JUSTICE
﴿ یَـٰآ أَیُّهَا الَّذِینَ ءَامَنُواْ كُونُواْ قَوَّ ٰمِینَ بِالْقِسْطِ شُهَدَآءَ لِلَّهِ وَلَوْ عَلَىٰٓ أَنْفُسِكُمْ أَوِ الْوَ ٰلِدَيْنِ وَالْأَقْرَبِینَ ۚ إِن یَّكُنْ غَنِیًّا أَوْ فَقِیرًا فَاللهُ أَوْلَىٰ بِهِمَا ۖ فَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا الْهَوَىٰٓ أَنْ تَعْدِلُواْ ۚ
وَإِنْ تَلْوُۥۤآ أَوْ تُعْرِضُواْ فَإِنَّ اللهَ كَانَ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِیرًا ﴾
O you who believe! Be custodians of justice as witnesses to Allah f, even if against yourselves or parents or relatives, whether rich or poor, for Allah f is nearer to both of them. So do not follow the desire lest you deviate. And if you
distort (your testimony) or refrain (from giving it), then indeed,
Allah f is All-Aware of what you do. [4:135]
Allah f is establishing principles in this verse. He commands us to establish justice and to stand up against oppression. Allah freminds us that He Himself does not oppress anyone, not even to the equivalent of an atom’s weight. Allah f mentions:
﴿ قُلْ مَتَـٰعُ الدُّنْيَا قَلِيلٌ ج وَلْاٰ خِرَةُ خَيْرٌ لِّمَنِ ٱاتَّقَىٰ قف وَلَا تُظْلَمُونَ فَتِيلًا ﴾
Say, ‘Enjoyment of the world is trivial and the Hereafter is better for
whoever fears (Allah f) and you will not be wronged
even as much as a hair on a date-seed.’ [4:77]
And similarly, He says:
﴿ وَلَا يُظْلَمُونَ فَتِيلًا ﴾
And they will not be wronged even as much as
a hair on a date-seed. [4:49]
Establishing justice is not always easy; and sometimes we must stand against our loved ones for it to be achieved, even though this causes pain not only to them but to us too. However, we must never forget that standing up for what is right leads to one flourishing and being closer to Allah.
The beloved Messenger of Allah g had to stand up against those he loved and grew up with, and he faced years of hardship and suffering as a result of it, but never did he waver. His steadfastness and determination to seek justice for others led to the success of Islam.
Islam is not just a religion, it is a complete way of life; the rules and regulations apply to everyone, irrespective of their status.
THE DISPUTE OF ‘ALĪ’S h SHIELD
One of the most prominent historical examples of the leader of the Islamic state standing before the judge as a plaintiff or defendant, and the judgement being passed in favour of an ordinary member of society, is the story of the Caliph ‘Alī h and the Christian who he found with his shield.
The shield of the Caliph ‘Ali h was dropped on the way back from Ṣiffīn. He looked for it and found it in the possession of a Christian man. They referred their dispute to Qāḍī Shuraiḥ r. ‘Ali h said:
“The shield is mine: I did not sell it or give it away.”
The Christian said: “It is mine, but I am not saying that the Caliph is lying.”
At this point Shuraiḥ r said to the Caliph, “Do you have any proof?”
‘Alī h smiled and said: “Shuraiḥ r is right, I do not have any proof.”
So Shuraiḥ r ruled in favour of the Christian, saying that the shield was his. He took it and left, but he had not gone more than a few steps before he came back and said:
“I bear witness that these are the rulings of Prophets p! The Caliph referred me to his judge, who ruled in my favour against him! I bear witness that there is no God but Allah f and that Muḥammad is the Messenger of Allah. The shield is yours, O Amīr al-Mu’minīn (Leader of the Believers). It fell from your dusky camel.”
‘Alī h said: “As you have become a Muslim, it is yours.” and he gave him a horse to ride as well. [1]
‘Alī h was known to possess an acute sense of justice.
WHEN THE ENEMY SPAT ON ‘ALĪ h
On another occasion, ‘Alī h was about to advance onto his enemy when the man spat on ‘Alī’s h face. ‘Alī h released him and spared his life.
He stated that if he had thereafter struck the man, then his motive would not have been purely for the cause of Allah f but due to personal anger.
Upon witnessing this, the man who had spat on ‘Alī’s h face embraced Islam. [2]
Islam attaches the highest importance to justice. If we study the cause of the ruin of many past civilisations, we will find neglect of justice at the root.
Justice is paramount in Islam. There is no room for oppression in Islam. Oppression will come in the form of darkness on the Day of Judgement as mentioned in the following Ḥadīth:
« اتَّقُوا الظُّلْمَ ، فَإِنَّ الظُّلْمَ ظُلُمَاتٌ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ »
Beware of injustice, for oppression will appear as
darkness on the Day of Resurrection. [3]
May Allah f protect us all. Āmīn.
[1] Al-Baihaqī, Al-Sunan Al-Kubrā, 20465.
[2] Akhtar, H., Ma‘ārif Mathnawī, pp. 198-199.
[3] Muslim, 6576.
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“The best among you (Muslims) are those who learn the Qur’an and teach it.”
The Prophet (peace be upon him)
