The value of justice in Islam Friday, 27 May 2011 04:21

Justice is one of the basic human values established by Islam and made it one of the main pillars of individual, family and social lives. The Quran made the establishment of Al qist – justice – among people the main objective of all the heavenly messages. Allah exalted says: We sent aforetime our apostles with Clear Signs and sent down with them the Book and the Balance (of Right and Wrong), that men may stand forth in justice ( Quran 13: 25).

Nothing in the illustration of the high value of justice could be greater than making the establishment of justice the main and first objective of all Allah’s apostles and books. Books were revealed with justice. Apostles were sent with justice. The heavens and the Earth were built with justice.(Dr Yusuf Al Qaradawi: Characteristics of The Muslim Community We Seek, p. 133)

In a stark and direct statement of the importance of establishing justice even if we hate whom we judge, Allah says: O ye who believe! stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah, even as against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin (4: 135)

Quran agains says: O ye who believe! stand out firmly for Allah, as witnesses to fair dealing, and let not the hatred of others to you make you swerve to wrong and depart from justice. Be just: that is next to piety: and fear Allah. For Allah is well-acquainted with all that ye do. (5: 8).

Ibn Kathir said: “This means hatred of someone should not a motivation not to establish justice towards them. Rather, justice must be applied with all and anyone, be them friends or enemies.”

Therefore, love and hatred do not mar the establishment of justice in Islam. Justice does not discriminate on the grounds of family and lineage, or authority and wealth. Justice also does not discriminate between Muslims and non-Muslims. Justice is the right of everyone living on an Islamic soil, be them Muslims or non-Muslims and whether or not those people like or dislike one another.

A situation illustrating the meaning mentioned above was Usama Ibn Zayd’s story with a lady from Makhzum tribe. When Usama tried to intercede for the lady, who belongs to a high-class family, in order to prevent the punishment of cutting off her hand after she had committed theft, Allah’s Apostle got angry, got up and delivered a well-spoken sermon to indicate the line and justice of Islam and its establishment of justice and equality among members of the society, be them rulers or ruled people. In his sermon, the Prophet (PBUH) said: “What destroyed the nations preceding you, was that if a noble amongst them stole, they would forgive him, and if a poor person amongst them stole, they would inflict Allah’s Legal punishment on him. By Allah, if Fatima, the daughter of Muhammad stole, I would cut off her hand.”

Imam Ahmed quoted Jabir Ibn Abdullah, may Allah forgive the two of them, as saying: Allah has given Khaybar as booty to His Apostle so the Prophet divided that booty between people and himself. The Prophet assigned Abdullah Ibn Rawaha to calculate and estimate the size of the booty, and then Abdulla Ibn Rawaha said: “Oh Jews, out of all the creation I hate you the most; you have killed Allah’s prophets, may peace be upon them, and lied about Allah, and my hatred of you shall not cause me to be unfair with you. I have calculated twenty thousand bunches of dates so if you want to take them all, then take it, and if you refused, I will take them.” They said: Thus the heavens and earth were built, we will take them. Despite Abdullah Ibn Rawaha’s hatred of the Jewish, he was not unfair to them. But he announced that he does not do wrong to them and that they can take whatever they want to take from the distribution of dates.

To be continued

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