Religion consists in doing and preaching all that is prescribed and preventing oneself and others from all that is forbidden. The teachings of religion rests on this twin principle: Enjoining good and forbidding evil. What is good is what is prescribed by the commandments of God and Shariah. What is wrong is what is forbidden. Thus one thing that is prescribed will sometimes come into conflict with one thing that is forbidden. What will you do here?
You have to weigh the act. There are acts having both evil and good in them . If the good in something surpasses the evil in the same thing then it should be recommended to do it in the case that you have no choice. If there is evil in something but you see that abandoning it will lead to forsaking faith itself then it is recommended at least for a while. It is the same method you use in finding the middle road between principles. Doing something and its opposite is hypocrisy. But doing the less harmful things among a set of choices in the way of sages and wise men.
A believer should hold to the law of God and to Sunnah.. He should do so in enjoining people to do good and forbidding wrong. The point is if someone is practicing an undesirable act but by giving it up he may engage is something worse then he should not be forced to give up the undesirable act unconditionally. If someone is doing something undesirable but you see that by giving it up he will abandon his obligatory acts such as prayers, giving alms, fasting, etc.. Then in this case he should not be forced to give up the undesirable act because his balance of good deeds will be less in doing so.
Be careful with the words undesirable and recommended because there is no advantage in being an hypocrite. Enjoining good and forbidding wrong are both complementary because to one goes with the other. You can only enjoin good if you forsake evil. The believer ask others to worship only God and it means he forbids them to worship others than God. Evil deeds shut the door of good deeds so you can only preform good deeds by first abandoning evil deeds. The point he is to find the way to abandon as
much evil and forbidden things as you can and enjoin as much good as you can.. You need efforts here.
Talking about innovations(Forbidden acts in islam),Ibn Masood, Ubayy ibn Ka’ab, and Aby Ad-dardaa’ (May Allah be pleased with them) said:
“Modest efforts in something which is sunnah is preferable to exertion in something which is bid’a.” (innovation)
And Allah is the All-Knowing.
Sources: 1. Forbidding Wrong
by Ibn Taymiyya
- The right way by
Ibn Taymiyya, ISBN: 9960-740-95-1
