Amr bil ma'roof

Every believer anywhere in the world has a responsibility to enjoin good, forbid evil: Imam Khamenei

Enjoining to do good means that all believers - wherever they live in the world - have a responsibility to entice the society towards good and good deeds. Forbidding evil means that they should move everyone away from all that is evil, foul and malicious.

Qur'an describes their functions after victory as: maintaining the daily prayers, paying Zakat, bidding what is right and forbidding what is wrong; hence, laying out their first and foremost tasks when forming a governing body.

November 30, 2017

 

Using the best methods, you should guide people to worship God and to observe the manifestations and examples of religion including honesty, trustworthiness, piety, abandoning what is evil, enjoining what is good and adopting an upright lifestyle.

May 14, 2016

 

God is the first who enjoins what is good. He says, "Surely Allah enjoins the doing of justice and the doing of good and the giving to the kindred, and He forbids indecency, evil and rebellion. He admonishes you that you may be mindful" [The Holy Quran, 16: 90]. God commands to do what is good and forbids what is evil and it is clear what is good and what is evil.

 

The Holy Prophet of Islam (God's greetings be upon him and his household) was the best at enjoining to do good and forbidding evil. There is a holy ayah which says, "He commands them what is just and forbids them what is evil" [The Holy Quran, 7: 157].

 

The Imams (a.s.) were also the greatest people in this regard. We read in the ziyarat: "I testify that you established daily prayers, paid zakat, enjoined to do good and forbade evil" [al-Kafi, Volume 5, page 570]. Male and female believers in all areas of the world of Islam enjoin to do good and forbid evil: "The believers, men and women, are protectors one of another. They enjoin what is just, and forbid what is evil. They observe regular prayers and practice regular charity" [The Holy Quran, 9: 71]. These are four main bases for building a system, each of which has certain branches. The Islamic government is dependent on establishing daily prayers, paying zakat, enjoining to do good and forbidding evil. This means a social and heartfelt solidarity between the masses of the people in the Islamic government….

 

Enjoining to do good and forbidding what is evil is, in fact, an infrastructure for all social movements of Islam: "It establishes all obligations" [al-Kafi, Volume 5, page 56]. Enjoining to do good means that all believers - wherever they live in the world - have a responsibility to entice the society towards good and good deeds. Forbidding evil means that they should move everyone away from all that is evil, foul and malicious. Each of these four criteria is in some way the manifestation of the Islamic government's geometry and structure.

 

March 21, 2015

The Revolutionary spirit of Islam consists of bidding what is right and forbidding what is wrong.

Bidding what is right and forbidding what is wrong guarantees the survival and sustainability of Islam. That is, if this religious obligation does not exist, or if it is not fulfilled, the appropriate spirit of Islam will not persist and will perish; in other words, the revolutionary spirit of Islam would die.

While moving towards God, Muslims have certain duties. In large, their main duty is to move on this path. Daily prayers, fasts, hajj, and other obligations of a Muslim are the steps they must take on the path to perfection—so that it will move them ahead on this particular path.  Hence, you are obligated to be prudent while moving on this path so that you would not become tired, lose patience, or be overcome by material desires, anger, lust, or be seduced by Satan.

In addition to all of these, you should be vigilant that your Muslim brothers do not make mistakes. If you see a Muslim deviates from the path and purpose of the religion, prevent them. Or, if you see some follow an illegitimate religion, prevent them. If you see the leader of the caravan chooses the wrong direction, you must stop him. If you see ethical corruption prevails, you must keep the wolf of corruption away from individuals as well as the society. If you see the caravan hinders, make it move again before it is too late, before the enemy overcomes it. Because the wolves attack at night.

Interpretation of the verse Baraat by Ayatollah Khamenei pp. 461-499 (abstract)