سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ( عليه السلام ) يَقُولُ وَ سُئِلَ عَنِ الْأَمْرِ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَ النَّهْيِ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ أَ وَاجِبٌ هُوَ عَلَى الْأُمَّةِ جَمِيعاً فَقَالَ لَا فَقِيلَ لَهُ وَ لِمَ قَالَ إِنَّمَا هُوَ عَلَى الْقَوِيِّ الْمُطَاعِ الْعَالِمِ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ مِنَ الْمُنْكَرِ لَا عَلَى الضَّعِيفِ الَّذِي لَا يَهْتَدِي سَبِيلًا إِلَى أَيٍّ مِنْ أَيٍّ يَقُولُ مِنَ الْحَقِّ إِلَى الْبَاطِلِ وَ الدَّلِيلُ عَلَى ذَلِكَ كِتَابُ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ قَوْلُهُ وَ لْتَكُنْ مِنْكُمْ أُمَّةٌ يَدْعُونَ إِلَى الْخَيْرِ وَ يَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَ يَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ فَهَذَا خَاصٌّ غَيْرُ عَامٍّ كَمَا قَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ وَ مِنْ قَوْمِ مُوسى أُمَّةٌ يَهْدُونَ بِالْحَقِّ وَ بِهِ يَعْدِلُونَ وَ لَمْ يَقُلْ عَلَى أُمَّةِ مُوسَى وَ لَا عَلَى كُلِّ قَوْمِهِ وَ هُمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ أُمَمٌ مُخْتَلِفَةٌ وَ الْأُمَّةُ وَاحِدَةٌ فَصَاعِداً كَمَا قَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ إِنَّ إِبْراهِيمَ كانَ أُمَّةً قانِتاً لِلَّهِ يَقُولُ مُطِيعاً لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ وَ لَيْسَ عَلَى مَنْ يَعْلَمُ ذَلِكَ فِي هَذِهِ الْهُدْنَةِ مِنْ حَرَجٍ إِذَا كَانَ لَا قُوَّةَ لَهُ وَ لَا عُذْرَ وَ لَا طَاعَةَ قَالَ مَسْعَدَةُ وَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ( عليه السلام ) يَقُولُ وَ سُئِلَ عَنِ الْحَدِيثِ الَّذِي جَاءَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ( صلى الله عليه وآله ) إِنَّ أَفْضَلَ الْجِهَادِ كَلِمَةُ عَدْلٍ عِنْدَ إِمَامٍ جَائِرٍ مَا مَعْنَاهُ قَالَ هَذَا عَلَى أَنْ يَأْمُرَهُ بَعْدَ مَعْرِفَتِهِ وَ هُوَ مَعَ ذَلِكَ يُقْبَلُ مِنْهُ وَ إِلَّا فَلَا.
Translation
And by this chain, said, ‘I heard Abu Abdullah<sup>asws</sup> saying, and he<sup>asws</sup> was asked about the enjoining with the good and the forbidding from the evil, ‘Is it an Obligation upon the entire community?’ So he<sup>asws</sup> said: ‘No’. So it was said to him<sup>asws</sup>, ‘And why not?’ He<sup>asws</sup> said: ‘But rather it is upon the strongly followed one, knowledgeable of the good and the evil, not upon the weak who is not guided of the way, to which from which, he should be speaking from the truth to the falsehood, and the evidence upon that is the Book of Allah<sup>azwj</sup> Mighty and Majestic, His<sup>azwj</sup> Words <span class="ibTxt"><a href="/#/books/quran:3#h104"><a href="/books/quran:3#h104">[3:104]</a></a> And from among you there should be a community inviting to the better and enjoin what is good and forbid the evil</span>. Thus, these are particular ones and not the general public, just as Allah<sup>azwj</sup> Mighty and Majestic Said <span class="ibTxt"><a href="/#/books/quran:7#h159"><a href="/books/quran:7#h159">[7:159]</a></a> And of Musa's people was a party who guided (people) with the truth, and thereby did they do justice</span>. And He<sup>azwj</sup> did not Say: “And it is upon the people of Musa<sup>as</sup>”, nor “Upon every one of his<sup>as</sup> people”, and in those days they were different communities, and the community can be one (man), just as Allah<sup>azwj</sup> Mighty and Majestic Said that <span class="ibTxt"><a href="/#/books/quran:16#h120"><a href="/books/quran:16#h120">[16:120]</a></a> Surely Ibrahim was a community, obedient to Allah</span>. He<sup>azwj</sup> is Saying: “Obedient to Allah<sup>azwj</sup> Mighty and Majestic”. And it is not upon the one who knows that in these times of truce from danger, when there was not strength for him, nor an excuse, and do obedience’. Mas’ada (the narrator) said, ‘And I heard Abu Abdullah<sup>asws</sup> saying, and he<sup>asws</sup> was asked about the Hadeeth which came from the Prophet<sup>saww</sup> that: ‘The most superior of the Jihad is the just word in the presence of an unjust leader’, what is its meaning?’ He<sup>asws</sup> said: ‘This is upon a stipulation that he would enjoin him (with the good) after having recognised it (himself), and along with that, he (the leader) would accept it from him, or else, so no!’.
Compiled by Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ya'qub al-Kulayni
Source
License: Free for educational and research use (Thaqalayn Data API)
Provided for research and educational purposes. Original source: Thaqalayn Project. Open License.