Enjoining Good and Forbidding Wrong Strengthen Social Relations
As one of the Islamic teachings, the act tries to revise the individuals’ behavior while also strengthening their sense of responsibility towards the people around them so that they prevent others from doing bad things by inviting and recommending them to do good things.
Enjoining the good means ordering or inviting others to carry out good deeds and forbidding the wrong means stopping others from doing bad things. This does not amount to interfering in the life of others, but rather it is a social duty to strengthen the sense of social responsibility.
The emphasis that Islam has put on this act is aimed at the growth of humans in their social lives. If members of a society become indifferent to each other, big damages, such as disorder and insecurity, will threaten them.
Enjoining good and forbidding wrong will lead to the closeness of individuals to each other in society because they feel the responsibility that they have towards each other; the stronger this feeling is, the more coherent the relationship between the members of the society will be.
“The believers, both men and women, are guides to each other. They order what is just and forbid what is evil; they establish their prayers and pay the obligatory charity and obey Allah and His Messenger. On these Allah will have mercy. He is Mighty, Wise.” (Surah At-Tawbah, verse 71)
The most important and main way of showing good deeds is through our own behavior.
The words of a person who encourages others to do good deeds but does not do what he says will have no effect. Therefore, in order for it to be effective, we must first revise ourselves. For example, if I tell others not to litter, but we do it ourselves, not only our words will not have an effect but also our character will be questioned.
The Holy Quran also warns people who enjoin good but do not pay due attention to their own deeds: “Would you order righteousness on others and forget it yourselves?” (Surah Baqarah, verse 44)
