Evil

Evil, in a general sense, is the opposite or absence of good. It can be an extremely broad concept, though in everyday usage is often used more narrowly to denote profound wickedness. It is generally seen as taking multiple possible forms, such as the form of personal moral evil commonly associated with the word, or impersonal natural evil (as in the case of natural disasters or illnesses), and in religious thought, the form of the demonic or supernatural/eternal.

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Evil . Enjoining Good

What kind of effect should enjoining good and forbidding evil have for it to be obligatory?

Sayyed Mohammad Al-Musawi, Sayyed Mohammad al-Musawi is originally from Iraq and heads up the World Ahlul Bayt Islamic League in London. Other than being involved in various humanitarian projects, he frequently responds to... Answered 2 months ago

Enjoining good and forbidding evil is obligatory when it's conditions are fulfilled. The conditions include: 1. Knowing definitely that the specific act is good or bad in Islamic rules. If you are not sure, then it is not obligatory on you.

2. Having a reasonable possibility that you can achieve any impact on them. If you are sure that the sinners will never listen to you, it will not be obligatory on you.

3. There should be no danger on you or other believers if you enjoin good or forbid evil.. If you have a reasonable possibility of danger, then it will not be obligatory on you.

'Enjoining good and forbidding evil is a great deed of obedience of Allah (SWT). It is the act of the prophets and Infallible Imams. It help the person himself to to do good and avoid evil.

Wassalam.

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Evil . Muslims . Alcohol . Christianity . Atheism . Salah (Prayers)

Is it obligatory to enjoin good and forbid evil for non-Muslims? Should we enjoin on Christian people or atheists to perform Salah as we Muslims do, or to abandon alcohol?

Enjoining good and forbidding evil has conditions among which that there should be a reasonable possibility that they might accept. Non Muslims need first to believe in Allah and His messenger Muhammad (SAWA) before we talk to them about performing Prayers and other Islamic life rules.

It is a human responsibility on us to help any human being to know and reach to the Truth, and there is no truth bigger than Allah and His message. We as Muslims should try our best to help others through suitable ways to make their lives better. We always need to be wise and polite.

Wassalam.

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Family . Evil . Hypocrisy

I have come to realise that I am toxic to my family and have a lot of evil hidden within me. However, I am nice to people outside my family and that makes me a hypocrite. How can I reform myself and become a better person?

Read what the Prophet (SAWA) and his Progeny (AS) said about treating your family (Best of you are those who are the best in treating their families).

You need also to read about the bad results of being toxic to your family e.g. miserable situation in the grave, etc.

'We need to be humble inside our hearts and believe that our family members are humans like us and part of us. We deal Wi them as we want them to deal with us. We will enjoy life here and hereafter if we treat others nicely especially our family.

Try to look at the mirror if you become angry, you should calm down because you will see how ugly to be angry.

Keep on seeking forgiveness for the past and seeking help of Allah to make you a nice person with your family.

'Wassalam.

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Evil . Ummah . Peace . Death

Some people filled their whole lives with really evil things and caused so much harm to the Ummah and the religion, but then apparently had good lives and even seemed to die in peace. Why is that so?

Zoheir Ali Esmail, Shaykh Zoheir Ali Esmail has a Bsc in Accounting and Finance from the LSE in London, and an MA in Islamic Studies from Middlesex University. He studied Arabic at Damascus University and holds a PhD... Answered 1 year ago

Bismillah

Thank you for your question. God is Just and all people will receive rewards for their good deeds and accountability for their bad deeds. Certain people are given all of the recompenses for any good that they have done in this world, but only to find punishment for the bad they have done in the next. The blissful life in this world distracts them from reforming their ways and their end is undesirable. Conversely, some pay for all of the bad they have done in this world, only to find good in the next. The lives people lead on the outside, during our short stay in the corporeal realm, are not a benchmark for God's favor.

May you always be successful

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Sin . Heart . Evil . Mind . Qabd al-yadayn

Is it ever possible for a person to commit a sin inside his heart such as from evil thoughts crossing into their mind that they cannot control?

Bismillah

Evil thoughts especially when they are not within a person's control are not considered sins. The best way to rid yourself of these thoughts is to absolutely ignore them. They will become less and less until they fade away completely. They are not really what you think but something that just crosses your mind and they should be treated as such. If it has reached the stage when you cannot help making yourself think these things then again the best remedy is not to punish yourself at all, but to completely ignore them as if they did not even occur. Over time it will pass.

May you always be successful

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Evil . Death . Evil eye

Can the evil eye cause death?

Yes as the Hadeeth narrated by Jabir ibn Abdullah Al-Ansari says: Evil eye can send the man to the grave العين تُدخل الرجلَ القبر.

Protection from evil eye is very easy as we read in the Hadeeths. Simply to recite Sura Al-Falaq and Sura Annaas and Ayatul Kursi.

'Wassalam.

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Man . Evil . Qur'anic Verse . Du'a (Supplication)

In Quran 17:11 it says that man supplicates for evil as he supplicates for good. Why would anyone supplicate for evil?

No one seeks or supplicates for evil, knowing that it is from evil, but many human beings seek and supplicate and try to get something which is in fact bad and evils for them but they do not know that at that time. That is why we read in the next sentence in the same verse : Human being is hasty.
Hasty desires are bad and can lead man to evil with out his knowledge. Man needs to think properly before seeking anything and ponder on the possible sequences. A narration from Imam Jafar Al-Sadiq (AS) says: "Distinguish the way which saves you from the way which destroys you, so that you should never seek what can destroy you thinking that is will save you. Allah (SWT) says: Man seeks evil as he seeks good, and the man is hasty." Tafseer Al-Amthal, V. 8, P.418.

Wassalam.

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Evil . Mind . Hell . Hypocrisy

I get constant evil thoughts about Allah that I try and counter by repeatedly saying Auzobillah in my mind. But it is so bad that I feel I am a Munafiq and am worried that I will burn in the deepest pit of hell. Is there any cure for my situation?

Bad thoughts can come to lot of people as part of our struggle with our worst enemy Shaytan. Your feeling annoyed from such thoughts means you are not with it and your heart and mind is with Allah not with the bad thoughts.

Tackling bad thoughts needs : Firstly: Knowing that these thoughts are instigated by Shaytan. When we know the evil source, we remain more alert.

Secondly: Seeking help from Allah (SWT) to tackle these evil thoughts. He always helps His servants who seek His help. Keep on praying and supplicating to Him even by repeating saying Ya Allah, Ya Allah, Ya Rahman, Ya Raheem etc. It is very useful to repeat ALLAHUMMA SALLI 'ALA MUHAMMAD WA AALI MUHAMMAD.

It is also very helpful to repeat Estighfaar and recitibg Sura Tawheed.

It is also very helpful to recite Sura Qaaf with voice that your can hear.

Seeking the Waseelah of Ahlul Bayt (AS) is very helpful especially Imam Al-Mahdi (AS).

Wassalam.

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Evil . God (Allah) . Divine Mercy . Dunya

If Allah (swt) is so Merciful then why is there evil in the world? Why do some people, even including past Prophets, undergo severely punishing experiences in this life?

Bismillah

Thank you for your question. Key to the problem of evil is the definition of evil. If there is any greater purpose, compensation or wisdom behind suffering it cannot be defined as unnecessary evil. For example, making your kids do their homework is not evil, as while your kids may think they are unnecessarily suffering, that suffering has a purpose. It also has compensation in that learning is good for the children and it is wise on behalf of the parents to put their children through the suffering of studying. So too other issues of evil can be framed such that they are not evil. For example, the trials and tribulations of the prophets (as) were for a purpose, were part of Divine Wisdom and will be rewarded in the next life. One of the main wisdom behind human evil, is that there is no meaningful free will if humans are prevented from carrying out that free will even if it results in evil.

May you always be successful

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Evil . God (Allah)

If Allah (swt) has unlimited and infinite love and compassion and He also has full knowledge of the future, then why did He create all the evil people about whom He knows that they will end up in Hell?

Zeinab Donati, Zeinab Donati has been studying books about various Islamic subjects for more than 19 years. She is deeply interested in history and politics as well as social issues in particular those pertaining... Answered 3 years ago

In addition to what have been nicely replied, I would like to share a list of texts that discuss about evil in relation with Divine Justice, hoping that they will be interesting read that will bring a lot of reflections and a deeper understanding on this subject inshaAllah.
Divine Justice and the Problem of Evil, by Ghulam Husayn Adeel
https://www.al-islam.org/message-thaqalayn/vol11-n2-2010/divine-justice-...
Divine Justice or The Problem of Evil, by Javad Shayvard
https://www.al-islam.org/divine-justice-or-problem-evil-javad-shayvard
Discursive Theology Volume 1, Lesson 25: Evil and the Justice of God
https://www.al-islam.org/discursive-theology-volume-1-dr-ali-rabbani-gul...
Evils, An Excerpt from Ayatullah Murtadha Mutahhari's Divine Justice
https://www.al-islam.org/articles/evils-excerpt-ayatullah-murtadha-mutah...
Ultimate Questions in Philosophy of Religion, by Shaykh Mansour Leghaei, chapter 17 & 18
https://www.al-islam.org/ultimate-questions-philosophy-religion-shaykh-m...
https://www.al-islam.org/ultimate-questions-philosophy-religion-shaykh-m...

Evil . God (Allah)

Allah, The Glorious, created human beings and granted them the ability to be good if they want, or to be bad if they insist on doing bad. In Quran ( We Have guided the human being to the right path, to chose whether to be grateful or disgraceful) Sura Al-Insan, Verse 3.

Allah (SWT) gives all human beings the option to choose their faith and deeds, after guiding them to the Truth. They will meet the results of their option in this life and hereafter.
No doubt that Allah knows who will be grateful and who will be disgraceful, but His knowledge does not make Him cancel the existence of those who will be bad, or stop their creation, because it will be against justice to punish the sinners to be before committing the sin.

Evil people prove the qualities of good people and with out bad people, it will be difficult to identify the good persons.

Wassalam.

Evil . God (Allah)

Bismillah

Thank you for your question. The problem of evil is an issue that has been discussed extensively in philosophy of religion but unfortunately the issue is primarily framed in a way that emphasises certain Attributes of God based on the Christian tradition. There is also much confusion on the relation of God and time as well as on what knowledge actually is in relation to God.

In summary evil people are such through their own choice and it would be unjust for God to sentence them to eternal punishment without them actually choosing evil.

May you always be successful