The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “The first deficiency that entered the Children of Israel was that a man would meet another man and say: O you, fear Allah and abandon what you are doing, for it is not lawful for you. Then he would meet him the next day, and that would not prevent him from being his companion in eating and drinking and sitting with him. When they did that, Allah caused the hearts of some of them to go against the others.”

Then he said: “Cursed were those who disbelieved among the Children of Israel by the tongue of David and Jesus, son of Mary” up to His saying, “they were defiantly disobedient.” (Maidah 5:78) Then he said: “No, by Allah, you must enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong; and you must restrain the hand of the wrongdoer, and you must compel him to adhere to the truth strictly, and confine him to the truth completely.”

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: «إِنَّ أَوَّلَ مَا دَخَلَ النَّقْصُ عَلَى بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ كَانَ الرَّجُلُ يَلْقَى الرَّجُلَ، فَيَقُولُ يَا هَذَا اتَّقِ اللَّهِ وَدَعْ مَا تَصْنَعُ، فَإِنَّهُ لاَ يَحِلُّ لَكَ، ثُمَّ يَلْقَاهُ مِنَ الْغَدِ فَلاَ يَمْنَعُهُ ذَلِكَ أَنْ يَكُونَ أَكِيلَهُ وَشَرِيبَهُ وَقَعِيدَهُ، فَلَمَّا فَعَلُوا ذَلِكَ ضَرَبَ اللَّهُ قُلُوبَ بَعْضِهِمْ بِبَعْضٍ»، 

ثُمَّ قَالَ: «{ لُعِنَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ عَلَى لِسَانِ دَاوُدَ وَعِيسَى ابْنِ مَرْيَمَ }» إِلَى قَوْلِهِ «{ فَاسِقُونَ }» ثُمَّ قَالَ: «كَلاَّ وَاللَّهِ لَتَأْمُرُنَّ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَلَتَنْهَوُنَّ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ، وَلَتَأْخُذُنَّ عَلَى يَدَىِ الظَّالِمِ، وَلَتَأْطُرُنَّهُ عَلَى الْحَقِّ أَطْرًا وَلَتَقْصُرُنَّهُ عَلَى الْحَقِّ قَصْرًا».

from the Prophet ﷺ, with a similar wording like it and he added: “Otherwise Allah will surely set the hearts of some of you against others, then He will surely curse you as He cursed them.”

عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ بِنَحْوِهِ زَادَ: «أَوْ لَيَضْرِبَنَّ اللَّهُ بِقُلُوبِ بَعْضِكُمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ ثُمَّ لَيَلْعَنَنَّكُمْ كَمَا لَعَنَهُمْ».

Abu Bakr said, after praising and extolling Allah: O people, you recite this verse and place it other than in its proper context: "Be accountable to yourselves; those who have gone astray will not harm you if you are rightly guided.” (Maidah 5:105) Khalid said: And we heard the Prophet ﷺ say: "Indeed, when people see an oppressor and do not restrain him, Allah is about to envelope them all with a punishment."

And ‘Amr said, from Hushaym: And I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: "There is no people among whom acts of disobedience are committed, then they are able to change it but do not change it, except that Allah is about to envelope them because of it with a punishment."

قَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ بَعْدَ أَنْ حَمِدَ اللَّهَ وَأَثْنَى عَلَيْهِ: يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّكُمْ تَقْرَءُونَ هَذِهِ الآيَةَ وَتَضَعُونَهَا عَلَى غَيْرِ مَوَاضِعِهَا { عَلَيْكُمْ أَنْفُسَكُمْ لاَ يَضُرُّكُمْ مَنْ ضَلَّ إِذَا اهْتَدَيْتُمْ }، قَالَ عَنْ خَالِدٍ، وَإِنَّا سَمِعْنَا النَّبِيَّ ﷺ يَقُولُ: «إِنَّ النَّاسَ إِذَا رَأَوُا الظَّالِمَ فَلَمْ يَأْخُذُوا عَلَى يَدَيْهِ أَوْشَكَ أَنْ يَعُمَّهُمُ اللَّهُ بِعِقَابٍ»، 

وَقَالَ عَمْرٌو عَنْ هُشَيْمٍ وَإِنِّي سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ: «مَا مِنْ قَوْمٍ يُعْمَلُ فِيهِمْ بِالْمَعَاصِي ثُمَّ يَقْدِرُونَ عَلَى أَنْ يُغَيِّرُوا ثُمَّ لاَ يُغَيِّرُوا إِلاَّ يُوشِكُ أَنْ يَعُمَّهُمُ اللَّهُ مِنْهُ بِعِقَابٍ».

The Prophet ﷺ said: If any man is among a people in whose midst he does acts of disobedience, and, though they are able to make him change (his acts), they do not change, Allah will smite them with punishment before they die.

سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ مَا مِنْ رَجُلٍ يَكُونُ فِي قَوْمٍ يُعْمَلُ فِيهِمْ بِالْمَعَاصِي يَقْدِرُونَ عَلَى أَنْ يُغَيِّرُوا عَلَيْهِ فَلاَ يُغَيِّرُوا إِلاَّ أَصَابَهُمُ اللَّهُ بِعَذَابٍ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ يَمُوتُوا

I head the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: If any one you sees something objectionable, he should change it with his hand if he can change it with his hand. (The narrator Hammad broke the rest of the tradition which was completed by Ibn al-‘Ala’.) But if he cannot (do so), he should do it with his tongue, and if he cannot (do so with) his tongue he should do it in his heart, that being the weakest form of faith.

سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ مَنْ رَأَى مُنْكَرًا فَاسْتَطَاعَ أَنْ يُغَيِّرَهُ بِيَدِهِ فَلْيُغَيِّرْهُ بِيَدِهِ وَقَطَعَ هَنَّادٌ بَقِيَّةَ الْحَدِيثِ وَفَّاهُ ابْنُ الْعَلاَءِ فَإِنْ لَمْ يَسْتَطِعْ فَبِلِسَانِهِ فَإِنْ لَمْ يَسْتَطِعْ بِلِسَانِهِ فَبِقَلْبِهِ وَذَلِكَ أَضْعَفُ الإِيمَانِ

I asked AbuTha'labah al-Khushani: What is your opinion about the verse "Care for yourselves". He said: I swear by Allah, I asked the one who was well informed about it; I asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about it. He said: No, enjoin one another to do what is good and forbid one another to do what is evil. But when you see niggardliness being obeyed, passion being followed, worldly interests being preferred, everyone being charmed with his opinion, then care for yourself, and leave alone what people in general are doing; for ahead of you are days which will require endurance, in which showing endurance will be like grasping live coals. The one who acts rightly during that period will have the reward of fifty men who act as he does. Another version has: He said (The hearers asked:) Messenger of Allah, the reward of fifty of them? He replied: The reward of fifty of you.

سَأَلْتُ أَبَا ثَعْلَبَةَ الْخُشَنِيَّ فَقُلْتُ يَا أَبَا ثَعْلَبَةَ كَيْفَ تَقُولُ فِي هَذِهِ الآيَةِ { عَلَيْكُمْ أَنْفُسَكُمْ } قَالَ أَمَا وَاللَّهِ لَقَدْ سَأَلْتَ عَنْهَا خَبِيرًا سَأَلْتُ عَنْهَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقَالَ بَلِ ائْتَمِرُوا بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَتَنَاهَوْا عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ حَتَّى إِذَا رَأَيْتَ شُحًّا مُطَاعًا وَهَوًى مُتَّبَعًا وَدُنْيَا مُؤْثَرَةً وَإِعْجَابَ كُلِّ ذِي رَأْىٍ بِرَأْيِهِ فَعَلَيْكَ يَعْنِي بِنَفْسِكَ وَدَعْ عَنْكَ الْعَوَامَّ فَإِنَّ مِنْ وَرَائِكُمْ أَيَّامَ الصَّبْرِ الصَّبْرُ فِيهِ مِثْلُ قَبْضٍ عَلَى الْجَمْرِ لِلْعَامِلِ فِيهِمْ مِثْلُ أَجْرِ خَمْسِينَ رَجُلاً يَعْمَلُونَ مِثْلَ عَمَلِهِ وَزَادَنِي غَيْرُهُ قَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَجْرُ خَمْسِينَ مِنْهُمْ قَالَ أَجْرُ خَمْسِينَ مِنْكُمْ

The Prophet ﷺ said: How will you do when that time will come? Or he said: A time will soon come when the people are sifted and only dregs of mankind survive and their covenants and guarantees have been impaired and they have disagreed among themselves and become thus, interwining his fingers. They asked: What do you order us to do, Messenger of Allah? He replied: Accept what you approve, abandon what you disapprove, attend to your own affairs and leave alone the affairs of the generality. Abu dawud said: A similar tradition has been transmitted by 'Abd Allah bin 'Amr from the Prophet ﷺ through different chain.

أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ كَيْفَ بِكُمْ وَبِزَمَانٍ أَوْ يُوشِكُ أَنْ يَأْتِيَ زَمَانٌ يُغَرْبَلُ النَّاسُ فِيهِ غَرْبَلَةً تَبْقَى حُثَالَةٌ مِنَ النَّاسِ قَدْ مَرِجَتْ عُهُودُهُمْ وَأَمَانَاتُهُمْ وَاخْتَلَفُوا فَكَانُوا هَكَذَا وَشَبَّكَ بَيْنَ أَصَابِعِهِ فَقَالُوا وَكَيْفَ بِنَا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ قَالَ تَأْخُذُونَ مَا تَعْرِفُونَ وَتَذَرُونَ مَا تُنْكِرُونَ وَتُقْبِلُونَ عَلَى أَمْرِ خَاصَّتِكُمْ وَتَذَرُونَ أَمْرَ عَامَّتِكُمْ

When we were around the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, he mentioned the period of commotion (fitnah) saying: When you see the people that their covenants have been impaired, (the fulfilling of) the guarantees becomes rare, and they become thus (interwining his fingers). I then got up and said: What should I do at that time, may Allah make me ransom for you? He replied: Keep to your house, control your tongue, accept what you approve, abandon what you disapprove, attend to your own affairs, and leave alone the affairs of the generality.

بَيْنَمَا نَحْنُ حَوْلَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ إِذْ ذَكَرَ الْفِتْنَةَ فَقَالَ إِذَا رَأَيْتُمُ النَّاسَ قَدْ مَرِجَتْ عُهُودُهُمْ وَخَفَّتْ أَمَانَاتُهُمْ وَكَانُوا هَكَذَا وَشَبَّكَ بَيْنَ أَصَابِعِهِ قَالَ فَقُمْتُ إِلَيْهِ فَقُلْتُ كَيْفَ أَفْعَلُ عِنْدَ ذَلِكَ جَعَلَنِي اللَّهُ فِدَاكَ قَالَ الْزَمْ بَيْتَكَ وَامْلِكْ عَلَيْكَ لِسَانَكَ وَخُذْ بِمَا تَعْرِفُ وَدَعْ مَا تُنْكِرُ وَعَلَيْكَ بِأَمْرِ خَاصَّةِ نَفْسِكَ وَدَعْ عَنْكَ أَمْرَ الْعَامَّةِ

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “The best jihad is a word of justice spoken before a tyrannical ruler,” or “before an unjust leader.”

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: «أَفْضَلُ الْجِهَادِ كَلِمَةُ عَدْلٍ عِنْدَ سُلْطَانٍ جَائِرٍ» أَوْ «أَمِيرٍ جَائِرٍ»

The Prophet ﷺ said: When sin is done in the earth, he who sees it and disapproves of it will be taken like one who was not present, but he who is not present and approves of it will be like him who sees.

عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ إِذَا عُمِلَتِ الْخَطِيئَةُ فِي الأَرْضِ كَانَ مَنْ شَهِدَهَا فَكَرِهَهَا وَقَالَ مَرَّةً أَنْكَرَهَا كَمَنْ غَابَ عَنْهَا وَمَنْ غَابَ عَنْهَا فَرَضِيَهَا كَانَ كَمَنْ شَهِدَهَا

He who sees it and disapproves of it will be like him who was not present.

عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ نَحْوَهُ قَالَ مَنْ شَهِدَهَا فَكَرِهَهَا كَانَ كَمَنْ غَابَ عَنْهَا

The people will not perish until their sins and faults become abundant, and there remains no excuse for them.

سَمِعَ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ يَقُولُ وَقَالَ سُلَيْمَانُ حَدَّثَنِي رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ قَالَ لَنْ يَهْلِكَ النَّاسُ حَتَّى يَعْذِرُوا أَوْ يُعْذِرُوا مِنْ أَنْفُسِهِمْ