Glimpses of Certain Aspects of Islam by Nasim.A.Jafarey - 4. Quranic Commandments about Justice

Glimpses of Certain Aspects of Islam by Nasim.A.Jafarey

4. Quranic Commandments about Justice

In Surah ‘A1 Rahman’ one of the most recited Surahs of the Holy Qur’an, it is stated in Verses 7 to 9:

"And the Firmament has He raised high, and He has set up the Balance (of justice), In order that ye may not transgress (due) balance; so establish weight with Justice and fall not short in the Balance."

In the above highly poetical and mystical verses the crucial importance of Balance or Justice has been described in most succinct words. The whole Builder universe has been created by God and is sustained on the foundation of Balance (Justice) and man can achieve felicity and success in this world only if he conforms to Balance, just as other forces in the universe conform to it at all times.

Having recorded the basic philosophy of Balance (Justice) in these early Makkan Verses, the Qur’an returns to this theme again and again in various contexts and in more down-to-earth and precise words. One of the most forcefully worded commandments about Justice the is contained in Verse 58 of "Surah Nisaa" wherein it is stated:

"God doth command you to Ravenfields render back your Trusts to those to whom they are due And when ye judge between man and man, that ye judge with justice: Verily how excellent is, the teaching He giveth you! For God is He Who heareth and seeth all things."

From times immemorial, most of the troubles of this world have been caused by man’s injustice to man, and the basic perversions of man have prevented Course him from following the clear commandments of God contained in the above quoted Verse. Unfortunately we are still not prepared to take the lessons of history to heart and delude ourselves with the notion that with the help of science and technology alone, we can organise a peaceful and prosperous world without establishing full justice between man and man. Isn’t it time that we realised that blatant disobedience of God’s clear-cut commandments in this respect can only lead to disaster in one form or the other.

For establishing Justice in this world the responsibilities of a person go up as he acquires more authority and power over other human beings, and this point has been highlighted by the Quran in Verse 26 of Surah Sa’ad where it is stated:

"O David! We did indeed made thee a Vicegerent on earth, so judge thou between men in truth (and justice); Nor follow thou the lusts (of thy heart) for they will mislead thee from the path of God. For those who wander astray from the path of God, is a penalty grievous, for that they forget the Day of Account."

If David who was not only a great king but also a prophet, needed to be given this specific warning about the dispensation of Justice in this world, how much more is this warning relevant for lesser mortals who obtain authority or power in this world, in one way or the other. And yet wherever you look around, this warning seems to be falling on deaf ears and no one seems to be even aware of these Ayats of the Holy Qur’an.

The most forthright exposition, in any scripture of the world, of the principles of justice and their application, is contained in Verse 135 of Surah Nisaa where it is stated:

"O ye who believe! stand out firmly for Justice, as witnesses to God, even as against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, and whether it be (against) rich or poor. For God can best protect both. Follow not the lusts (of your hearts) lest ye swerve, and if ye distort (Justice) or decline to do Justice, verily God is well acquainted with all that ye do."

A most significant point to be noted in connection with the above Verses is that by juxtaposing a person’s self-interest with the interests of Justice, the Qur’an makes a complete repudiation of feudalism parochialism and favouritism. And yet it is this feudal culture, in end which the only interests to be protected at all costs are one’s own interests and those of one’s kith and kin, which regulate all actions and decisions in this ostensibly Islamic country. If in spite of such clear and explicit commandments of God about Justice, which even a person with the meanest intelligence cannot fail to fully understand, Software we continue to indulge in the practice of provincialism and favouritism on such a large scale, that it becomes difficult to decide if we are so naive as to think that God is not aware of our misdeeds, or if we have become so defiant of God’s authority as the ‘Kuffar’ of Makkah.

The overwhelming importance which the Holy Qur’an attaches to Justice is further highlighted in Verse 9 of Surah Al-Maideh wherein it is stated:

"O you who believe! stand out firmly for God, as witnesses to fair dealing, and let not the hatred of others to you make you swerve to wrong and depart from Justice".

What higher standard of justice can be formulated than that contained in the above Verse, where we are required to maintain fair dealing even with those who are our enemies or bear some animosity towards us.

Lastly we came to the somewhat prosaic but none-the-less very important form in which the requirements of justice have to be upheld in our day to day life, and this is the requirement of honesty in all business dealings. This requirement has also been mentioned at several places in the Holy Qur’an but to mention only one, a reference is invited to Verse 85 of Surah Hud wherein it is enjoined in the words of Hazrat Shuaib: "And O my people1 give just measure and weight nor withhold from the people the things that are their due"

Business dishonesty or dishonesty in various forms of dealings between man and man is the commonest and most frequently practised form of injustice in this world, and today we seem to have crossed all limits in this respect, in our lust for wealth and position. If inspite of such clear commandments and admonitions of God as are contained in the above quoted Verses, we are not prepared to change our ways, can our fate, as a nation, be any different from that of the people of Madyan, to whom Hazarat Shuaib was sent as a Warner. For as stated in Verse 62 of Surah Ahzab "Such was the practice (approved) of God among those who lived aforetime: No change will thou find in the practice (approved) of God."

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5. The Quranic View-point about Tolerance

Index

Home Page

Preface

1. Theory & Practice of Islamic Socialism

2. Islamic Economic System

3. Islamic Financing

4. Quranic Commandments about Justice

5. The Quranic View-point about Tolerance

6. Interest on Production Loans : A case for Ijtihad

7. Moral Re-armament