Ihyaaud Deen An Effort to Revive Deen in Totality
Hazrat Moulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi (rahimahullah) once mentioned:
Ulama should try and get involved in the following four deeni departments (1) delivering deeni lectures, (2) teaching deen, (3) commanding with good and forbidding from evil in specific situations, (4) and writing deeni kitaabs.
When interacting with students, an Aalim should conduct as an ustaad and impart deeni knowledge to them. When among the general public, an Aalim should benefit them through his bayaans and deeni advices.
As for an Aalim commanding with good and forbidding from evil, then he should do so in specific situations. ‘Specific situations’ refers to those situations where one feels that one’s encouragement will be received positively, as commanding with good and forbidding from evil will not prove beneficial in every situation.
In fact, at times, attempting to correct certain types of people may lead to them becoming more obstinate and defiant, and this is not something that every person may be able to deal with. However, if one feels that one has the ability to tolerate people’s opposition, then in such a situation, he may correct them.
Nevertheless, when commanding with good and forbidding from evil, he should ensure that he does not adopt a harsh approach. Rather, he should correct the people in a gentle and compassionate manner. Thereafter, if the people still oppose him, then he should tolerate their opposition. If he lacks the strength to tolerate their opposition, then he should not address the people involved in the wrong directly, but rather, he should advise all the people in a general manner.
Special Advices to Ulama Regarding the Manner they Should Deal with the General Muslims
Hazrat Moulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi (rahimahullah) gave certain special advices to Ulama regarding the manner they should deal with the general Muslims. Hazrat Thanwi (rahimahullah) mentioned:
I wish to address the Ulama in specific. You people, as Ulama, should adopt a compassionate and gentle approach when dealing with people, and should not look down at them or treat them as though they are inferior.
On one occasion, Hazrat Moulana Shah Abdul Qadir Saheb (rahimahullah) was delivering a lecture when his gaze fell on a person in the audience whose pants was below his ankles. If it was an Aalim of today, then he would have either scolded the person openly during the lecture, or he would have remained silent and not said anything at all.
However, on noticing this, Hazrat Shah Saheb (rahimahullah) did not correct the person in the lecture, as it is from the aadaab (etiquettes) of the lecture that one should not address a person in the audience specifically. Rather, the message should be addressed to all the people in general. But, at the same time, Hazrat Shah Saheb (rahimahullah) did not leave out the duty of commanding the good and forbidding the evil. Instead, after he finished the lecture, he said to the person, “Please wait a few moments as I need to speak to you.”
Hearing this, the person became worried and feared that he would be scolded and rebuked. However, the true friends of Allah Ta‘ala do not have an approach of rebuking and scolding people, but rather, they teach people and guide them.
After the other people had left the musjid, Hazrat Shah Saheb (rahimahullah) addressed the person saying, “O brother! I have some weakness which I wish to discuss with you. My weakness is that sometimes, my pants fall below my ankles, whereas there are severe warnings mentioned in the Hadith for people who let their pants hang below their ankles.”
Hazrat Shah Saheb (rahimahullah) then mentioned to the person the various Ahaadith which explain the punishment for letting the pants hang below the ankles. After mentioning the Ahaadith, Hazrat Shah Saheb (rahimahullah) stood and said to the person, “Can you please check now to see whether my pants is below my ankles or not?”
The person immediately held Hazrat Shah Saheb’s (rahimahullah) feet and said in humility, “Hazrat! This weakness is not in you – rather it is in me! Today, I repent from this sin, and insha Allah, from today, I will not wear my pants below my ankles!”
Just look at the extent of compassion that Hazrat Shah Saheb (rahimahullah) showed to this person when correcting him, due to which it had an immediate effect on the person’s heart! By Allah! Compassion will most certainly have an impact and effect on the heart of the person being addressed and corrected. However, if a person’s heart has become totally hard and insensitive (i.e. he is not at all interested in the path of righteousness and piety), then one’s words of compassion may not have any effect on his heart.
My friends! When dealing with the general Muslims, we should always wish well and hope for the best for them, just as we will wish well and hope for the best for our own children. Even if one is forced to avoid certain people and keep a distance from them (for deeni reasons), then too, one should do so with the hope of wishing well for the person, and one should avoid the person in a gentle and respectable manner. In the Qur’aan Majeed, Allah Ta‘ala instructs:
وَاهْجُرْهُمْ هَجْرًا جَمِيْلًا
And keep away from them in a good manner (Surah Muzzammil v. 10)
In this aayat, Allah Ta‘ala commands the believers to refrain from befriending the disbelievers, however even in fulfilling this obligation, Allah Ta‘ala commands that this should be done in a good manner. (Tuhfatul Madaaris pg. 1/426)
