{"id":176,"date":"2012-07-15T08:56:55","date_gmt":"2012-07-15T06:56:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/investigate-islam.com\/web\/web\/?p=176"},"modified":"2012-07-15T08:56:55","modified_gmt":"2012-07-15T06:56:55","slug":"the-meaning-of-justice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/investigate-islam.com\/web\/?p=176","title":{"rendered":"The Meaning of Justice"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/h2>\n

\"\"In the Islamic worldview, justice denotes placing things in their rightful place.\u00a0 It also means giving others equal treatment.\u00a0 In Islam, justice is also a moral virtue and an attribute of human personality, as it is in the Western tradition.\u00a0 Justice is close to equality in the sense that it creates a state of equilibrium in the distribution of rights and duties, but they are not identical.\u00a0 Sometimes, justice is achieved through inequality, like in unequal distribution of wealth.\u00a0 The Prophet of Islam declared:<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are seven categories of people whom God will shelter under His shade on the Day when there will be no shade except His.\u00a0 [One is] the just leader.\u201d(Saheeh<\/em> Muslim<\/em>)<\/p>\n

God spoke to His Messenger in this manner:<\/p>\n

\u201cO My slaves, I have forbidden injustice for Myself and forbade it also for you.\u00a0 So avoid being unjust to one another.\u201d (Saheeh Muslim<\/em>)<\/p>\n

Thus, justice represents moral rectitude and fairness, since it means things should be where they belong.<\/p>\n

The Importance of Justice<\/h2>\n

The Quran, the sacred scripture of Islam, considers justice to be a supreme virtue.\u00a0 It is a basic objective of Islam to the degree that it stands next in order of priority to belief in God\u2019s exclusive right to worship (Tawheed<\/em>) and the truth of Muhammad\u2019s prophethood.\u00a0 God declares in the Quran:<\/p>\n

\u201cGod commands justice and fair dealing…\u201d (Quran 16:90)<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

And in another passage:<\/p>\n

\u201cO you who believe, be upright for God, and (be) bearers of witness with justice!…\u201d (Quran 5:8)<\/p>\n

Therefore, one may conclude that justice is an obligation of Islam and injustice is forbidden.\u00a0 The centrality of justice to the Quranic value system is displayed by the following verse:<\/p>\n

\u201cWe sent Our Messengers with clear signs and sent down with them the Book and the Measure in order to establish justice among the people\u2026\u201d (Quran 57:25)<\/p>\n

The phrase \u2018Our Messengers\u2019<\/strong> shows that justice has been the goal of all revelation and scriptures sent to humanity.\u00a0 The verse also shows that justice must be measured and implemented by the standards and guidelines set by revelation.\u00a0 Islam\u2019s approach to justice is comprehensive and all-embracing.\u00a0 Any path that leads to justice is deemed to be in harmony with Islamic Law.\u00a0 God has demanded justice and, although He has not prescribed a specific route, has provided general guidelines, on how to achieve it.\u00a0 He has neither prescribed \u00a0a fixed means by which it can be obtained, nor has He declared invalid any particular means or methods that can lead to justice.\u00a0 Therefore, all means, procedures, and methods that facilitate, refine, and advance the cause of justice, and do not violate the Islamic Law are valid.<\/a>[1]<\/p>\n

Equality in Justice<\/h2>\n

The Quranic standards of justice transcend considerations of race, religion, color, and creed, as Muslims are commanded to be just to their friends and foes alike, and to be just at all levels, as the Quran puts it:<\/p>\n

\u201cO you who believe! \u00a0Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah, even if it be against yourselves, your parents, and your relatives, or whether it is against the rich or the poor…\u201d (Quran 4:135)<\/p>\n

According to another Quranic passage:<\/p>\n

\u201cLet not the hatred of a people swerve you away from justice.\u00a0 Be just, for this is closest to righteousness\u2026\u201d (Quran 5:8)<\/p>\n

With regards to relations with non-Muslims, the Quran further states:<\/p>\n

\u201cGod does not forbid you from doing good and being just to those who have neither fought you over your faith nor evicted you from your homes…\u201d (Quran 60:8)<\/p>\n

The scholars of the Quran have concluded that these rulings apply to all nations, followers of all faiths, as a matter of fact to all humanity.<\/a>[2] \u00a0\u00a0In the view of the Quran, justice is an obligation.\u00a0 That is why the Prophet was told:<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026If you judge, judge between them with justice\u2026\u201d (Quran 5:42)<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have revealed to you the scripture with the truth that you may judge between people by what God has taught you.\u201d (Quran 4:105)<\/p>\n

Furthermore, the Prophet was sent as a judge between peoples, and told:<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026Say: I believe in the Scripture, which God has sent down, and I am commanded to judge justly between you…\u201d (Quran 42:15)<\/p>\n

The Quran views itself as a scripture devoted mainly to laying down the principles of faith and justice.\u00a0 The Quran demands that justice be met for all, and that it is an inherent right of all human beings under Islamic Law.<\/a>[3] \u00a0The timeless commitment of the Quran to the basic standards of justice is found in its declaration:<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd the Word of your Lord has been fulfilled in truth and in justice. None can change His Words.\u201d (Quran 6:115)<\/p>\n

To render justice is a trust that God has conferred on the human being and, like all other trusts, its fulfillment must be guided by a sense of responsibility beyond mere conformity to set rules.\u00a0 Thus, the Quran states:<\/p>\n

\u201cGod commands you to render trusts to whom they are due, and when you judge between people, judge with justice\u2026\u201d (Quran 4:58)<\/p>\n

The reference to justice which immediately follows a reference to fulfillment of\u00a0 trusts indicates that it is one of the most important of all trusts.<\/a>[4]<\/p>\n

Justice and the Self<\/h2>\n

The Quranic concept of justice also extends justice to being a personal virtue, and one of the standards of moral excellence that a believer is encouraged to attain as part of his God-consciousness.\u00a0 God says:<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026Be just, for it is closest to God-consciousness\u2026\u201d (Quran 5:8)<\/p>\n

The Prophet himself instructed:<\/p>\n

\u201cBe conscious of God and be just to your children.\u201d<\/a>[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Quran tells the believers:<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026When you speak, speak with justice, even if it is against someone close to you\u2026\u201d (Quran 6:152)<\/p>\n

Specific Examples of Justice Encouraged in the Quran<\/h2>\n

The Quran also refers to particular instances and contexts of justice.\u00a0 One such instance is the requirement of just treatment of orphans.\u00a0 God says:<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd approach not the property of the orphan except in the fairest way, until he [or she] attains the age of full strength, and give measurement and weight with justice\u2026\u201d (Quran 6:152, also see 89:17, 93:9, and 107:2)<\/p>\n

Fair dealings in measurements and weights, as mentioned in the above verse, is also mentioned in other passages where justice in the buying, selling, and by extension, to business transactions in general, is emphasized.\u00a0 There is an entire chapter of the Quran, Surah al-Mutaffifeen (\u2018The Detractors in Giving Weights,\u2019 83) where fraudulent dealers are threatened with divine wrath.<\/p>\n

References to justice also occur in the context to polygamy.\u00a0 The Quran demands equitable treatment of all wives.\u00a0 The verse of polygamy begins by reference to orphaned girls who may be exposed to depravation and injustice.\u00a0 When they reach marriageable age, they should be married off, even if it be into a polygamous relationship, especially when there is inequality in the number of men and women, as was the case after the Battle of Uhud when this verse was revealed.\u00a0 But, as the Quran states:<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you fear that you can not be just, then marry only one\u2026\u201d (Quran 4:3)<\/p>\n

In conclusion, \u2018to render justice\u2019, in the words of Sarkhasi, a noted classical Islamic jurist, \u2018ranks as the most noble of acts of devotion next to belief in God.\u00a0 It is the greatest of all the duties entrusted to the prophets\u2026and it is the strongest justification for man\u2019s stewardship of earth.\u2019<\/a>[6]<\/p>\n


<\/p>\n
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Footnotes:<\/p>\n

\n

<\/a>[1] Qaradawi, Yusuf, \u2018Madkhal li-Darasah al-Sharia al-Islamiyya,\u2019 p. 177<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

<\/a>[2] Kamali, Mohammad, \u2018Freedom, Equality, And Justice In Islam,\u2019 p. 111<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

<\/a>[3] Qutb, Sayyid, \u2018Fi Zilal al-Quran,\u2019<\/span><\/em> vol 2, p. 689<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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<\/a>[4] Razi, Fakhr al-Din, \u2018al-Tafsir al-Kabir,\u2019<\/span><\/em> vol 3, p. 353<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

<\/a>[5] Riyad us-Saliheen<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

<\/a>[6] Sarkhasi, Shams al-Din, \u2018al-Mabsut,\u2019<\/span><\/em> vol. 14, p. 59-60<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the Islamic worldview, justice denotes placing things in their rightful place.\u00a0 It also means giving others equal treatment.\u00a0 In Islam, justice is also a moral virtue and an attribute of human personality, as...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[27,29,13,61],"class_list":["post-176","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-human-rights","tag-ethics","tag-human","tag-islam-2","tag-justice"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/investigate-islam.com\/web\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/investigate-islam.com\/web\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/investigate-islam.com\/web\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/investigate-islam.com\/web\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/investigate-islam.com\/web\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=176"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/investigate-islam.com\/web\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":177,"href":"https:\/\/investigate-islam.com\/web\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176\/revisions\/177"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/investigate-islam.com\/web\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=176"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/investigate-islam.com\/web\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=176"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/investigate-islam.com\/web\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=176"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}