Religious Outreach Experiences – Volume03 Issue06

Religious Outreach Experiences - Volume03 Issue06

When Good Intentions Aren’t Enough

It was during my youth, years fuelled by religious fervour and a restless desire for reform. The holy month of Ramadan had just cast its spiritual veil over the city. Brimming with a sense of duty and what I believed to be “pure intention,” I felt ready to stand as a guardian of virtue and a forbidder of vice.

One day, I witnessed a scene that made my blood boil: a man eating openly in public. In an instant, a “heroic” scenario flashed through my mind. I would march up to him, deliver a sharp reprimand, and stand my ground against any defiance. I was mentally braced for a confrontation.

Armoured in self-righteousness, I approached him and demanded, “Have you no shame? Eating so openly during Ramadan?”

I waited for a heated rebuttal; I had my counter-arguments ready. But instead, he uttered words that shattered all my calculations.

Looking utterly embarrassed, he whispered, “Oh no… I am so sorry. To be honest, I completely forgot I was fasting!”

In that moment, it felt as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over me, not by him, but from within. I asked myself: Why was I so quick to judge? Why didn’t I ask first? Why didn’t I consider that he might be forgetful, ill, or a traveller?

A bitter realization washed over me. I understood that despite my “pure intentions,” I had committed a grave error. In the name of religious duty, I had publicly shamed a fellow human being, acting without knowledge, without context, and without consideration.

That was the day I realized that guiding others requires more than just zeal; it requires wisdom. A pure heart is a prerequisite, but it is never enough on its own.

After that encounter, I immersed myself in the study of the principles and ethics of “Enjoining Good and Forbidding Evil.” I didn’t do this to speak up less, but to learn how to speak up rightly.

Key Lessons from this Journey

1. Good Intentions Cannot Replace Knowledge:

Acting for a good cause without understanding the nuances can inadvertently lead to harm. Ignorance in the pursuit of virtue can become a vice in itself.

2. The Principle of Grace (Presumption of Goodness):

A respectful question must always precede a firm reprimand. What we perceive as a transgression may have a legitimate, hidden explanation.

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