Why did we select EnjoinGood.org?
One of the oft-quoted verses of the Quran talks about enjoining good and forbidding evil. Essentially it means that we should help others to do the right thing whenever we can. Conversely, the opposite is also true in that it is also our responsibility to prevent evil by convincing people to move away from doing the wrong thing. Focusing on our differences only divides us, while promoting goodness unites us. Although we selected the name in 2014, recent events have given even more meaning to the name.
During the MLK breakfast on January 13, 2016, Mayor Petty referenced Verse 5:48 of Quran:
We have appointed a law and a practice for every one of you. Had God willed, He would have made you a single community, but He wanted to test you regarding what has come to you. So compete with each other in doing good. Every one of you will return to God and He will inform you regarding the things about which you differed.
Enjoining Good is also mentioned in verse 3:104
Let there arise out of you a band of people inviting to all that is good, enjoining what is right, and forbidding what is wrong: They are the ones to attain eternal happiness.
in verse 3:110
You are the best community that has been raised up for mankind: You enjoin what is right and forbid what is evil, and You believe in God…
and also in verse 31:17, where the aging Luqman advises his son:
My son, be steadfast in prayer. Enjoin others to do good. Prevent them from doing evil. Be patient in hardship. Patience comes from faith and determination.