ok, how do you do that?
A lot of time a person talks about Wadu (Wazu ﻮﺿﻮ ) for example and people come up with this argument that Allah has already set the rules for Salat and it’s not for us to judge people how they pray or if their salat is null and void. Now There are certain rules which are set by Quran and Hadith, not like they are set by some Mulana XYZ.
The rules have been transmitted to us through centuries, its not like they were creatd in 1999 in Jamia Ashrifyah, its from quran and sunnah, that such and such are the prerequisites of Salat. So now if you are trying to tell someone in a very polite way that brother or sister your Salat will be null and void if we don’t do part x and Y, would that be imposing your self, or Imposing Islam on someone or interfering in his religious affairs since Allah has already revealed the book?
You will only be telling them that which you know is to be true or most correct.
Imposition would only come into effect when you force the person to offer salah in the manner that which you offer it in.
There is a difference between telling someone something and actually forcing someone to follow you (and your beliefs).
For instance, many a times I've told my sister issues related to offering salah and wudhu. She did not listen to me till she actually read it herself and made up her mind whether or the not the proof is convincing enough for her.
Therefore, she did it out of her own free will. It would've only been imposed had I told her that there is absolutely no way she is going to pray or make wudhu in a manner other than what I told her.
When finding a person not performing Wuzu in accordance with their own belief;
1) Someone imposing Islam would say "you should do it this way because it is said in Quran/Hadiths/Sunnah or else you are committing a sin and your unIslamic deed is not to be recognized"
2) Someone not imposing Islam would say "I saw you doing Wuzu in this way, from what I have read & understand from Quran/Hadiths/Sunnah it is not the prescribed/preferred way, I might be wrong but please do find more about it."
No. 1 is commanding while No 2. is explaining, first sounds arrogant while the other is humble! Big difference.
Now, this is a totally different question in the context of state or a position of authority.
Ahmedjee, knowledge that is imparted in Islam, is not to be imparted on mere hearsay or something you might have heard…In Islam, unless and until you have solid proof and evidence of an act, action or ritual based on Quran and Sunnah, you cannot impart that knowledge, so the question of being humble and ‘might be wrong’ doesn’t arise…If you are telling someone to do something in Islam, you back it up with Quran and Sunnah or you stay silent…
Some acts require Ijtihad on the basis of knowledge that a scholar possesses…He would know a lot of Quranic as well as Hadith references upon which he would back his Ijtihad, by referring to the source…Even in that case he would add ‘Walah-o-Alam’, meaning Allah :swt: knows best, for if the knowledge imparted is wrong or made up, the scholar would have to answer in the Aakhira…Not a small task…
The act of Wudu has solid and very plainly defined set of laws upon which all the four Madhahibs agree…So if you are telling someone that your Salat is null and void because you did not perform Wudu and that you have to repeat it after performing Wudu, it is based on solid evidence and proofs…
The person not knowing that must not know a lot and must examine who he or she is and what basis and foundation there is to their existence as Muslims…
In islam you are encouraged to call people to good, and if you know someone is not doing something right, you just tell them.. then its upto them to follow or not.. Allah mentions in the Quran (not sure what verse) that 'you have been sent as a warner'....
Sadly muslims these days, have made religion a 'private' matter, which is what the chistians say and do.. and some of us are following that way of thinking... forgetting that the sahabah and the Prophet's(saw) focus was islam and thats what they talked about all the time.. every matter of life revolved around islam.
you have got to be doing something wrong if everywhere you speak you are accused of arrogance, self importance or bluster. and those vices, are much more severe for your soul than someone else doing the wuzu wrong.
Lajo, meray yar, it's not what you say, it is the way you say it. Don't worry one day you will understand that concept. According to the traditions of Sahaba (ra) whenever they will find someone doing something untraditional they will mention it to him how the Holy Prophet (saw) used to do it, not that what he is doing is wrong. Did you know that the way Shias perform their salaat & the way most Sunnis perform their salat, though different are both taken from the Sahih Hadiths?
MyStiCaL_MisS, would it be ok if I come to your Uni. and tell you in front of everyone that you shouldn't study here because according to Islam women should study in a girls only institution or stay in the house?
Bao bihari, 'wa nahi unilmunkar' is not a license to the department of vice & virtue. It is a commandment for the momaneen to correct each other with the goal towards a better society. Flat out calling someone’s action wrong might not be the best way to approach it. For example, according to one Hadiths a badu came & started relieving himself in the mosque. According to the conventional wisdom, Sahaba (ra) tried to stop him but AnHazoor (saw) stopped the sahaba & let the badu finish. When he was done, AnHazoor (saw) got a bucket of water and cleaned up after him. Now, if was up to the great Muslims of today, a badu of today would probably be dead for committing that blasphemy, which is not very different from the hard hearted Jews who brought a woman of loose character to Hazrat Isa (as) demanding she be stoned as per the law.
ahmadjee, guess i wouldnt like it if your tone would be imposing…otherwise it would be ok..
There are ways which the Prophet :saw: used to correct people, theres a book even on ‘ways to correct people’, i think there are 34 chapters in it..
Once a man came in the masjid and started to urinate, and the sahabah and Prophet :saw: saw him, the sahabah wanted to stop him, but the Prophet :saw: told them to wait until he finishes. So when he finished his business, he was told he cant urinate in the masjid.
(sorry dont remember the hadith properly, but bottom line is that you have to have patience to correct people.. with the right niyah. Also keep telling others to do good, so they would tell you as well..)