What was narrated concerning the ‘Eid Prayers Sunan Ibn Majah 1275

Sunan Ibn Majah 1275
Arabic hadith text
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو كُرَيْبٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ، عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، عَنْ إِسْمَاعِيلَ بْنِ رَجَاءٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ، وَعَنْ قَيْسِ بْنِ مُسْلِمٍ، عَنْ طَارِقِ بْنِ شِهَابٍ، عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ، قَالَ أَخْرَجَ مَرْوَانُ الْمِنْبَرَ يَوْمَ الْعِيدِ فَبَدَأَ بِالْخُطْبَةِ قَبْلَ الصَّلاَةِ فَقَامَ رَجُلٌ فَقَالَ يَا مَرْوَانُ خَالَفْتَ السُّنَّةَ أَخْرَجْتَ الْمِنْبَرَ يَوْمَ عِيدٍ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ يُخْرَجُ بِهِ وَبَدَأْتَ بِالْخُطْبَةِ قَبْلَ الصَّلاَةِ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ يُبْدَأُ بِهَا ‏.‏ فَقَالَ أَبُو سَعِيدٍ أَمَّا هَذَا فَقَدْ قَضَى مَا عَلَيْهِ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ يَقُولُ ‏"‏ مَنْ رَأَى مُنْكَرًا فَاسْتَطَاعَ أَنْ يُغَيِّرَهُ بِيَدِهِ فَلْيُغَيِّرْهُ بِيَدِهِ. فَإِنْ لَمْ يَسْتَطِعْ فَبِلِسَانِهِ. فَإِنْ لَمْ يَسْتَطِعْ بِلِسَانِهِ، فَبِقَلْبِهِ. وَذَلِكَ أَضْعَفُ الإِيمَانِ ‏"
Translation
It wasnarrated that Abu Sa’eed said

“Marwan brought the pulpit outone‘Eid day and started to deliver the sermon before the prayer. Amanstood up and said: ‘O Commander of the Believers, you have goneagainst the Sunnah. You have brought the pulpit out on the day of‘Eidand it was not brought out before, and you started with thesermonbefore the prayer, when this was not done before.’ AbuSa’eed said:‘As for this man, he has done his duty. I heard theMessenger of Allah(ﷺ) say: “Whoever among you sees an evilaction, and he is able tochange it with his hand, then change itwith his hand (by takingaction); if he cannot, (do so) with histongue then with his tongue(by speaking out); and if he cannot thenwith his heart (by hating itand feeling that it is wrong), and thatis the weakest of faith.”

Commentary

Overview & Central Theme

This hadith, recorded by Imam Ibn Majah in "Establishing the Prayer and the Sunnah Regarding Them" (Sunan Ibn Majah 1275), encapsulates a foundational principle of Islamic ethics and social responsibility: the obligation to enjoin good and forbid evil (al-amr bil-ma'ruf wa an-nahy 'an al-munkar). The narrative centers on a companion's courageous verbal objection to Marwan's innovation of delivering the Eid sermon before the prayer, a deviation from the established prophetic practice. The Prophet's ﷺ response, as transmitted by Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri, delineates a graded hierarchy of action—by hand, by tongue, and by heart—emphasizing that the duty to oppose wrongdoing is incumbent upon every believer according to their capacity, with the heart's disapproval being the minimum threshold of faith.

Context & Linguistic Insights

The incident occurred during the caliphate of Marwan ibn al-Hakam in Medina, when he introduced the pulpit (minbar) into the Eid prayer area and reversed the order of the sermon and prayer—an innovation against the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ, who delivered the sermon after the prayer on Eid days. The companion who objected, identified in some narrations as Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri himself, addressed Marwan with the title "O Commander of the Believers," showing respect while firmly stating the violation. The Arabic keyword "munkar" (evil/objectionable) denotes any act prohibited by divine law, while "yad" (hand) symbolizes physical action, "lisan" (tongue) signifies verbal admonition, and "qalb" (heart) represents inner condemnation. The phrase "da'afa al-iman" (weakest of faith) highlights that even passive disapproval is a manifestation of belief, though the least complete form.

Key Scholarly Insights & Legal Benefits

  • The hadith establishes a clear jurisprudential hierarchy for opposing evil, prioritizing physical intervention, then verbal admonition, and finally inner disapproval—each step conditional on one's ability and the absence of greater harm.
  • It underscores the principle that changing evil is a communal obligation (fard kifayah), but the heart's rejection is an individual duty (fard 'ayn) that no Muslim can abandon, as it is the essence of faith itself.
  • Classical scholars, including Imam An-Nawawi and Ibn Hajar, derive that the ruler's actions are subject to critique by the ruled, and that respectful yet firm objection to governmental innovation is permissible and sometimes obligatory, provided it does not lead to fitnah (discord).
"Whoever sees an evil and is unable to change it with his hand or tongue, let him denounce it in his heart—and that is the weakest of faith. This shows that the heart's disapproval is obligatory upon everyone, and no one is excused from it." — Imam An-Nawawi, Sharh Sahih Muslim

Daily Life & Spiritual Application

In contemporary life, this hadith guides Muslims to assess their capacity and context when confronting wrongdoing. It encourages proactive engagement—whether through advocacy, social reform, or personal correction—while reminding that when physical or verbal action is impossible or counterproductive, the believer must cultivate inner aversion to sin, thereby safeguarding the heart's integrity. Practically, this means speaking truth to power with wisdom and respect, supporting just causes within legal boundaries, and consistently nurturing a conscience that abhors injustice. The teaching also fosters humility, as it acknowledges human limitations, and resilience, as it ensures that no believer is ever devoid of a means to uphold righteousness, even if only through silent, sincere disapproval in the presence of Allah.