95
Imam Ali and Political Leadership

Certainly, there are examples before you of God’s wrath, punishment, days of tribulations and happenings. Therefore do not disregard His warnings due to ignorance of it or taking light His Wrath, or feeling immune from His punishment, for God the Glorified did not curse people of the past except because they had abandoned enjoining good and forbidding wrong. In fact, Allah cursed the foolish for committing sins and the clement because they gave up forbidding wrong.1
The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.), prior to Imām Ali (a.s.), had also warned people of this danger in the following words:
یا أیُّها النّاسُ! إنَّ اللهَ یَقولُ لَکُم: مُروا بِالمَعروفِ وانهَوا عَنِ المُنکَرِ، قَبلَ أن تَدعوا فلا اُجیبَ لَکُم، وتَسألوني فَلا اُعطِیَکُم، وتَستَنصِروني فلا أنصُرَکُم.O People! Verily God says to you: Command people to do good and forbid them from wrong, or else you will pray, but I do not answer your prayer and you ask Me but I do not grant you and you seek My assistance but I do not assist you.2
The danger of abandoning the enjoining to do good and forbidding the wrong in regard to the continuance of the Islamic revolution is so serious that Imām Ali (a.s.) warned people about it until the last moments of his life, saying in the last sentence of his testament:
لا تَترُکوا الأَمرَ بِالمَعروفِ والنَّهيَ عَن المُنکَرِ، فَیُوَلّی عَلَیکُم شِرارُکُم، ثُمَّ تَدعونَ فَلا یُستَجابُ لَکُم.Do not abandon the enjoining of good and forbidding the wrong, or else the villains would dominate over you, then when you pray, you will not be answered.3
After drawing attention to the dangers that await the future of the nation because of abandoning the enjoining good and forbidding

1.. Ibid.

2.. Mizān al-Hikma, vol. ۸, p. ۳۷۰۸, h. ۱۲۷۲۷

3.. See, The Encyclopedia of Amir al-Mu'minin, vol. ۷, p. ۲۵۵, h. ۲۹۶۱


Imam Ali and Political Leadership
94

again reverted to the position of the Bedouin after the immigration (to Islam) and have become different parties after having been once united. You do not possess anything of Islam except its name and know nothing of faith other than its form.1

The Danger of Abandoning the ‘Enjoining Good and Forbidding Wrong’

From the viewpoint of Imām Ali (a.s.) the enjoining to do good and forbidding them from doing any wrong are among the major elements in the continuation of an Islamic revolution. The establishment of all human and Islamic values is directly related to this duty. If this obligation is forgotten, values will also be forgotten and once the Islamic community turns its back on religious values and takes refuge in other than Islam, it will lose Divine assistance and fail in its battle against foreign enemies, and a government based on the teachings of Muhammad (s.a.w.) and Ali (a.s.) will thereby be defeated, the devils will dominate the Islamic Community and the prayers of the pious will not be answered.
Imām (a.s.) goes on to say further in the sermon of al-Qāsi`a regarding this same issue:
إنَّکُم إن لَجَأتُم إلی غَیرِهِ حارَبَکُم أهلُ الکُفرِ، ثُمَّ لا جَبرائِیلُ ولا مِیکائِیلُ ولا مُهاجِرونَ ولا أنصارٌ یَنصُرونَـکُم إلّا المُقارَعَةَ بِالسَّیفِ حَتّی یَحکُمَ اللهُ بَینَـکُم.
وإنَّ عِندَکُم الأَمثالَ مِن بَأسِ اللهِ وقَوارِعِهِ وأَیّامِهِ ووقائِعِهِ، فَلا تَستَبطِئوا وَعیدَهُ جَهلاً بِأخذِهِ، وتَهاوُناً بِبَطشِهِ، ویَأساً مِن بَأسِهِ.
فإنّ اللهَ سُبحانَهُ لَم یَلعَنِ القَرنَ الماضِيَ بَینَ أیدِیَکُم إلّا لِتَرکِهِمُ الأَمرُ بِالمَعروفِ وَالنَّهيَ عَنِ المُنکَرِ. فَلَعَنَ اللهُ السُّفَهاءَ لِرُکوبِ المَعاصِي، والحُلَماءَ لِتَرکِ التَّناهي.
Be sure that if you incline towards anything other than Islam, the disbelievers will fight against you. Then neither Gabriel nor Michael nor the Muhājirin or Ansār will help you, you will draw swords against each other, until Allah settles the matter for you.

1.. Ibid.

  • نام منبع :
    Imam Ali and Political Leadership
Number of Visits : 170468
Page From 611
Print  Send to