Justice: Islam’s ultimate value

Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(:"And the heaven He raised and
imposed the balance. That you not transgress within the balance. And
establish weightin justice and do not make deficient the
balance."]Quran 55:7-9[
These verses of the Quran, which are mentioned in the
chapterAr-Rahmaan, or")God( the All-Merciful" stand out in their
emphasis of the importance of justice because they unite justice with
the important theological principle of Allaah'sKhalqandAmror His
"Creation and Command." These verses make justice both the basis of
the creation and its source of continuity )by commanding justice(.
This is true because, in essence, the balance is the symbol of justice
and its means of realization at the same time.
Heavens and earth were originallycreated with justice in a balancedway
and they can only )or were meant to( continue with it. Muslims
accepted this magnificent guidance and ultimate value of life, more
than 1400 years ago. The great Commentator of the Quran, Imaam Abu
Ja'far At-Tabari )d. 310 AH( expounded the aforementioned verses,
saying,"Allaah created Heavens and Earth by )and in( justice so that
all things in them exist )and interact( by )and in( justice."
And there is not a single nation, past or present, but that it has
asserted its claims of honoring justice and being just. Yet, the
justice they claimed, at times, meant nothing more than what the
"powers that be" wanted. Or sometimes justice represented what is
recognized and utilized by a majority or a certain religion or
ethnicity. What humans mean by justice, in other words, may differ in
its meaning and means from one nation to another. It is interesting to
note that Socrates )killed in 339 BC( defined justice as the, "Will of
the powerful," and it is also interesting that this applies the vast
majority of the time in situations when religious values are absent or
weak. It is even more interesting that some of the theories man has,
overtime, developed using 'rationality' and empiricism, and which
exceedingly tilt the balance of justice in favor of the powerful or
the rich, still flourish in modern times and continue to find
advocates or even unabashed supporters who will kill or die for them.
In one of the 100 or so verses which deal with theessentials of
justice and fairness, the Quran tells us of this perversion of justice
that sometimes occurs in the course of human events. Verse 25 of the
chapter )57(Al-Hadeed,"the Iron," pregnant with meanings and profusely
poignant, lay bear the reality about the roots of injustice among
people. Many people mention being motivated by hearing this verse
recited just once. Allaah Says )what means(:"We have already sent Our
messengers with clear evidences and sent down with them the Scripture
and the balance that the people may maintain ]their affairs[ in
justice. And We sent down iron, wherein is great military might and
benefits for the people, and so that Allaah may make evident those who
support Him and His messengers unseen. Indeed, Allaah is Powerful and
Exalted in Might."]Quran 57:25[ So many points of benefit, so much to
learn and liveby. For one, the balance of justiceis mentioned along
with the Books, guidance from Allaah, to indicate that true justice
needs a compass to save itself from relativism and free judgment from
personal drive. This also means that the interpretation of Allaah's
Guidance must be free from whims and ignorance, and this effort to
free one's self from whims and ignorance is what Muslim scholars—who
are the interpreters of Allaah's Final Message— termIjtihaad. Thepoint
is that Allaah's Guidance entails that only people of knowledge who
are able and honest may interpret Divine texts. Ignoring this
prerequisite has led—in many times and places—to gross justifications
and evil consequences. Without this guidance, man has done enough to
give Socrates' definition of justice precedence over any other.
Another point worthy of our attention here is the fact that Allaah is
reminding us that He has provided the messengers with iron to go along
with the guidance and the command to establish justice. Man has
known,for untold centuries, that he cannot institute justice in almost
any walk of life, or protect justicewhenever needed, without the power
of iron.
But the intent of the message of this verse is unambiguous.
Allmessengers from Allaah, who were sent to various nations throughout
history, came with the very same message.
The implication of this is so profound, especially for today's Muslims.
We must acknowledge and respect that loving and establishing justice
is a human trait, not an attribute of the Muslim Ummahalone. In fact,
our scholars have long asserted, based on the aforementioned verses
among many others, that Allaah grants supremacy to a justgovernment or
nation even though it may be disbelieving, and He takes away supremacy
from an unjust government or nation even though it may be believing.
This is how just the Islamic worldview is.
And a Muslim would not be completely truthful to his belief without
accepting this view. Muslims should support justice and those who seek
it and they should feel happy every time justice triumphs.
But judging by the current situation of most Muslim countries and
communities around the world, itis not difficult to see that we have
strayed from justice.
To lure itback home, we need to mend our ways and make them coincide
with the guidance of ourKitaab)the Quran( first.