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How do we respond to those who forbid enjoining good and forbid anger and zeal when the sanctities of Allah are violated, using phrases such as "It's none of your business; our Lord is the One who will judge them" and "You are free as long as you don't harm others" to justify their actions?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The Muslim community is like a single body, and Islam did not merely suffice with enjoining its followers to be upright and righteous for themselves. Rather, it obligated them to rectify the affairs of their nation through sincere advice, calling to goodness, clarifying the truth, enjoining good, and forbidding evil, so that the nation may be saved and its condition improved, as Almighty Allah says: "And if Allah had not repelled [some] people by others, the earth would surely have been corrupted."

Fulfilling this has no relation to holding people accountable or repaying them. Rather, it is a duty commanded by Allah: "And let there be [arising] from you a nation inviting to [all that is] good, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong, and those will be the successful."

As for their saying, "You are free as long as you do not harm," disobedience harms its perpetrator and their society. The Messenger commanded changing evil with one's hand; if unable, then with the tongue; and if unable, then with the heart, which is the weakest of faith.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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