Praise be to Allah.
Firstly:
Undoubtedly the one who enjoins what is
right and forbids what is wrong should
be complying with what he enjoins and
avoiding what he forbids.
Al-Qaadi Abu Ya‘la said: It is more
appropriate for the one who seeks to
enjoin what is right and forbid what is
wrong to be one of the people of
discretion, decency, and good character,
and one who is accepted and well-liked
by people, because if he meets this
description, the one whom he enjoins
will have respect for him and may
respond to him and accept what he
says… When a person is like this, his
words are more likely to have an impact
and be accepted.
End quote from his essay al-Amr bi’l-
Ma‘roof (p. 47).
But this does not allow the sinner or the
one who falls short to refrain from
enjoining what is right and forbidding
what is wrong on the grounds that they
fall short in some deeds or fall into
some objectionable actions.
The view of the majority of scholars
among the earlier and later generations
is that it is not stipulated that the one
who wants to enjoin what is right and
forbid what is wrong should be of
exemplary conduct and never commit
any wrong deeds or sins, because this
condition would close the door to
enjoining what is right and forbidding
what is wrong. Could anyone be free of
wrongdoing and sins?!
That is because what is required of the
individual is two things: avoiding wrong
deeds and telling others not to do them.
If he fails in one of the two, that does
not mean that the other is waived.
Abu Bakr ibn al-‘Arabi said: It is not
stipulated that he should be of
exemplary conduct according to Ahl as-
Sunnah, but the innovators said that no
one can change wrong actions except
one who is of exemplary conduct.
This is wrong, because truly exemplary
conduct is limited to very few people,
but forbidding what is wrong is
something that is required of all people.
End quote from Ahkaam al-Qur’an
(1/349)
An-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on
him) said: The scholars said: With regard
to enjoining what is right and forbidding
what is wrong, it is not stipulated that
one must be perfect, complying fully
with what he enjoins and avoiding fully
what he forbids; rather he must enjoin
what is right, even if he is falling short
in what he enjoins, and he must forbid
what is wrong, even if he does some of
that which he forbids.
So two things are required of him: to
enjoin himself to do what is right and to
forbid himself to do what is wrong, and
to enjoin others to do what is right and
forbid them to do what is wrong. If he
falls short in one of them, how can it be
permissible for him to fall short in the
other?!
End quote from Sharh Saheeh Muslim
(2/23)
Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar said: With regard to
the one who says that no one should
enjoin what is right except one who is
free of all faults, if he means that this is
what is preferable, all well and good,
otherwise it implies closing the door to
enjoining what is good, if there is no one
else who can meet that condition.
End quote from Fath al-Baari (13/53).
As-Safaareeni said: It is not stipulated,
with regard to enjoining what is right
and forbidding what is wrong, that the
one who does that must be of exemplary
conduct, according to the correct view.
Rather the ruler, the judge, the scholar,
the ignorant man, the man of good
character and the evildoer are all equal
in that regard. Yes, his actions should
not contradict his words; rather he
should enjoin what is right and comply
with that, and forbid what is wrong and
avoid it.
If you say: these saheeh reports clearly
stipulate that being of exemplary
conduct is essential in the one who
wants to enjoin what is right and forbid
what is wrong, our response is that this
is the best-case scenario, but we say
that it is required of every believer to
be pious and of exemplary conduct.
However, people must enjoin what is
right and forbid what is wrong; if only
those who are infallible or divinely
protected were to exhort people, then
no one would enjoy what is right and
forbid what is wrong, even though that is
of utmost importance in supporting the
religion.
It was said:
If no one who is a sinner were to
admonish the people, then who would
admonish the sinners after Muhammad?
It was said to al-Hasan al-Basri: So and
so does not admonish the people and he
says: I am afraid to say what I do not do.
Al-Hasan said: Which of us does what he
says? That is what the Shaytaan wants
people to think, then no one would
enjoin anything that is right or forbid
anything that is wrong.
To sum up: every believer, in line with
the conditions outlined above, is
required to enjoin what is right and
forbid what is wrong, even if he is an
evildoer, or that is without the
permission of the authorities, and even
with his companions in wrongdoing and
even with himself. So he should rebuke
himself for doing wrong, because people
are accountable for enjoining what is
right and forbidding what is wrong.
End quote from Ghidha’ al-Albaab fi
Sharh Manzoomat al-Adaab (1/215).