Nahy ʿan al-Munkar
Definition
Nahy ʿan al-munkar is the obligation to actively discourage, prevent, or correct prohibited conduct — when one encounters a munkar (a wrong, a prohibited action) being committed and has the knowledge that it is wrong, the capacity to address it, and the reasonable expectation that addressing it will help rather than worsen the situation. Al-Ghazali is careful about the conditions: the prohibition must be established by clear evidence (not merely personal opinion), the method must be calibrated to the relationship and the context, and the timing must be chosen wisely. The obligation is real but its execution requires judgment, not merely enthusiasm.
As understood in the classical tradition of Imam al-Ghazali and the scholars of his school.
Appears in
1 book in the library
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