Importance of Justice:
Islam encourages and puts emphasis on the prevalence of justice in a society. By definition, justice is the morally right and fair behavior; it is not about equality, but equity rather. In a world where justice prevails, crimes go down and prosperity flourishes by a great measure.
Allah is the just Lord and commands His creations to adopt this trait of His in a Hadith-e-Qudsi:
“O My slaves, I have forbidden injustice for Myself and forbade it also for you. So avoid being unjust to one another.” [Muslim]
This order has been repeated multiple times in Hadith and Qur’an in order to emphasize its importance.
“God commands justice and fair dealing.” [Qur’an, 16:90]
The Way of Prophets:
Allah sent His prophets with the divine messages. He created them pure and gave them the stronger innate sense of right and wrong. We have been asked to follow in the footsteps of the messengers sent to us and the orders they brought must be incorporated into our daily lives:
“We sent Our Messengers with clear signs and sent down with them the Book and the Measure in order to establish justice among the people.” [Qur’an 57:25]
“We have revealed to you the scripture with the truth that you may judge between people by what God has taught you.” [Qur’an, 4:105]
Required of a leader:
All the nations in the world depend on their rulers for the prevalence of peace and fair distribution of resources. The work of a ruler is, indeed, difficult and carrying it out takes great courage and effort. But the greater the test, the bigger is the reward. Allah promises a huge reward for a good leader who works for his people honestly. Allah’s Messenger said in a hadith:
“There are seven categories of people whom God will shelter under His shade on the Day when there will be no shade except His. [One is] the just leader.” [Muslim]
Taking Sides in a Dispute and Bearing Witness:
Impartial decisions are ethically wrong. Since Islamic values conform to the best of ethics, there is no question about the importance of fair decisions. One of the common factors which deviate one from taking the right decisions in a dispute is the love for one of the parties or the influence of the other. Islam forbids it. Muslims must be firm and fair setting aside their personal attachments, fears, and benefits.
“O you who believe! Stand 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.” [Qur’an, 4:135]
It isn’t only our love for someone which can make us take wrong decisions but prejudice against one may also result in a partial decision. In another verse, Allah disapproves of biased decisions in these words:
“Let not the hatred of a people swerve you away from justice. Be just, for this is closest to righteousness.” [Qur’an, 5:8]
Allah Subhana Wa Ta’ala has obligated the Prophet (P.B.U.H) and all of the creations:
“…If you judge, judge between them with justice.” [Qur’an, 5:42]
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