Commanding Good Without Doing It Yourself

Abu Darda said:

إِنِّيْ لَآمُرُكُمْ بِالْأَمْرِ وَمَا أَفْعَلُهُ،
وَلَكِنْ لَعَلَّ اللهَ يَأْجُرُنِيْ فِيْهِ

“It may be that I tell you to do something that I do not do myself, hoping that God will still reward me [for at least inviting others to it].”

[“Siyar A’lam al-Nubala”, 2/345].

Also see: https://www.facebook.com/mohmand.laghmani/posts/10160204474693496

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* This is not hypocrisy. It is a trick of the devil to silence people. We are all sinners, but we still have to command good and forbid evil. If this job was only left to the sinless – nobody could command good and forbid evil after the Prophets.