Ma'ruf
Encyclopedia
Ma'ruf is an Islam
ic term meaning that which is commonly:
The word is most often found in the Qur'an
ic exhortation, "Amr bil Ma'ruf wa Nahy an al Munkar (امر بالمعروف و نهى عن المنكر)." This is often translated as "Command the good and forbid the evil," but this translation fails to reflect the subtleties of the Arabic. Amr refers to the enforcement function of the duly constituted government of an ummah
(community). In this context, Ma'ruf, when applied to a particular law, means a law which is:
There is a hadith
in which Muhammad
is quoted as saying, "My ummah will never agree upon an error." This has been interpreted to mean that the consensus of the community is a source of moral and legal authority.
Thus, a better translation of "Amr bil Ma'ruf wa Nahy an al Munkar" would be "Enforce that which is accepted [by the community], and prohibit that which is rejected."
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic term meaning that which is commonly:
- known
- understood
- recognized
- acknowledged
- accepted
The word is most often found in the Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
ic exhortation, "Amr bil Ma'ruf wa Nahy an al Munkar (امر بالمعروف و نهى عن المنكر)." This is often translated as "Command the good and forbid the evil," but this translation fails to reflect the subtleties of the Arabic. Amr refers to the enforcement function of the duly constituted government of an ummah
Ummah
Ummah is an Arabic word meaning "community" or "nation." It is commonly used to mean either the collective nation of states, or the whole Arab world...
(community). In this context, Ma'ruf, when applied to a particular law, means a law which is:
- known to the community (i.e. the community is aware of its existence)
- intelligible (understood by and makes sense) to the community
- generally recognized and commonly acknowledged as a good law
- accepted by the community as applicable to itself - the meaning of acceptance is strongly implied by the contrast with the word Munkar, which means "rejected"
There is a hadith
Hadith
The term Hadīth is used to denote a saying or an act or tacit approval or criticism ascribed either validly or invalidly to the Islamic prophet Muhammad....
in which Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
is quoted as saying, "My ummah will never agree upon an error." This has been interpreted to mean that the consensus of the community is a source of moral and legal authority.
Thus, a better translation of "Amr bil Ma'ruf wa Nahy an al Munkar" would be "Enforce that which is accepted [by the community], and prohibit that which is rejected."
See also
- Commanding what is Just (Shi'a doctrine)
- Forbidding what is Evil (Shi'a doctrine)
- IjmaIjmaIjmāʿ is an Arabic term referring to the consensus of the Muslim community. Various schools of thought within Islamic jurisprudence may define this consensus as that of the first generation of Muslims only; the consensus of the first three generations of Muslims; the consensus of the jurists...