“Oh you who believe! Stand out firmly for justice, as
witnesses to Allah, even though it be against yourselves, or your parents, or
your kin, be he rich or poor, Allah is a better protector to both (than you).
So follow not your lusts, lest you may avoid justice, and if you distort your
witnesses or refuse to give it, verily, Allah is ever well acquainted with what
you do.” (Surah Nisa: 135)
In the above ayah, Allah has commanded in explicit
words the importance of standing up for justice. Before Islam, the Arabs were
living in a state of ignorance. Their loyalty was to themselves, their
families, their own tribes, even when their own were committing great
injustices. Allah (swt) then sent down this verse, commanding the Muslims to be
just, even if it goes against themselves, their parents,
their kith and kin, and whether they be rich or poor.
Naturally, it is very easy for human beings to wish
for justice against others who have done injustice upon them, or to a third
party. The heart is prone to inclining towards that which is just. This natural
inclination, however, changes when we are the ones at fault. Let’s take a look
at the following scenario.
Suppose your neighbor’s house has been robbed. Their
doors have been broken, windows shattered, and belongings taken away. Their
lives are left in ruins. Naturally, your heart will incline towards bringing
the burglar to justice. The victims would definitely want the thief to be
punished. Now, let’s say that thief is you. Would you still want justice to be
served? As the criminal, you would do your utmost to get away with the crime. Now
that your own self is at stake, you no longer incline towards justice. So what
if the thief is your father? What if the thief is your brother? Most likely,
you would still incline towards saving your family by concealing their crime,
and helping them get away with it. Yet, if the culprit is NOT yourself or your
family, you would want justice to be served, for the exact same crime! Why the
double standards? These double standards are the result of our lusts and
desires, which often lead to injustice.
To perfect the concept of justice, Allah (swt) orders
us to stand firmly for that which is true, even in situations where our hearts
will incline towards that which is unjust. Regardless of who is at fault, we
MUST stand for that which is right. Even if we ourselves are the ones at fault,
we do not have the right to escape punishment. We cannot conceal the
wrongdoings of our family. Allah knows our natural inclinations, and thus
firmly commanded us to refrain from following our heart’s desires, lest we avoid
justice.
The Wisdom Behind this Command
In Surah Ma’idah, verse 8, Allah explains the wisdom
behind the command to establish justice in society.
“Oh you who believe! Stand out firmly for Allah, as
just witnesses, and let not the enmity and hatred of others make you avoid
justice. Be just: that is nearer to piety: and fear Allah. Verily, Allah is
well-acquainted with what you do.” (Al-Ma’idah: 8)
We understand from the above verse that Allah (swt)
has commanded us to be just, because that is closer to piety. Although the ayah
here points out that justice is ‘nearer’ to Taqwa, there is not any other
course of action to take. According to Tafsir Ibn Kathir, ‘nearer’, in this
verse, means ‘is’. So why is Allah equating justice to Taqwa? Let’s put things
into perspective.
Taqwa, in its general meaning, is God-consciousness,
or a state of submission. A person who has full taqwa can never stray away from
being just. We know that Allah (swt) is watching us at all times. We know that Allah
is well acquainted with what we do. This fear of Allah’s displeasure and anger
would prevent a person from being unjust in situations where serving justice
becomes necessary. We know that Allah wants us to stay within the walls of
justice, even when dealing with ourselves, with our family, with the rich or
poor, even with an enemy. Only a person with full taqwa could practice complete
justice like that.
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