Needs clarification on several issues
15-6-2005 | IslamWeb
Question:
According to 3:104, the Ayah says-Let there arise out of you a group of people enjoining good and forbidding evil-means a group among Muslims should do this duty. But according to 3:110-You are best people raised for mankind enjoining good and forbidding evil-means the whole Muslim Ummah should do this duty. One of my friends says this is a contradiction (Allaah forbid) as at one place it says a group has to do and another place it says whole Muslim Ummah should do this duty. He also says Muslim Scholars use 3:104 to favour formation of organizations which has become an evil today. Also according to your site strict affiliation to an organization is Bid'a. Hope you will clear the above contradiction.
Answer:
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. We ask Allaah to exalt his mention as well as that of his family and all his companions.
There is no contradiction between the saying of Allaah (which means): {Let there arise out of you a group of people inviting to all that is good (Islam), enjoining Al-Ma'rûf (i.e. Islamic Monotheism and all that Islam orders one to do) and forbidding Al-Munkar (polytheism and disbelief and all that Islam has forbidden).}[Quran 3:104], and the saying of Allaah (which means): {You [true believers in Islamic Monotheism, and real followers of Prophet Muhammad (
) and his Sunnah (legal ways, etc.)] are the best of peoples ever raised up for mankind; you enjoin Al-Ma'rûf (i.e. Islamic Monotheism and all that Islam has ordained) and forbid Al-Munkar (polytheism, disbelief and all that Islam has forbidden).}[Quran 3:110]. If we interpret the first verse according to the interpretation of some interpreters of the Quran to mean the same thing as a father saying to his sons: "Let there be among you pious and righteous sons", i.e. 'let all of you be pious and righteous sons', and this is clear. So the verse means: "Let all of you be a nation who invite to all that is good…" If we interpret the verse to mean that it refers to a group of people only, as some interpreters interpreted it, then there is no contradiction as well. That is because calling to Allaah is in principle a communal obligation [i.e. if done by one or few members of the community, then the obligation drops from the rest of them for having to do it]. On one hand, it is an obligation on the nation that a group amongst them should carry out this obligation. This meaning is confirmed by the saying of Allaah (which means): {And it is not proper for the believers to go out to fight (Jihaad) all together. Of every troop of them a party only should go forth, that they (who are left behind) may get instructions in (Islamic) religion, and that they may warn the people when they return to them, so that they may beware (of evil).}[Quran 9:122]. On the other hand, calling to Allaah is an individual obligation on every Muslim and one must carry out this obligation according to his ability. This view confirms the saying of Allaah (which means): {You [true believers in Islamic Monotheism, and real followers of Prophet Muhammad () and his Sunnah (legal ways, etc.)] are the best of peoples ever raised up for mankind; you enjoin Al-Ma'rûf (i.e. Islamic Monotheism and all that Islam has ordained) and forbid Al-Munkar (polytheism, disbelief and all that Islam has forbidden).}. This is also confirmed by the narration reported by Imaam Muslim
that the Prophet said: "He who sees something abominable should change it with his hand (physically); and if he is unable to do so, then with his tongue (verbally), and if he is unable to do so, then he should (abhor it) from his heart, and this is the weakest level of faith." The verse also means that it is permissible to set up a group or an organization to carry out the obligation of calling people to Allaah, enjoin good and forbid evil. This is of course, if this group or organization is established on the principle of helping in good as Allaah says (which means): {Help you one another in virtue, righteousness and piety.}[Quran 5:2]. So if such group is established to do this task, we do not object to it. What we object to is the establishment of a group on a wrong methodology which contradicts the methodology of Ahlus-Sunnah Wal-Jamaa'ah, or if it is founded on fanaticism. Declaring one's amity and enmity should be based on Islam and on being affiliated to Ahlus-Sunnah Wal-Jamaa'ah and not on being affiliated to a specific group.
Allaah Knows best.