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Fatwa CenterPeople like his message but not his being distant from them
Question
My brother is living in Kenya and he is practicing Sunnah. Recently he asked one brother to go and give Dawah to a certain village. The village people were happy because of the lecture but complained that my brother was not associating with them and they do not like him because he is not attending their wedding, does not pray in their Masjid or bury them when they die. When I asked my brother why he was doing that, he gave me a reason that, in their wedding there is a mixture of men and women with no Hijab, while others are using alcohol in their weddings, and in their Masjid they practise a lot of Bid'ah in their prayers and when burying a deceased there is a lot of Bid'ah. What is your advice to this?
Answer
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds; and may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and Companions.
There is no doubt that enjoining good and forbidding evil is a great obligation by which life continues. But for this to be fruitful, it has to be done with kindness and mercy.
Mixing with people and being patient with them when they cause you harm is better than staying away from them.
Imam Ahmed reported in his Musnad, and Al Thirmidhi that Ibn Omar narrated that the prophet (Sallalahu Alahi Wa Sallam) said: "A Muslim who mixes with people and is patient with them when they harm him is better than a Muslim who is not mixing with people and is not patient when they harm him."
Therefore, we advise your brother to be wise when dealing with the people of this village especially when they are quite good since they like the lecture that was delivered to them. Of course, if some forbidden matters are taking place it is forbidden for him to attend or be present where they are committed. But this is not absolute.
The Fuqaha (Islamic jurisprudents) state that if his presence will eradicate the evil that is taking place, then he has to be present in order to eradicate this evil. And if the evil is taking place in another place than where he actually stays, then it is not forbidden for him to be present (in this place where he is).
Therefore, whenever possible for him to attend their meeting without committing a prohibition, then he should attend them to soften their hearts and as a sign of kindness to them. In fact, this could be a reason for them to respond to him and accept his call and benefit from what he says. And if he is harmed by them in any way, he has to remain patient.
Allah says:" The good deed and the evil deed cannot be equal. Repel (the evil) with one which is better (i.e. Allâh ordered the faithful believers to be patient at the time of anger, and to excuse those who treat them badly), then verily! he, between whom and you there was enmity, (will become) as though he was a close friend. "(Fussilat 41:34)
We ask Allah to help us and you, and guide us all to the straight path.
Allah knows best.
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