And let there be from you a community [UNTRANSLATED-LATIN: ummah] that enjoins what is right and forbids what is wrong. [[Mahamud said, "from indicates a part... etc." Ahmad said: In this indication of a part and the indefinite article for community, there is a hint at the scarcity of those who act upon it, and that it is addressed only to the elite. From this style is His saying, "Fear Allah, and let a soul look to what it has sent forth for tomorrow." The address is directed to an indefinite soul, indicating the rarity of those who reflect on their return. Likewise, His saying, "And an ear that listens attentively." It has been reported in the tafsir that the intended ear is a specific one, which is the ear of Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him.]] For the enjoining of what is right and the forbidding of what is wrong are communal obligations, and it is not suitable for it except for one who knows what is right and what is wrong, and knows how to arrange the matter in its establishment and how to engage in it. For the ignorant may forbid what is right and command what is wrong, and he may know the ruling in his school of thought and be ignorant in the school of thought of his companion, thus forbidding what is not wrong. He may be harsh where leniency is needed, and lenient where harshness is required, and may object to one whose objection only leads him to persist, or to one on whom objection is futile, like objecting to those who are imprisoned [UNTRANSLATED-LATIN: al-maasir] and the executioners and their likes. It is said that "from" is for clarification, meaning: and be a community that commands, as in His saying, "You are the best community ever raised for mankind; you enjoin what is right." And those are the ones who are successful, they are the ones specifically granted success over others. And it was narrated from the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, that he was asked while on the pulpit: Who are the best of people? He said: Those who enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong, and are most conscious of Allah and most connected [to others]. [[Narrated by Ahmad, Abu Ya'la, al-Tabari, and al-Bayhaqi in al-Shu'ab from the narration of Sharik from Samak from Abdullah ibn Amira from the wife of Durrah bint Abu Lahab, who said, "I was with Aisha when a man was brought to the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, who had called him while he was on the pulpit and said: O Messenger of Allah, who among people is best?" And he mentioned it.]]" And from him, peace be upon him: "Whoever enjoins what is right and forbids what is wrong is the vicegerent of Allah on His earth, the vicegerent of His Messenger, the vicegerent of His Book. [[Narrated by Ibn Adi in al-Kamil in the biography of Kadih ibn Rahma from his narration of Ibn Lahi'a from Yazid ibn Abi Habib from Muslim ibn Jabir from Ubadah ibn al-Samit. Kadih is weak. There is another mursal report narrated by Ali ibn Ma'bad in the Book of Obedience from Baqiya from Hassan ibn Sulayman from Abu Nadrah from al-Hasan al-Basri. From this chain, al-Tha'labi narrated it.]]" And from Ali, may Allah be pleased with him: The best jihad is the enjoining of what is right and forbidding what is wrong. And whoever hates the wicked and is angry for Allah, Allah will be angry for him. [[Narrated by Abu Nu'aym in al-Hilya in the lengthy biography of Ali, from the narration of Khalas ibn Amr who said: We were sitting with Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, when a man from Khuzay'ah came to him and said: O Commander of the Faithful, did you hear the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, describe Islam? He said: I heard him say: Islam is built on four pillars: patience, certainty, jihad, and justice - and he mentioned it - until he said: And jihad has four branches: enjoining what is right, forbidding what is wrong, truthfulness in times of patience, and hating the wicked.

Whoever enjoins what is good strengthens the back of the believer. Whoever forbids what is wrong humiliates the disbeliever. Whoever is truthful in times of patience secures his religion and fulfills his obligations. Whoever detests the corrupt has indeed shown anger for Allah. Whoever is angry for Allah, Allah is angry for him." This is reported through the chain of Isḥaq ibn Bishr from Muqātil. Both of them are weak. He said: And the narration of Al-‘Ala ibn ‘Abd al-Raḥmān from Qabīṣah ibn Jābir from ‘Ali, may Allah be pleased with him. And from Hudhayfah: There will come a time upon people when the carcass of a donkey will be more beloved to them than a believer who enjoins them to do good and forbids them from wrongdoing. And from Sufyān al-Thawrī: If a man is beloved among his neighbors and praised by his friends, know that he is being deceitful. Enjoining what is good is contingent upon what is being commanded; if it is obligatory, then it is obligatory, and if it is recommended, then it is recommended. As for forbidding what is wrong, it is entirely obligatory, because abandoning all wrongdoing is obligatory due to its inherent ugliness. If you say: What is the basis of obligation? I say: The two scholars have differed on this; according to Abū ‘Ali: it is both hearing and reason, and according to Abū Hāshim: it is only hearing. If you say: What are the conditions for forbidding? I say: The forbidding person must know that what he forbids is ugly, because if he does not know, he cannot be safe from forbidding what is good. And it must not be that what he forbids is not occurring, because the actual occurrence does not warrant forbidding it, but rather it is appropriate to blame it and forbid similar things. And he must not be overwhelmingly certain that the one being forbidden will increase in his wrongdoings, and he must not be overwhelmingly certain that his forbidding will have no effect, because that would be futile. If you say: What are the conditions of obligation? I say: He must be overwhelmingly certain that the sin will occur, such as seeing the drinker preparing to drink alcohol by gathering his tools, and he must not be overwhelmingly certain that if he forbids, he will face great harm. If you say: How should he carry out the forbidding? I say: He should begin with what is easy; if that does not help, he should escalate to what is difficult, because the goal is to stop the wrongdoing. Allah, the Exalted, said: "So reconcile between them," then He said: "Then fight." If you say: Who should carry it out? I say:

Every Muslim who is able and has the conditions must enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong. They have all agreed that if one sees another neglecting the prayer, it is obligatory upon him to denounce it, because its ugliness is known to everyone. As for the denouncement that involves fighting, the Imam and his successors are more entitled to it, as they are more knowledgeable about governance and have the means for it. If you ask: Who is commanded and prohibited? I say: Every accountable person, and the non-accountable person is prohibited if he intends harm to others, such as children and the insane. Children are prohibited from the forbidden things so that they do not become accustomed to them, just as they are encouraged to pray so that they may train themselves on it. If you ask: Is it obligatory for the one who commits a wrongdoing to denounce what he commits? I say: Yes, it is obligatory upon him, because abandoning his wrongdoing and denouncing it are both obligatory for him. By abandoning one of the obligations, he does not exempt himself from the other obligation. And from the predecessors: Enjoin good even if you do not do it. And from Al-Hasan, he heard Mutarif ibn Abdullah say: I do not say what I do not do. He said: And which of us does what he says? The devil wishes he could gain this from you, so that no one would enjoin good or forbid wrongdoing. If you ask: How is it said (they enjoin good and forbid wrongdoing)? I say: The call to good [[(he returned to his words) he said: 'And His saying, they enjoin good and forbid wrongdoing, begins with the call... etc.' Ahmad said: The specification of the particular after the general indicates greater concern for the particular, certainly when it is restricted to some of the general's subjects, like His saying: (Whoever is an enemy to Allah and His angels and His messengers and Gabriel and Michael) and His saying: (In them are fruits and date palms and pomegranates) and His saying: (Observe the prayers and the middle prayer) and similar to that, because restricting the specification to what is singled out by mention gives it distinction from the rest of the subjects. As for this verse, it mentions after the general all that it encompasses, as the good called to is either an action commanded or an abandonment prohibited, and it does not exceed one of these two, so that its specification distinguishes it from the rest of the subjects. The best way to express this is to say: The benefit of this specification is to mention the call to good in general, and then in detail. And in noting that the mention is in two ways, which is not hidden from the care, and Allah knows best, unless there is a custom that specifies the command of good and the prohibition of wrongdoing to some types of good, then the intent of Al-Zamakhshari is fulfilled. However, I do not see this custom established, and Allah knows best.]] is general in obligations of actions and abstentions, while the command of good and the prohibition of wrongdoing is specific. Thus, the general is mentioned and then the specific is added to indicate its virtue, like His saying: (and the middle prayer).