Arguments from the Quran

The terms amr bil ma’ruf (enjoining what is right) and nahi an al-munkar (forbidding what is wrong) are not suitable for a comprehensive interpretation of the mission of the believers. This is why these terms were not used in the Quran to describe the mission of Prophethood. The Muslim Ummah has been entrusted with a duty in this world that is akin to what was assigned to the earlier prophets. This Ummah, in a sense, serves as a successor to the prophets. However, when we study the Book of Allah, it becomes clear that amr bil ma’ruf and nahi an al-munkar are never presented as the general mission of the prophets throughout the Quran. There are numerous verses that explain the purpose of the prophets’ missions, but nowhere does it say: “We have sent messengers to command what is right and forbid what is wrong to the people of the world.” The very fact that the Quran does not use the expressions enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong to describe the general mission of the prophets is, in itself, sufficient evidence that these terms cannot be taken, in an absolute sense, as the basis for defining the entire objective that we are required to pursue in relation to humanity at large, following the Prophet’s mission. The fifth verse that is cited in this context is as follows: