Is the saying attributed to Imam Al-Izz ibn Abdus-Salam: "Whoever enters a village where usury is widespread, and he preaches therein about fornication, then he has betrayed Allah and His Messenger," authentic? And to what extent is it authentic?

The statement attributed to Imam Izz al-Din ibn Abd al-Salam, "Whoever settles in a land where adultery is widespread, and then speaks to people about the prohibition of usury, has betrayed," has not been mentioned by him in his books or in the books of scholars who wrote his biography, which suggests that it is fabricated.

The meaning involves two aspects: 1. Aspect of Validity: The obligation to condemn manifest and widespread evil, based on the words of the Almighty: ﴿They did not forbid one another from the evil they committed﴾, and the hadith: «Whoever among you sees an evil, let him change it with his hand...». This condemnation is obligatory for those who are able to do so and are safe from harm.

2. Aspect of Consideration: One may remain silent about condemning an evil if a greater harm would result, and in such a case, the silent one is not considered a betrayer. Ibn Taymiyyah said: "Commanding good and forbidding evil... one must consider its opposing factors: if the loss of benefits or the occurrence of harms is greater, then it is not commanded." Ibn al-Qayyim explained the degrees of forbidding evil, stating that the fourth degree, which is when something worse replaces it, is forbidden.

Conclusion: The statement has not been proven to be from Al-Izz ibn Abd al-Salam. Adultery is a major indecency that must be condemned, and Allah's ruling on it must be clarified, as is the case with usury. Every evil that one knows must be condemned, while prioritizing the most important ones and those that are widespread, and presenting warnings against them.