Munafiq for correcting others?

Imam Ali wrote:

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إن شاء الله this should clarify...

From Mufti Muhammad Sajjad's book, The Fiqh of Da'wah A commentary of 40 Hadiths:

Da'wah is a Duty upon every believer

...Realizing the above helps us also rectify a misunderstanding found among many Muslims today. It is commonly thought that if one is not practicing or is a weak Muslim he or she cannot aid in calling Islam. Such people even back up their argument by quoting the verse:

O you who believe! Why do you say that which you do not do?

The meaning that they take from this verse is "do not tell others to do things that you yourself do not do." The true meaning however is "do not claim that you have done a particular act of worship when you have not." For instance telling others one has spent the night in Tahajjud when one spent it fast asleep, or someone saying that he offers all his prayers in the Masjid while the truth is that he only offers some there. This is the meaning given for this verse by all major commentators of the Qur'an.

Furthermore if being a perfect Muslim were a condition to spreading Islam, no one would undertake this work since there is not a Muslim in the world who thinks himself free of defects and sins. And if person truly believes himself free of sins he should know that he is caught up in one of the worst of sins - the sin of conceit and arrogance. For the Prophet (saw)

said, as narrated in Imam Tirmidhi's Jami': "All children of Adam fall into sin, and the best of sinners are those who repent."

Secondly, as the Hadith following will show, Da'wah is a good deed like any other good deed. So just as not practicing does not stop a person from doing good deeds such as charity or saying Assalamu 'alaikum to someone, it ought not stop one from doing Da'wah.

Thirdly, history books have recorded many incidents in Islamic history that clearly prove how effective the sincere words of even a sinful person can be by the grace of Allah. An interesting example is found in the story of the persecution (mihnah) of Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal.

The very foundations of Islam were under attack and had the onslaught not been repelled the religion of the masses would have been corrupted. Under the pressure from the Mu'tazili rulers numerous Islamic scholars gave in to and proclaimed belief in the false doctrine of the createdness of the Holy Qur'an. Imam Ahmad alone stood in the way of the rulers who sought to make this heresy the belief of the Muslims.

Neither by money or threats of violence could they persuade Imam Ahmad to proclaim this heretical belief. The ruler, Mu'tasim, even stooped to exposing the aged and physically weak Imam to the most painful and humiliating torture and had him whipped over seven times in public.

Imam Ahmad later said that during this punishment there came a moment when his resolve waned and he thought to himself that since his life was at stake and Islam in such conditions permits a Muslim to utter words of disbelief he would relent and proclaim belief in the heresy. Just as he was about to fold under the pressure he heard a man among those who were witnessing the flogging call out:"Imam! I have taken eighteen thousand lashes of Mu'tasim over the years and it did not make me give up following Shaitan and abandon thievery. Let them not make you give up the truth."

The Imam said that when he heard these words his resolve became strong and was never to wane again. In the end the Imam withstood so much more than his well-wisher that his life was nearly lost. Eventually this ugly episode in Muslim history ended and the belief of believers remained unaltered due to the sacrifice of Imam Ahmad and a few words uttered in sincerity by a common thief.4

4.Ibn al-Jawzi Manaqib al-Imam Ahmad, pp.333-334

Munafiq for correcting others?

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