The writer – may Allah bless him, whose knowledge may benefit us in the world and in the hereafter, said:
PER-WORD TRANSLATION
عَنْ = From | أَبِي = Father of | سَعِيدٍ = Sa’id | الْخُدْرِيّ = Al-Khudri | رَضِيَ = May be pleased | اللهُ = Allah | عَنْهُ = with him | قَالَ = he said | سَمِعْت = I heard رَسُولَ = the Messenger of | اللَّهِ = Allah | صلى = Blessing | الله = Allah عليه = upon him | و = and سلم = peace | يَقُولُ = he ﷺ said
مَنْ = Whoever | رَأَى = see | مِنْكُمْ = amongst you | مُنْكَرًا = wrongdoing | فَلْيُغَيِّرْهُ = let him change it | بِيَدِهِ = with his hands | فَإِنْ = and if | لَمْ = not | يَسْتَطِعْ = able | فَبِلِسَانِهِ = then with his tongue | فَإِنْ = and if | لَمْ = not | يَسْتَطِعْ = able | فَبِقَلْبِهِ = then with his heart | وَذَلِكَ = and that | أَضْعَفُ = the weakest | الْإِيمَانِ = the faith
COMPLETE TRANSLATION
From Abu Said Al-Khudri – May Allah be pleased with him – who said that he heard the Messenger of Allah – May peace and blessing of Allah be upon him – said, “Whoever amongst you see a wrongdoing, let him change it with his hands. If he cannot, then with his tongue. If he cannot, then with his heart; and that is the weakest faith,” (Sahih Muslim: 49).
EXPLANATION OF THE HADITH
1 – His ﷺ saying (see) means, “He has knowledge (ilm) about it. He is certain about it.”
2 – His ﷺ saying (amongst you) means, “Muslims who have turned into mukallifin (legally accountable in Islamic jurisprudence).”
3 – His ﷺ saying (wrongdoing) means, “Everything that is deemed bad under the Islamic jurisprudence. It can be in word or in action, small or even big.”
4 – His ﷺ saying (let him change it) means, “Let him remove it.”
5 – His ﷺ saying (with his hands) means, “If he is capable of removing the wrongdoing with his hands, like breaking the musical instruments.”
6 – His ﷺ saying (If he cannot) means, “If he cannot remove the wrongdoing with his hands, i.e. if the wrongdoer is stronger than him, or if harm may occur if it is changed by hands.”
7 – His ﷺ saying (then with his tongue) means, “With speech, e.g. reminder or sermon.”
8 – His ﷺ saying (If he cannot) means, “If he cannot remove the wrongdoing with his tongue, i.e. due to fear of trials or he is afraid about the safety of himself.”
9 – His ﷺ saying (then with his heart) means, “He hates it in his heart.”
10 – His ﷺ saying (That) means, “Changing wrongdoing with heat.”
11 – His ﷺ saying (the weakest of faith) means, “The least in fruit of faith.”
LESSON FROM THE HADITH
1 – The obligation of removing wrongdoing with all that is possible from what were mentioned in the hadith. It is not enough for someone to give a reminder if he is able to remove it with his hands. It is not enough to change it with heart if he is able to change it with his tongue.
2 – Whoever is afraid of being killed or beaten, the obligation to remove a wrongdoing by hands or tongue is cut off him.
3 – Someone who does not remove a wrongdoing with heart indicates that the faith has gone away from him.
4 – Enjoing good and forbidding evil is obligatory upon all, due to the use of “man/whoever”, but it is tied with the different levels of abilities, due to the use of “fain lam yastathi’/If he cannot.”
5 – The faith increases with piety, and decreases with disobedience. Thus, someone who forbids evil with his heart is not at the same level with the one fobidding evil with his hands. Wallahua’lam
Translated by Irfan Nugroho from Tuhfatus Saniyah fil Arbain Nawawiyah by Syaikh Khalid Al-Juhani in Karangasem – Indonesia on 25 November 2024.
