Command Good And Forbid Evil

 Command Good And Forbid Evil

M. Bakri Musa

 

Muslims experience heightened spirituality during Ramadan, more so during the last ten days. We believe that the first Quranic verse was revealed during this month, most likely in one of the last odd nights, the 27^th(Lailatul qadar) being most probable.

Tradition has much to do with this heightened spirituality. Biology too plays a role, with the metabolic ketosis, the consequence of fasting.

The Quran’s central injunction is “Command good and forbid evil.” Of the five pillars of Islam, only the fourth, zakat (tithe), deals directly with this. That zakat is “doing good” to its recipients is self-evident. Less acknowledged and may seem counter-intuitive, zakat also does good to the donor and society generally. Altruism aside, the donated money would be spent on consumables and thus keeping money circulating.

The Quran specifies three forms of charity. First (and major) is zakat mal, an annual wealth tax of 2.5 percent levied on your assets above a certain threshold. This also applies to businesses. With its low rate and wide base, zakat mal is the economist’s ideal taxation system. This low rate also discourages creative accounting. 

Second is zakat fitra during Ramadan, obligatory upon all except the disabled and the poorest. Zakat fitra in Malaysia in 2025 ranges from RM7 to RM22 per soul; in my California community, US$10. Minimal but with a wide base, the total would be substantial.

Then there is sadaqah, direct gift of cash, goods, or services to the poor. This is heightened during Ramadan, as reflected by the many communal breaking of the fast. In my Muslim community in Morgan Hill, we also have an annual Ramadan Food Drive. A variant of charity is sadaqah jariyah, as with building schools, hospitals, or community wells.

Not stated in the Quran is waqaf (trust) to benefit the community or family. In Islam, charity begins at home, hence family waqaf. The Prophet’s companion Omar conceived this concept following the Battle of Khaibar to manage the spoils of battle that could not be transported back to Mecca. Waqaf later expanded as a convenient mechanism for the rich to protect their assets from rapacious sultans. As waqafs are considered gifts to Allah, those greedy sultans would not dare seize them!

In secular America, zakat and certain waqafs are tax deductible. Meaning, the government is effectively paying a major portion of your donations! In Malaysia, zakat is a tax credit, in lieu of income tax. I am surprised that non-Muslim taxpayers are not howling at this egregious unfairness.

Charity includes donating your services. In secular America, certain professions like law mandate their members to perform pro bono work.

The noblest charitable act is giving someone a job. That not only gives him an income but more importantly, dignity and self-worth. Hence Islam holds entrepreneurs in high esteem.

Stretching the concept of doing good, the third pillar of fasting during Ramadan, and fifth, Hajj (incumbent only on those who can afford it), could also be included. If through fasting you would be sensitized to the plight of the poor and be moved to help them, then fasting would be “doing good.” That is apart from the “doing good” of Ramadan’s zakat fitra.

The “good” in undertaking Hajj and umrah (mini Hajj), apart from personal spiritual fullness, is your contributing to the travel and hospitality industry. Think of the jobs created, from the ulama and guides to the pilots and hotel staff. Revenue-wise in Saudi Arabia, pilgrimage is second only to oil and gas.

With syahadah (profession of faith) and five daily prayers, the first and second pillars respectively, you are doing good only for yourself by getting closer to God (taqwa). If taqwa were to prompt you to do good and forbid evil, then that Quranic command would have been fulfilled albeit indirectly. Absent that, you are thinking only of your own salvation at best and mindlessly performing a ritual at worse. The possible exception would be when you pray for others and your prayers get answered.

On Prophet Muhammad’s (s.a.w.) night journey to Heaven (Al Isra’ wal Mi’raj), Allah through him commanded Muslims to have fifty mandatory daily prayers. He negotiated that down to five, reflecting his wisdom as well as proper perspective on prayers. As per tradition would have it, he would have tried to lower it even more but was too embarrassed to ask.

If in your zeal to pray you neglect your other worldly duties or be oblivious of your surroundings and sensitivity of others, as with praying on a busy road, then whatever pahala (religious good deeds) you garner would be negated by your creating a hazard and ill will. That is not doing good!

As a surgeon in Malaysia, I once reprimanded a junior doctor for abandoning his patient in the Emergency Room while he was off for his Friday prayers. He may be doing good for himself but definitely not towards his patient.

Wealth, like water, gets polluted if stagnant. Zakat and other charitable acts serve to circulate and thus purify wealth. This circulation also amplifies wealth, the velocity of money dynamics. Undeveloped economies are correlated with sluggish circulation of wealth. Hoarding is the extreme manifestation. Banks and similar institutions perform this crucial circulatory function.

No surprise that Allah had chosen a merchant to be His Last Messenger. A merchant is at heart an entrepreneur, one who sees a need in society that has not been met or met inadequately, and then goes about remedying that, earning a profit in the process. Society too benefits.

            Muslims are told to emulate our Beloved Prophet, s.a.w. His being an entrepreneur (trader) is one we should all aspire. To paraphrase a hadith, better to be the giver than the receiver of a paycheck.