al-Qawl al-Bayyin al-Azhar fi al-Dawa ila Allah wa al-Amr bil-Maruf wa al-Nahy an al-Munkar
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- al-Qawl al-Bayyin al-Azhar fi al-Dawa ila Allah wa al-Amr bil-Maruf wa al-Nahy an al-Munkar
al-Qawl al-Bayyin al-Azhar fi al-Dawa ila Allah wa al-Amr bil-Maruf wa al-Nahy an al-Munkar (The Clear and Manifest Word on Calling to Allah and Enjoining What Is Right and Forbidding What Is Wrong) is a treatise by the Saudi scholar Abd al-Aziz ibn Abd Allah al-Rajihi addressing the Islamic duty of proselytization (dawa) and enjoining good and forbidding evil.
Purpose and Composition
Al-Rajihi wrote the work as a concise treatise after observing widespread negligence and illicit compromise (mudahana) regarding the obligation of enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong, which had led to the proliferation of prohibited acts. He emphasized that calling to God and commanding right while forbidding wrong constitutes a major foundation of Islam, noting that some scholars even linked it to the religion's essential pillars, as the well-being of people and full obedience to God and His Messenger depend upon it.
Structure and Contents
The treatise is organized into an introduction, three main parts (abwab), and a conclusion:
- Introduction: Covers five primary points: the lexical definitions of al-maruf (the right) and al-munkar (the wrong); their legal (shar'i) definitions; their meanings when mentioned individually versus together; the significance of calling to God and enjoining right and forbidding wrong; and the obligation of scholars, alongside a warning against failing to put knowledge into practice.
- Part One (Undertaking the Duty of Enjoining Right and Forbidding Wrong): Divided into three chapters covering the legal ruling on enjoining right and forbidding wrong; the ruling on neglecting this duty for someone capable of performing it; and the necessary qualifications and conditions for the person undertaking dawa and commanding right and forbidding wrong.
- Part Two (Denouncing Wrong): Comprises three chapters outlining the manner of denunciation (kayfiyyat al-inkar), the degrees of denunciation (darajat al-inkar), and the two tiers of altering wrong or the two paths of calling to God.
- Part Three (Circumstances Where the Obligation Ceases): Contains three chapters, each addressing a specific circumstance under which the obligation to enjoin right and forbid wrong falls away.
- Conclusion: Discusses the danger of religious flattery and illicit compromise (al-mudahana); the distinction between lawful diplomacy (al-mudara) and compromise; the divine wisdom behind prescribing the enjoining of right and forbidding of wrong; the corruptions resulting from its abandonment; and the underlying motives that drive an individual to perform this duty.
Method and Publication
In authoring the treatise, al-Rajihi cited numbered Quranic verses and documented the provenance (takhrij) of prophetic hadiths. He quoted textual excerpts from classical scholars and Quranic exegetes, footnoting their specific sources at the bottom of the pages to provide documented references, and concluded the volume with a bibliography of consulted works as well as a subject index.
The book was published in Riyadh by Maktabat Dar al-Salam, with its first edition appearing in 1412 AH (1991–1992 CE).
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