Conditions and Obstacles of the Muhtasib

Abstract

The Muḥtasib is a person entrusted with the responsibility of carrying out the vital duty of ḥisbah, which is one of the principal means of enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong.The Muḥtasib, while enjoining good and forbidding evil, should be gentle and compassionate. He should refrain from inappropriate methods such as harshness or severity, as such conduct is contrary to Islamic principles and may disrupt the noble process of calling others to daʿwah ilā Allāh. This study aims to investigate whether the Muḥtasib encounters specific conditions and obstacles in the execution of his duty to enjoin good and forbid evil. The hypothesis responding to this question asserts that, indeed, there exists a set of conditions and obstacles facing the Muḥtasib in the fulfillment of his duty to enjoin good and forbid evil. Without due consideration of these factors, the Muḥtasib can never truly attain the ultimate objective of his mission. The scholarly aim of this research is to provide a reasoned response to the main question. The significance of this study lies in the fact that the duty of enjoining good is, in essence, a responsibility borne by the Prophets of Allah. This important task should be assigned to those truly capable of fulfilling it with wisdom, integrity, and competence. The research methodology employed in this study is an analytical-descriptive approach. The findings of this research indicate that the proper execution of the duty of ḥisbah requires sound knowledge and jurisprudential understanding (fiqh), sincerity (ikhlāṣ), capability, and the avoidance of various obstacles such as arrogance, suspicion, ostentation (riyā’), and ethnic or linguistic biases. By carefully considering these conditions and obstacles, the Muḥtasib can effectively and successfully fulfill the duty of enjoining good and forbidding evil.