"Command Good; Forbid Evil" As The Sixth Pillar Of Islam

 “Command Good; Forbid Evil” As The Sixth Pillar of Islam

M. Bakri Musa

 

An American Imam had suggested that the Qur’anic imperative, “Command good and forbid evil” ٱلْأَمْرُ بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ وَٱلنَّهْيُ عَنِ ٱلْمُنْكَر) al-amru bi-l-maʿrūfi wa-n-nahyu ʿani-l-munkari) be the sixth pillar of Islam, after syahadah(profession of faith), five daily prayers, fasting during Ramadan, zakat (tithe), and conditions permitting, undertaking the Hajj.

 

            That ayat (verse) appears no fewer than five times in the Qur’an. Other faiths too have their own golden rule, stated positively as with Christianity’s “Do to others what you would have done to you,” or negatively as with the Confucian “Do not do unto others what you would not want others to do unto you.”

 

            Of the five pillars, only one and possibly two could be seen as fulfilling that mandate. The other three–syahadah, praying, and fasting–do not. While reciting the syahadah and performing regular prayers would garner you pahala (religious good deeds), that would not do your fellow human beings any good. Except perhaps that those deeds would bring you closer to Allah, motivating you to follow His commands. Fasting would be doing good to others only if you were to donate to the poor the food you would have otherwise consumed.

 

            Only zakat benefits others. Hajj directly benefits only those in the hospitality sector. That is not insignificant for today Hajj and umrah (mini Hajj) are second only to hydrocarbons in the Saudi economy. Unlike the latter, the former is non-depleting and on an upward trajectory.

 

            A related concept waqaf (endowment), developed by the Prophet’s Companion Omar after the Battle of Khyber, mirrors Verse 3:92, approximately translated ‘You will never achieve righteousness until you donate what you cherish.’ Waqaf’s subsequent growth however, was more to prevent precious assets being seized by rapacious rulers.

 

            While praying brings pahala, that would be negated through your lack of consideration for others in performing it. Praying in plane aisles impedes passengers desperate to go to the bathroom. Those who stopped their cars along busy freeways to perform their prayers endanger themselves and other road users. 

 

            My Imam once interrupted his sermon when he saw someone parking his car in the driveaway, thus blocking it and posing significant danger in case of emergencies. He asked the culprit to move his car right away. Obviously to that latecomer, his salvation comes ahead of the safety of others–a distorted understanding of our great faith.

 

            As a surgeon in Malaysia I once reprimanded a junior doctor for taking off for his Friday prayers and thus abandoning his patient in the Emergency Room. Today, streets outside of mosques on Fridays are packed with cars parked haphazardly. In their pursuit of piety, those Muslims are blinded to the inconveniences and indeed dangers they pose to others.

 

            A poignant if not tragic scene from this year’s Hajj season with its lethal scorching temperatures was one recorded by an American pilgrim. He and his entourage were in their air conditioned luxury coach when they saw an elderly woman by the roadside desperately waving for the bus to stop and rescue her dying husband in the unsheltered heat. Despite the passengers’ pleas, the Saudi bus driver continued on. Distorted priorities!

 

            I am reminded of the story when Allah was displeased with the collective performances of the pilgrims one season and threatened not to accept their Hajj. Then the angels related the incident of a would-be pilgrim who had to abandon his life’s dream at the last minute because his neighbor was sick and needed help. On hearing that, Allah relented and accepted that year’s pilgrimage. He also granted the man pahala as if he too had undertaken his Hajj.

 

            The moral of that tale is clear as well as instructive. Commanding good (helping your neighbor in need) trumps Hajj. The Saudi coach driver missed the central point that to be a Muslim you first have to be a good human being.

 

            In my youth I saw many families thrown into poverty as their elders had sold their assets to finance their Hajj. Today I see many of our young undertaking Hajj and umrah. Have they saved for their retirement and children’s education?

 

            The late economist Ungku Aziz was very much aware of the adverse socioeconomic consequences on society as well as the individuals with this pursuit of Hajj. Through his brilliant initiative he created Tabung Haji (Pilgrims’ Trust Fund), a mutual fund-like financial intermediary to mobilize Muslims’ savings. Today it is one the largest financial institutions, its recent scandals notwithstanding.

 

            Alas nobody has carried the ball forward. I would have expected that with many more brilliant economists and enterprising MBAs we have today, Tabung Haji would have expanded into neighboring countries as well as be the operator of the largest fleet of charter aircrafts and owning strings of hotels in Mecca; likewise with waqaf.

 

            I do not know whether the Ungku was a hafiz (one who had memorized the Qur’an), had khatam (read it entirely), or even undertaken a Hajj. Nonetheless he had understood and acted on the essence of our faith. May Allah look kindly upon his soul.