al-Amr bil-Maruf wal-Nahy an al-Munkar - Abd al-Ghani al-Maqdisi
- Author died
- 600 AH
- Editions
- Dar al-Salaf
al-Amr bil-Maʿrūf wal-Nahy ʿan al-Munkar (Enjoining Good and Forbidding Evil) is a thematic hadith monograph compiled by the Hanbali traditionist Abd al-Ghani al-Maqdisi (541–600 AH / 1146–1203 CE) . The work gathers prophetic traditions and early reports (athar) addressing the communal obligation, virtues, and etiquettes of moral accountability and the correction of wrongdoing in Islamic law .
Content and Method
The work is organized through transmission chains (asānīd) connecting the author back to earlier authorities and the Prophet ﷺ . Al-Maqdisi received these traditions from his teachers across various scholarly centers, including Hamadhan and Baghdad .
Among the primary traditions compiled in the text are:
- The narration of Abu Sa'id al-Khudri concerning the correction of the Umayyad governor Marwan ibn al-Hakam when he delivered the Eid sermon before the prayer, concluding with the prophetic directive: من رأى منكم منكرا فاستطاع أن يغيره بيده فليفعل فإن لم يستطع فبلسانه فإن لم يستطع فبقلبه وذلك أضعف الإيمان ("Whoever among you sees an evil and is able to change it with his hand, let him do so; if he is not able, then with his tongue; if he is not able, then with his heart, and that is the weakest of faith") .
- The tradition narrated by al-Nu'man ibn Bashir setting forth the parable of the passengers on a ship to illustrate collective responsibility: if wrongdoers are restrained, all are saved, but if they are left unchecked, everyone perishes .
- The narration of Abu Sa'id al-Khudri regarding the prohibition against sitting on roadsides unless the path is granted its due rights, specifically lowering the gaze, refraining from harm, returning greetings, and enjoining good and forbidding wrong .
- The detailed report of Jabir ibn Abd Allah concerning the second Pledge of al-ʿAqabah, where the early Muslims pledged allegiance on hearing, obeying, and enjoining good and forbidding evil without fearing the blame of any critic .
In addition to prophetic traditions, the monograph includes early historical reports and statements from early figures such as Ali ibn Abi Talib, al-Hasan al-Basri, and Abu Abd al-Rahman al-ʿUmari concerning the consequences of abandoning moral correction and the manners of advising parents .
Editions
The work has been published in modern printed editions, including an edition edited by Samir ibn Amin al-Zuhayri (published by Dar al-Salaf in 1416 AH / 1995 CE) and another printed by Dar al-ʿAsimah in Saudi Arabia .
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