When We See A Wrongdoing

 The Prophet (saw) said,

“Whoever among you sees an evil action, then let him change it with his hand (by taking action),

If he cannot do so, then with his tongue (by speaking out),

If he cannot do so, then with his heart – and that is the weakest level of faith.”

Hadith narrated by Abu Saeed Khudri (ra), (Sahih Muslim)

Palestinian children starving for food, after blockade of food, water, fuel and medical supplies were imposed. On top of that, they have to endure continued bombings and killings on a daily basis.

This hadith tells us that when we see a wrongdoing, we have a responsibility to do something about it. We cannot just stand there, passively observing the situation, and wait for others to handle it.

The hadith also  tells us the order in which we must do something.

If you see something wrong, the highest level is to physically stop it (“…change it with his hand…”). This refers to taking direct action to stop the evil, such as physically intervening in a wrongdoing or using one’s resources to address injustice.

It is not enough for us to keep ourselves away from wrongdoing, we must help others as well, and stop them from falling into wrongdoing, and sins which could lead to the Hellfire. This part of the hadith also refers to stopping people from doing wrong to others or to yourself.

Nowadays, there are many people who will not raise a finger to stop anti-social behavior – this is not the characteristic of the righteous Muslim. If we have the ability to stop a crime or offence, then we must, no matter how small the action.

If you are not physically able to change things or stop wrongdoings, then you must speak out against it, or advise against it, or advise a better way, or even call for help (“..let him change it with his tongue…”). We shouldn’t remain silent when we have the ability to speak up. You can warn someone against doing wrong, advise them to change their ways.

Finally, if w are powerless to act on any of the two methods above, then we must oppose it in our heart. As Muslims, we do not accept wrongdoings nor resign ourselves to living out lives where there is no opposition to wrongdoings. We do not lie down and let the wrongdoers roll over us, step over us and spread their mischief to others.

Wrong is wrong and the moment we let go of this in our heart, then we lose sight of what is good and what is wrong. We stop seeing wrong as wrong and good as good – the lines become blurred and what is wrong becomes allowable.

This hadith also reminds us of the power of faith in our hearts; even when we cannot take physical or verbal action against something wrong, having faith can still make a difference. We must never give up hope that good will prevail over evil in the end, no matter how dark things may seem at times.

This teaching encourages us to stand up for what is right and just even when it may seem difficult or impossible. We must always strive for justice and fairness no matter how hard it may be.