I Only Desire Reform, as Much as I Am Able

The second advice: I want to do good as much as I can, and as much as possible. A very important rule: I want to do as much good as I can. This rule implies two things. Number one: we should do the best of our capacity, as much as we can. You should exhaust your energy and your effort to do good. Don't keep good for your spare time. Don't keep good to the month of Ramaḍān. Don't keep good for when it's easy to do it. Do good always, as much as you can. There are no seasons for good and seasons for evil. Sometimes we say: I'm going to fulfil these duties of Allah, and then I'm going to fulfil these desires of mine, even if they're evil. No — we should do good all the time.

The second thing it implies is: if you're not able to change the situation a hundred percent — if you're only able to change it five percent — then do so. Mā lā yudraku kulluhu lā yutraku julluh. If you're not able to do it completely, then don't leave it completely. That's a very important fiqh principle. If you're not able to do it completely, then don't leave it completely; if you're able to do a portion of it, then do it.

And this is very positive. This is a very positive way of working. Because in this world there's no clear black and white. Things are intertwined and intermingled together, and most of the things are grey. There's no clear white and clear black. Most of the things are mixed up: good and bad, black and white together, right and wrong — everything is mixed. Sometimes we cannot change the situation a hundred percent, so we say: leave it alone. If I'm not able to change it, leave it alone.

For example: I'm giving daʿwah to somebody, a non-Muslim. But then somebody sees that this person is very evil, and he says: no, no, no, there's no use in this man; leave him alone, just leave him alone. Well, if you're not able to change him a hundred percent, at least give him advice that could change him five percent, and make him a little bit closer to Islam — just a little bit closer, one step. He doesn't have to be a Muslim for you to receive the reward. By just you giving that message, and bringing him a step closer, you are receiving a reward. So it doesn't have to be either black or white, or I'm not going to do it. No — do as much as you can.