The Holy Quran, as a fount of divine wisdom and humanitys guide towards perfection, offers profound directives for individual and social life in its verses. Verse 110 of Surah Al-Imran, as one of the pivotal verses of this chapter, introduces the Islamic nation as the best nation and delineates its fundamental duties in enjoining what is good, forbidding what is evil, and believing in Almighty God. This treatise, with a deep and analytical approach to this verse, examines the social and rational nature of enjoining good and forbidding evil, the concept of the best nation, and its relation to faith. The following text, employing clear and dignified language, endeavours to elucidate the lofty meanings of this verse in a manner that, like a radiant light, illuminates the path of understanding and action for readers.
كُنْتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ تَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَتَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ وَتُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ ۗ وَلَوْ آمَنَ أَهْلُ الْكِتَابِ لَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَهُمْ ۚ مِنْهُمُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَأَكْثَرُهُمُ الْفَاسِقُونَ
You are the best nation produced for mankind: you enjoin what is good, forbid what is evil, and believe in Allah. And if the People of the Book had believed, it would surely have been better for them; among them are believers, but most of them are defiantly disobedient.
Verse 110 of Surah Al-Imran introduces the Islamic nation as the best nation, a status that not only alludes to the spiritual and moral superiority of this nation but also defines a universal mission for it. The phrase produced for mankind indicates a lofty purpose for the Islamic Ummah to serve all humanity, beyond religious and geographical boundaries. This mission, akin to a guiding star in the sky, directs the Ummah towards perfection and service to creation.
The superiority of the Islamic nation is rooted in its possession of the final and most complete divine Messenger. This Messenger, like a shining sun, radiates the light of guidance upon the Ummah and awakens boundless potentials for perfection within it. This superiority is not born out of arrogance but stems from the spiritual and ethical capacities that lead the Islamic nation towards serving humanity.
One of the central concepts of this verse is the emphasis on enjoining good and forbidding evil. Contrary to the common perception that these duties are solely religious, the verse presents them as matters of collective reason and social function. Every society, based on its customs and culture, has definitions of good and evil derived from collective reason. These goods and evils, like a flowing river in the social bed, assume different forms and manifestations depending on time and place.
For instance, in contexts such as a bathhouse, street, beach, or battlefield, what is considered good or evil varies. On a beach where minimal clothing is accepted, complete removal of clothing is deemed improper, whereas in a public street, taking off a coat is normal. This relativity reveals the profound connection of enjoining good and forbidding evil with the social and cultural fabric of each community.
A common misconception about enjoining good is its interpretation as an authoritative command accompanied by violence. The term enjoin in this verse does not imply bullying or coercion but rather wise and benevolent advice. This advice, like a gentle breeze, guides towards good and deters evil without contamination by violence or dictatorship. Any violence in this path contradicts the spirit of the verse and is considered akin to disbelief in divine values.
Similarly, forbidding evil is a calm and rational recommendation to avoid wrongdoing. These two duties are like the two wings of a bird that elevate the Ummah towards transcendence, not a cudgel for repression and compulsion. The perception of enjoining as bullying stems from a culture of violence and dictatorship alien to the Prophets conduct and the Holy Quran.
Goods and evils are like the diverse colours on the social painting, manifesting differently across times and places. In one society, the chador (full covering) may be a symbol of good, in another a scarf, and elsewhere neither. This diversity shows the deep connection of these concepts with the customs and culture of each society. For example, a religious scholar removing the turban and cloak may be committing an evil in one community, whereas removing a coat in a street is not.
This relativity frees the duties of enjoining and forbidding from rigidity, linking them instead to collective reason and social conditions.
Even in non-Muslim societies, enjoining good and forbidding evil exist. For example, in a pagan community, breaking an idol is considered evil and warned against. This indicates that this duty is rooted in humanitys collective reason rather than solely in religion.
After emphasising enjoining good and forbidding evil, the verse points to faith in God: and believe in Allah. This sequence raises the question of whether enjoining and forbidding precede faith. The answer is that these social duties can exist prior to faith, as observed in non-Muslim societies. However, faith in God distinguishes the Islamic nation and guides it towards perfection.
The verse continues by referring to the People of the Book: And if the People of the Book had believed, it would have been better for them. While some among them are believers, the majority are defiantly disobedient. This section serves as a warning for the Islamic nation to avoid the fate of the People of the Book and to preserve its faith. Here, disobedience means sin, transgression, and immoral acts, not disbelief or polytheism.
Some narrations, such as the story of the Prophet postponing advice to a child because he ate dates, lack validity and foundation. These narrations mistakenly require the adviser to abstain from permissible acts (like eating dates). However, the truth is that the adviser must be free from prohibited acts (such as lying and backbiting). Just as a physician may consume food harmful to the patient, the Prophet could eat dates and still provide benevolent advice.
Some interpretations that translate best nation as best leaders are incorrect and distortive. This interpretation conflicts with the Quranic text and is an unfounded attempt to shift meanings. The best nation refers to the Islamic nation compared with other nations (Jews and Christians), not a particular group.
The verse concludes by noting the disobedience of the majority of the People of the Book: Among them are believers, but most of them are defiantly disobedient. This disobedience also occurred after the Prophet in the Islamic nation. The history of Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) shows similarities in violence, cruelty, and crime. Narrations confirm that whatever Jews and Christians did, the Islamic nation also repeatedfrom killing and plundering to oppression and injustice.
This similarity stems from deviation from the true spirit of religion. Divine religion, like a pure spring, is founded upon mercy and kindness, yet violence and narcissism have led it toward disobedience and crime. Charismatic figures who consider themselves infallible have sometimes justified crimes with arrogance and even demanded rewards from God. Such deviation is observable not only in religions but in any ideology contaminated by violence.
The enjoiner of good and forbider of evil must abstain from prohibitions (lying, backbiting, theft) but is free in permissible acts (such as eating dates). This principle, like a clear mirror, indicates the necessity of purity in prohibitions so that the advice gains ethical credibility. However, in permissible matters, the adviser is free and need not abstain.
Religious knowledge has sometimes erroneously linked enjoining good with violence and compulsion, whereas the Prophets conduct was based on non-compulsion and an invitation to mercy. Violence not only conflicts with the spirit of religion but is considered disbelief in divine values.
The Holy Quran elsewhere speaks of advise one another to the truth, which differs from enjoin what is good. Truth is an inner and deeper concept than good, which is a visible and public matter. Truth, like a gem deep within existence, can be great or small, whereas good is like a garment for society, defined by the customs and culture of each community. This distinction reveals the deeper layers of guidance in the Quran.
Verse 110 of Surah Al-Imran introduces the Islamic nation as the best nation and defines its duties in three areas: enjoining good, forbidding evil, and faith in God. This verse presents enjoining and forbidding not merely as religious commands but as rational and social duties defined according to the customs and conditions of each society. Violence in these duties is disbelief in divine values, and recommendation is their essential spirit. The Islamic nation, with its mission to serve humanity, must avoid prohibitions and call to good and truth. Critique of fabricated narrations and noting similarities in religious deviations transform this verse into a source of reflection on the true nature of religion and avoidance of violence.
Supervised by Sadegh Khademi
