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Posts Tagged ‘Justice’

The concept of justice in Islam stems directly from God’s criterion of justice. It is related to the belief that God is All Just and All Equitable. He is the immediate and ultimate Justice. His justice consists in His divine will and divine judgment. He lays the laws of justice and rules according to these laws. The divine justice applies in this worldly life as well as on the Day of Judgment. On the Day of Judgment the divine criterion for ruling and judging among humans is laid down making everyone arbitrator for his or her own deeds.

The Qur’an informs us: ‘ And thy God does not administer injustice to (His) servants.’ Also. ‘Indeed God does not do them (humans) injustice but they do injustice to themselves.’

God commands justice, its administration and conditions:’ Verily God commands justice.’ And,’ If you judge among poeple that you judge with justice and equity.’ Justice is considered in Islam as part of piety and is associated with fear of God: ‘ Be just for it is nearer to piety and (expresses)fear of God.’ Fear of, love of and being pious to God are the basic principles of belief and Islam. Even though the person concerned with the subject of judgment is one of kin justice must administered.

Islam commands Muslims that if they are called upon to judge amongst themselves that they should judge with justice. A judiciary system exists in Islam and all judges must rule justly among different parties Muslims or non-Muslims.

However, Islam makes it clear that injustice in its ultimate snse and application is not only concerned its legal judgment and legal administration but also in terms of social justice and social equity. Muslims are commanded to pays alms, give in charity and maintain a balanced wealth distribution. It is also incumbent on all Muslims, as part of their socio-economic relations to be eqaul among themselves. In fact the first principle of Islam in the man-God relationship is that all humans are equal before God.
The criterion of justice and injustice vis-a-vis God is depicted in Islam in terms of belief and disbelief. Disbelief in God and the Day of Judgment, are considered as the greatest injustice man can even do. Injustice here is defined in terms of rejection of truth, for truth and justice are equal since one leads to the other. What is true is that God, the one and only, exists and denial or rejection of such truth renders humans to be unjust. For there is nothing worse then denying truth.

Thus, disbelief is denial of truth, according to islam, and hence the disbeliever commits an act of injustice. Injustice in this respect is ultimate and at its utmost for denial of God is denial of ultimate real truth. Thus, the disbelievers is considered as unjust and he merits punishment for his injustice committed against God, it is hell fire for ever. here the disbeliever has committed injustice against his own self and not against someone else. For God, man’s own injustice against himself does not profit God anything, nor harm God in anything, but its meed returns against its owner.

On the other, if a person decides to believe in God and the Day of Judgment, this person has demonstrated the highest form of justice to the truth which is God, and hos belief in truth would earn him the ultimate reward of doing justice to himself and merits eternal felicity in the Hereafter. In the Qur’an we are informed: ‘ And who is mor unjust than the one who belies the signs of God and then turn away from it?’ The ancient peoples are quoted as example of this injustice to God, the people of Noah, the people of Abaraham, the Phraohs, the Medyanites, the people of Lot.

Those who deny God, or take other gods beside God and asscociate with God, idols, humans or other things in worship, they are aslo, according to Islam, committing injustice to God, for He is one and only, eternal, indivisible, He does not beget and is not begotten, all powerful, all omnipresent and all mighty and He is the origin and end of everything and the finality of everything.

Therefore, man himself is provided with the sense of justice within his own system, inborn and well installed in his soul, heart and mind. Man becomes responsible for his own thoughts, feelings and actions according to the criterion laid down by the divine law. The divine law in Islam is congruent with the natural law. Such criterion of justice is laid down also in the Scriptures.