Islamic justice and the nature of Islamic rulers
Islamic justice and the nature of Islamic rulers
Bismillah
History is filled with tyrants and tyranny. There needs to be a form of justice that is plain and tangible, empirical and practical. Islam has given such a form and is beyond human manipulation or party revocation or personal inclinations. This is the holy Quran and Sunnah and the practical applications of the rightly guided Caliphs and just Islamic rulers of the former two.
“For God loveth those who judge in equity” .(5:42)
“God commands justice, the doing of good, and liberality to kith and kin, and He forbids all shameful deeds, and injustice and rebellion: He instructs you, that ye may receive admonition” (16:90)
“Do no mischief on the earth, after it hath been set in order, ... for the Mercy of God is (always) near to those who do good” (7:56)
“There are seven whom Allaah will shade in His Shade on the Day when there is no shade except His Shade: a just ruler; a youth who grew up in the worship of Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic;....” (Bukhari, Muslim)
Just ruler is mentioned at first due to its importance and high status.
“'Whoever takes a piece of land of others unjustly, he will sink down the seven earths on the Day of Resurrection.” (Al-Bukhari).
Seven earths shows the gravity of the sin. Most historical unjust wars were based on lands.
“O people! Do not wish for an encounter with the enemy. Pray to Allah to grant you safety; (but) when you encounter them, show patience, and know that Jannah is under the shades of the swords.” (Bukhari, Muslim)
Promotes defensive war and prevents cowardice and treason.
The sincerity of the first Caliph to his subjects:
“I have been given authority over you, but I am not the best of you. If I do well, help me; and if I do wrong, set me right. Sincere regard for truth is loyalty, and disregard for truth is treachery. The weak amongst you shall be strong with me until I have secured his rights, if Allah will; and the strong amongst you shall be weak with me until I have wrested from him the rights of others, if Allah will”.
Umar Ibn Khattab the second Caliph towards his ministers:
“Glory to Allah! Verily Justice is an important obligation to Allah and to man. You have been charged with this responsibility. Discharge this responsibility so that you may win the approbation of Allah and the good will of the people. Treat the people equally in your presence, and in your decisions, so that the weak despair not of justice, and the high-placed harbor no hope of favoritism. The onus of proof lies on the plaintiff, while the party who denies must do so on oath. Compromise is permissible, provided that it does not turn the unlawful into something lawful, and the lawful into something unlawful. Let nothing prevent you from changing your previous decision if after consideration you feel that the previous decision was incorrect. When you are in doubt about a question and find nothing concerning it in the Qur’an or the Sunna of the Prophet, ponder the question over and over again. Ponder over the precedents and analogous cases, and then decide by analogy. A term should be fixed for the person who wants to produce witnesses. If he proves his case, discharge for him his right. Otherwise the suit should be dismissed. All Muslims are trustworthy, except those who have been punished with flogging, those who have borne false witness, or those of doubtful integrity”
Uthman (r.a.) said that he loved three things, namely: To feed the hungry; To clothe the naked; To read and teach the Holy Quran.
The sympathetic ruler
Caliph Ali (ra) said “Lead such a life that when you die people will mourn you, and while you are alive they long for your company.”
The loving ruler.
Let us now see the form of other ruler. Note that their sayings become the form:
Communism-
“There are no morals in politics; there is only expedience. A scoundrel may be of use to us just because he is a scoundrel” -Vladimir Lenin
“We have no compassion and we ask no compassion from you. When our turn comes, we shall not make excuses for the terror” -Karl Marx
Democracy-
“A world without nuclear weapons would be less stable and more dangerous for all of us” -Margaret Thatcher
“The things that will destroy America are prosperity-at-any-price, peace-at-any-price, safety-first instead of duty-first, the love of soft living, and the get-rich-quick theory of life”.
-Theodore Roosevelt
Fascism/Democracy/Communism-
Demoralize the enemy from within by surprise, terror, sabotage, assassination. This is the war of the future”. -Adolf Hitler
“How fortunate for governments that the people they administer don't think”.
-Adolf Hitler
“I use emotion for the many and reserve reason for the few”.
-Adolf Hitler
“I do not see why man should not be just as cruel as nature”.
-Adolf Hitler
“If you tell a big enough lie and tell it frequently enough, it will be believed”.
-Adolf Hitler
I would like to end citing a verse from holy Quran to make you think of what has been written in this article. May Allah guide us to peace and Justice and give us ability to choose the right form.
“Mischief has appeared on land and sea because of (the meed) that the hands of men have earned, that (God) may give them a taste of some of their deeds: in order that they may turn back (from Evil)”. (30:41)
Bismillah
History is filled with tyrants and tyranny. There needs to be a form of justice that is plain and tangible, empirical and practical. Islam has given such a form and is beyond human manipulation or party revocation or personal inclinations. This is the holy Quran and Sunnah and the practical applications of the rightly guided Caliphs and just Islamic rulers of the former two.
“For God loveth those who judge in equity” .(5:42)
“God commands justice, the doing of good, and liberality to kith and kin, and He forbids all shameful deeds, and injustice and rebellion: He instructs you, that ye may receive admonition” (16:90)
“Do no mischief on the earth, after it hath been set in order, ... for the Mercy of God is (always) near to those who do good” (7:56)
“There are seven whom Allaah will shade in His Shade on the Day when there is no shade except His Shade: a just ruler; a youth who grew up in the worship of Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic;....” (Bukhari, Muslim)
Just ruler is mentioned at first due to its importance and high status.
“'Whoever takes a piece of land of others unjustly, he will sink down the seven earths on the Day of Resurrection.” (Al-Bukhari).
Seven earths shows the gravity of the sin. Most historical unjust wars were based on lands.
“O people! Do not wish for an encounter with the enemy. Pray to Allah to grant you safety; (but) when you encounter them, show patience, and know that Jannah is under the shades of the swords.” (Bukhari, Muslim)
Promotes defensive war and prevents cowardice and treason.
The sincerity of the first Caliph to his subjects:
“I have been given authority over you, but I am not the best of you. If I do well, help me; and if I do wrong, set me right. Sincere regard for truth is loyalty, and disregard for truth is treachery. The weak amongst you shall be strong with me until I have secured his rights, if Allah will; and the strong amongst you shall be weak with me until I have wrested from him the rights of others, if Allah will”.
Umar Ibn Khattab the second Caliph towards his ministers:
“Glory to Allah! Verily Justice is an important obligation to Allah and to man. You have been charged with this responsibility. Discharge this responsibility so that you may win the approbation of Allah and the good will of the people. Treat the people equally in your presence, and in your decisions, so that the weak despair not of justice, and the high-placed harbor no hope of favoritism. The onus of proof lies on the plaintiff, while the party who denies must do so on oath. Compromise is permissible, provided that it does not turn the unlawful into something lawful, and the lawful into something unlawful. Let nothing prevent you from changing your previous decision if after consideration you feel that the previous decision was incorrect. When you are in doubt about a question and find nothing concerning it in the Qur’an or the Sunna of the Prophet, ponder the question over and over again. Ponder over the precedents and analogous cases, and then decide by analogy. A term should be fixed for the person who wants to produce witnesses. If he proves his case, discharge for him his right. Otherwise the suit should be dismissed. All Muslims are trustworthy, except those who have been punished with flogging, those who have borne false witness, or those of doubtful integrity”
Uthman (r.a.) said that he loved three things, namely: To feed the hungry; To clothe the naked; To read and teach the Holy Quran.
The sympathetic ruler
Caliph Ali (ra) said “Lead such a life that when you die people will mourn you, and while you are alive they long for your company.”
The loving ruler.
Let us now see the form of other ruler. Note that their sayings become the form:
Communism-
“There are no morals in politics; there is only expedience. A scoundrel may be of use to us just because he is a scoundrel” -Vladimir Lenin
“We have no compassion and we ask no compassion from you. When our turn comes, we shall not make excuses for the terror” -Karl Marx
Democracy-
“A world without nuclear weapons would be less stable and more dangerous for all of us” -Margaret Thatcher
“The things that will destroy America are prosperity-at-any-price, peace-at-any-price, safety-first instead of duty-first, the love of soft living, and the get-rich-quick theory of life”.
-Theodore Roosevelt
Fascism/Democracy/Communism-
Demoralize the enemy from within by surprise, terror, sabotage, assassination. This is the war of the future”. -Adolf Hitler
“How fortunate for governments that the people they administer don't think”.
-Adolf Hitler
“I use emotion for the many and reserve reason for the few”.
-Adolf Hitler
“I do not see why man should not be just as cruel as nature”.
-Adolf Hitler
“If you tell a big enough lie and tell it frequently enough, it will be believed”.
-Adolf Hitler
I would like to end citing a verse from holy Quran to make you think of what has been written in this article. May Allah guide us to peace and Justice and give us ability to choose the right form.
“Mischief has appeared on land and sea because of (the meed) that the hands of men have earned, that (God) may give them a taste of some of their deeds: in order that they may turn back (from Evil)”. (30:41)
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