Enjoining the Good and Forbidding Evil: Can Physical Force Be Used to Forbid Evil Without Government Permission?
Practical Laws of Islam as per the teachings of Imam Khamenei
Enjoining the Good and Forbidding Evil: Can Physical Force Be Used to Forbid Evil Without Government Permission?
English:
Question #1048:
Is it permissible to forbid evil without the permission of the ruler when stopping someone from perpetrating evil depends on hitting him, imprisoning him, putting him to hardship, or on entering in / using his properties even if it leads to their destruction?
Answer #1048:
There are different situations and cases. Generally speaking, the different grades of enjoining the good and forbidding evil, so long as they do not affect the life or property of the perpetrator of the evil, do not require anybody’s permission and are obligatory up on all mukallafs. But if enjoining the good and forbidding evil involve measures beyond oral enjoining and forbidding and it is in a country ruled by an Islamic government and system that has taken charge of this Islamic responsibility, the matter will depend on the Leader’s permission or that of the relevant authorities, the local police force and righteous courts.