids evil most, is most God-fearing, and most connected to kinship." And he (ﷺ) also said: "Whoever enjoins good and forbids evil is the deputy of Allah on His earth, the deputy of His Messenger, and the deputy of His Book."

From Ali (ra): "The best of Jihad is enjoining good and forbidding evil. Whoever hates the corrupt and becomes angry for the sake of Allah, Allah becomes angry for his sake."

From Hudhayfah: "A time will come upon people when the carcass of a donkey will be dearer to them than a believer who enjoins them to do good and forbids them from doing evil." And from Sufyan al-Thawri: "If a man is beloved by his neighbors and praised by his brothers, know that he is a flatterer (mudāhin)."

The ruling on enjoining good: It follows the status of the act being enjoined; if it is obligatory, the injunction is obligatory, and if it is recommended, the injunction is recommended.

As for forbidding evil: It is entirely obligatory, because abandoning any evil is mandatory due to its inherent ugliness.

If you ask, "What is the basis of this obligation?" I say: The two masters (the Mu'tazila scholars) differed. According to Abu Ali, it is based on both revelation and reason; according to Abu Hashim, it is based on revelation alone.

If you ask, "What are the conditions for forbidding evil?" I say:

1. The forbidder must know that what they are forbidding is ugly; otherwise, they might forbid something good.
2. The act must not have already occurred, for one cannot forbid what has passed (one can only condemn it and forbid its repetition).
3. One must not strongly suspect that the person being forbidden will increase in their evil.
4. One must not strongly suspect that the rebuke will have no effect, as that would be futile.

If you ask, "What are the conditions for the obligation itself?" I say: That one strongly suspects the sin is about to occur—such as seeing a drinker preparing the tools for drinking—and that one does not strongly suspect that by forbidding it, they will suffer great harm.

If you ask, "How should one execute the rebuke?" I say: Start with the easiest method; if that does not work, escalate to the harder method, because the goal is to stop the evil. Allah says: "Make peace between them," then later says: "Then fight [the one who transgresses]."

If you ask, "Who should perform it?" I say: Every Muslim who is capable and meets the conditions. There is consensus that if one sees another abandoning prayer, it is obligatory to rebuke them, as its ugliness is known to everyone. As for rebuke through fighting, the Imam and his deputies are more entitled to it, as they are more knowledgeable in governance and possess the necessary means.

If you ask, "Who is to be commanded and forbidden?" I say: Every legally responsible person (mukallaf). Even those not legally responsible, if they intend to harm others, must be stopped—such as children and the insane. Children are forbidden from prohibited acts so they do not become accustomed to them, just as they are commanded to pray to train them.

If you ask, "Is it obligatory for the one committing an evil to forbid others from it?" I say: Yes, it is obligatory upon him. Because abandoning the evil and forbidding it are two separate obligations; failing one does not absolve him of the other. The Salaf said: "Enjoin good, even if you do not do it yourself." When Al-Hasan heard Mutarrif ibn Abdullah say, "I do not say what I do not do," he replied, "And which of us does what he says? Satan would love to achieve this from you, so that no one would enjoin good or forbid evil."

If you ask, "Why is it said: 'They invite to goodness and enjoin what is right'?" I say: Inviting to goodness is general, covering all duties of action and abstention, while enjoining good and forbidding evil is specific. The general was mentioned, then the specific was appended to it to signal its excellence, just as in His saying: "And the middle prayer."