The Spirit of Mutual Guidance

expression. Every person should be able to speak openly about something they see as wrong, without facing any obstruction. It is clear that the actual standard for truth and falsehood is the Quran and the Sunnah, not personal opinion. Therefore, whenever someone feels something is wrong, their first step would be to express it—through speech or writing—so that discussion can begin. Through such discussion and debate, it will become clear what is correct and what is incorrect. Once this is established, it becomes the responsibility of influential individuals to implement it to the extent possible. In this way, the teaching of urging one another to uphold truth and enjoining what is right requires that the freedom of expression must be continuously present in a Muslim society. Without this kind of freedom, this religious duty cannot be carried out in its proper form. Islam wants every person to have the freedom to express their views about others without restriction. If this action is genuinely driven by a good intention, it will be worthy of reward. And if it is done with a bad intention, then it will be blameworthy in the eyes of God. The Quran quotes Prophet Jesus as saying: “He made me blessed wherever I may be” (Quran, 19:31). Mujahid (d. 104 AH), one of the most trustworthy in Quran commentary, explained this in his commentary as: Mu‘alliman lil-khayr (Kitab al-’Ilm by Abi Khaythamah: 30), meaning, “God made me a teacher of goodness.” The Prophet of Islam said: “A believer is a mirror to another believer” (Sunan Abi Dawud,