In the name of Allah most gracious most merciful.

Justice

Written by: Sk. Dr. Younis Salih

Translated by: Dr. Faheem Bukhatwa.

23 October 2009 ac

03 Thul-Qada 1430 h

During the take over of Mekka, a woman stole. The messenger (ppbu) decided to implement the punishment and cut off her hand. Her family went to Osama Ebn Zaid and asked him to mediate for her with the messenger (ppbu) so her hand does not get cut off. The messenger (ppbu) used to love Osama very much. When Osama mediated for the lady, the messenger (ppbu) became quite upset and said to him: {Would you mediate against one of Allah's sentences?}. The messenger (ppbu) then got up and addressed the people with a speech saying: {Those before you were destroyed only because when a person of status stole they let him go, and when a person of low status stole they enforced the sentence on to him. I solemnly swear, if Fatima, Muhammad's daughter stole, I would have her hand cut off.}

A man from Egypt came to Omar Ebn-Al-Khattab once and said: "Leader of the faithful, I had a race with the son of Amr Ebn_Al-A3as, the governor of Egypt. I won the race. But he lashed me with his whip. And he said to me: "I am the son of the honorable and the elite". Omar wrote to Amr ebn al-A3as summing him to attend and to bring his son along. When they did attend, Omar gave a whip to the man from Egypt and said to him: beat the son of the honorable and the elite."

During the rule of Omar Ebn A-Khatab, one high status Arab converted to Islam and went for Hajj. While doing the Tawaf walking round Kabba, an ordinary common man stepped on to his Ihram cloth. He turned round and hit him hard across the face. The man complained to Omar Ebn Alkhattab who summoned the man who allegedly committed the assault. Omar told the common man to hit who assaulted him back across the face. Surprised the man said: are we both equal in that respect? Omar said: Yes, Islam has made you equal.

It has been told that a man was fishing and caught quite a big fish, and he was absolutely delighted with that. On his way home to his family, he was seen by the city mayor who saw the fish and forcibly took it. The fisherman was saddened, and complained to Allah and made a duaa. He asked Allah to show him Allah's power against this man in return for his aggression. The city mayor went back to his palace. As he was handing the fish over to his servant to cook, his finger got caught into the fish mouth and was bitten. The finger got painful doctors were brought to attend him. He was told that he was poisoned by the fish and the finger has to be immediately severed or amputated. After the finger was cut off, it was found that the poison has gone to his arm and to the rest of his body. He then remembered his wrong action towards the fisherman. He searched for him. And when he found him he quickly went to him asking for his forgiveness in order for him to be saved by Allah. The fisherman did forgive him.

The cousin of the Messenger (ppbu) Imam Ali and also his son-in-law, while he was the Khalifa of the nation, one day had a disagreement with a Jew over a suit of body armor. They went to court and Ali said to the judge: This Jew took my body armor. The Jew denied that. The Judge asked Imam Ali for witnesses. Imam had his son Al-Husain as a witness and who affirmed that the body armor belonged to his father. The judge asked Imam Ali if he had another witness. Imam Ali said: No. The judge ruled in favor of the Jew. He decided that the body armor belonged to the Jew because Imam Ali had no other witness other than his son. The Jew said: "the Kalifa of all the Muslims stood against me before a Muslim judge in a Muslim court and the judgment went against the head of the nation and he accepted". The Jew continued: "Imam Ali, You were truthful in your claim. It is your body armor. It fell off your camel once and I picked it up, and I bare witness that there is not God but Allah, and that Muhammad (ppbu) is the messenger of Allah". Imam Ali gave him the body armor as a present in delight with him converting to Islam.

What is meant by Justice?

Justice is impartiality. Justice is giving others what is rightfully theirs and taking from them what they are obliged to give. Many verses in the Koran commanded justice and encourages justice, and calls to hang on to justice. Allah says: {Allah commands justice, kindness, perfection, and donating to kin} 16:90. Allah also says: {and if you judge between people that you judge with justice} 4:58. One of Allah's names and one of His characters is "the Just", all praise be to Allah.

Types of Justice.

There are numerous types of justice, amongst them are:

Justice amongst those are in disputes:

The messenger (ppbu) was great example in practicing justice. Two men from Ansar came to him in a dispute. They asked him for arbitration. He said to them that whoever wrongfully takes what belongs to his brother is in fact taking a piece of fire. They two men cried and both withdrew their claims for the benefit of the other.

Justice in measurements and scales:

A Muslim should be generous when measuring for others. And should practice justice and not under do people or short change them what is rightfully theirs. And should not take more than his or her fare share when buying by increasing the measure, nor when selling be reducing the measure. Allah Has given sever warnings to those who do that when He says in the Koran: {Woe to those that deal in fraud (1) Those who, when they have to receive by measure from men, they over fill measure. (2) But when they have to give by measure or weight to men, they give less than due. (3) Do they not think that they will be resurrected? (4) On a Mighty, Day (5)} 83:1-5. Allah also says: {And establish weight (measuring scale) with justice and fall not short in the balance} 55:9.

Justice amongst wives:

A Muslim man must practice justice with his wife and give her all her rights. And if a Muslim man has more than one wife then he must be just and fare with them in providing for them in food, drink, clothes, living accommodation, time of company and provision. The messenger (ppbu) said: {whoever has two wives and had leaned towards or favored one over the other, then on the day of resurrection shall come with his half bent}. Leaning which is warned against here is aggression against the rights of the wife. The messenger (ppbu) used to practice extreme justice when dividing anything between his wives, and he used to say: {Dear God, this is my division in what I own, and do not hold against me division of what you own and I do not own} (possibly meaning dividing his affection or attractions or feelings)

Justice amongst the children:

A Muslim must practice equality in treating his children, even when giving a kiss. And not to favor one of them with a present or a donation so they would not have ill feelings towards one another, and to avoid creating hatred and animosity between them.

Nu3man Ebn Basheer said: My father gave me present, but the my said I would not be happy until you make the messenger (ppbu) witness the giving of this present. The father went to the messenger (ppbu) and said: I have given a present to my son from my wife Amrah and she asked me to have you messenger of Allah to witness that. The messenger (ppbu) said: {and have you given the rest of your children a similar present?}He said: No. The messenger (ppbu) said: "then fear Allah and practice justice with your children".

Justice amongst all people:

A Muslim is required to practice justice with all people Muslims and non-Muslims. Allah says: {And withhold not things justly due to people} 26:183. Allah also says: {and let not the hatred of others to you make you swerve to wrong and depart from justice. Be just: that is closer to Piety:} 5:8. Meaning not to practice aggression against you have dispute with because of hatred. On the contrary, justice is commanded with all people friends and enemies alike.

Benefits of Justice:

Justice has a great status with Allah. Allah say: {and be just or be fair, for Allah loves those who are Just or those who are fair} 49:9. Abu Hurairah used to say: "One day's work of a just ruler with his people is better than a hundred years worship at home".

Justice is safety for humans in this life. Once an envoy carrying a message from some king came to meet Omar ebn Al-Khattab only to find him asleep under a tree. He was surprised to find the ruler of the Muslim nation asleep with no guards. And he said about Omar: "Omar, you ruled through justice, which gave you security which allowed you to sleep".

Justice is the foundation of ruling. One of the Muslim governors wrote to Omar ben Abdul-Azeez (may Allah be pleased with him) asking him for a large amount of money to build a wall round the region he was governing. But Omar wrote back to him saying: what good will the walls do? Fortify your country with justice. And clean its roads and streets from aggression.

Justice provides safety and security to the weak and the poor and makes them pride and honor.

Justice spreads love amongst people and between the rulers and their subjects.

Justice stops a wrongdoer from aggression, and stops the greedy from feeding their greed. Justice protects the rights and protects the belongings and the honor.

Notes:

Adhan - The call to prayer.

Ansar (or Al-Ansar): The inhabitants of the city of Al-Medina that received and supported the messenger (PPBU) when he immigrated from Mekkah in the very early years of Islam.

Assalam Alaikum - The Islamic greeting, literately means: Peace be with you. Used when approaching or leaving. When used during approaching it will be like saying: I bring no harm to you . and when said during leaving somebody it will mean: No harm will come to you after I leave.

Aya (or Ayah): is a verse of the Koran. It also means a miracle or a sign from God.

Arafa (or Arafah or Arafat): is a mountain outside the city of Mecca that represents the climax of the Hajj worship. All doing Hajj must stay at this location on the same day.

Badr - The place of the first significant battle between the Muslims and the pagans of the Quraish. It is located in Saudi Arabia.

Caliph - A Muslim ruler. See: (Khalifa)

Dajjal - Antichrist or the False Massiah.

Dawah - The proliferation of Islamic teachings through word and deed.

Deen (Din) - Religion or way of life.

Duaa: a prayer in the form of talking to Allah; praising him and asking him for help.

Fatwa - Legal verdict given based on the Qur'an (Koran) and the Sunnah which are the recorded sayings and deeds of Muhammad.

Ferdose: is the highest level of the all the gardens of Eden or paradise.

Fiqh - Religious law.

Hadeeth: is something reported that the messenger have said. It includes all the speeches and ceremonies he gave. It is usually narrated or told by one of his companions. There is a list of hadeeths approximately 14000 that are reported and checked to be genuine. No more hadeeths are acceptably added to this list.

Hajar - The Black Stone set into the corner of the Ka'aba in Mecca. It is said to be a stone from Heaven.

Hajj - The pilgrimage to Mecca which takes place in the last month of the Islamic calendar. One of the five pillars of Islam.

Hasana or hasanas: is the reward for a good deed. a hasana is a point or a merit for a good deed.

Hadith - The sayings and not deeds of the prophet Muhammad recorded by his followers. Considered authoritative and perfect.

Hajj: is the worship of pilgrimage.

Hijra (or Hejrah): the event of the immigration of the messenger from Mekkah to Madina. This event marks the start of the Islamic calendar. the Islamic calendar has 12 months based on the lunar cycle, each is 29.5 days. Hijra is also used as a name for the Islamic dating system.

Ibadah - Worship. All the words and deeds with which Allah is pleased. These deeds could be prayer and charity.

Iblis - (Ibleese): On of Satan's names.

Ibn (Ebn): the son of. Used by Arabs as part of an individual's name. Example: Ali whose father is Omar or the son of Omar, would be called: Ali Ibn Omar.

Imam (or Emam)- The leader for a prayer. In the Shiaa sect, an Imam is the individual who has the religious authority.

Iman: belief or faith

Injil (Enjeel) - The Bible. The book inspired to Jesus for the Christians.

Islam - Submission, the religion of all the prophets of Allah culminating in Muhammad.

Jannah - The heavenly garden, Paradise. The place of the faithful in the afterlife.

Jihad: is striving in the line of Allah in many forms. Includes a very wide scope varying from improving oneself to fighting a defensive war in protection of Allah's word. The greatest Jihad is the fight one's self against temptations. It also means "holy war."

Jinn - Supernatural, invisible beings race of beings, below angels. They were made from fire. Like humans, there amongst them are the faithful and the non beleivers and Jinn shall be judged on Judgment Day.

Ka'aba: A cube shaped building in Mecca containing a stone laid there by Abraham and Ishmael. Some say Ka'aba was first built by Adam, and some say by Abraham. It is the holiest place for Muslims. It is where all Muslims face in their daily prayers. Ka'aba also makes a major part of the pilgrimage in a ritual known as Tawaf.

Khalifa: is the Muslim ruler. Head of the Islamic empire. Exact translation: "Successor".

Khutbah - A sermon given in a Mosque, usually on Friday.

Kufr - Denial or Disbelief. A term Muslims use for anyone who denies existence of Allah or the prophecy of Muhammed.

Koran - Also spelled Qur'an. The holy book of Islam revealed to Muhammad by Allah through the Archangel Gabriel. Koran literally means "the recital." It is the final revelation of Allah given to the prophet Muhammad. It consists of 114 surahs (or chapters.)

Madinah - (Medinah): A city in the Arabian peninsula (in the country known now as Saudi Arabia). A city where the messenger had to immigrate to. Then it was called Yathrib.

Masjid - A center for Muslim activity. It is referred to as a mosque.

Masiah - A sin, or a sinful act

Mecca or Makkah: is the holiest city for Muslims. It contains the Ka'aba mosque with the famous black cubical shape. Mecca is the birth place of the messenger (PPBU).

Mosque - A Muslim house of worship.

Muhajir - (Muhajireen) Immigrant, one who leaves his home town due to lack of religious freedom. It was first used to describe early Muslims immigrating from Mecca to Median and Ethiopia.

Muhammad - the final messenger and prophet of God whose message abrogated all previous revelations. He received the Koran through the angel Gabriel over a 23 year period. Born in Mecca and died in Medina at the age of 63. His full name: Muhammad ibn Abd-Allah

Muslim - One who holds faith to the religion of Islam.

Nafilah: a voluntary prayer other than the five obligatory prayers; performed at any time.

Nasara - Christians. Nasrani: A Christian individual. Nasraniah: Christianity.

Ommah: is the Arabic word for a nation. It usually refers to the Islamic nation unless otherwise specified.

Paradise - Another word for heaven. A garden of bliss, fruits, rivers and all forms of pleasures imaginable and imaginable. No suffering, disease or death. Service is provided by angels. All live in it an ever lasting youthful life. Promised by Almighty Allah to all faithful, true Jews, true Christians and True Muslims. Paradise is one of two places every person will go to, either Paradise or Hellfire.

PPBU (P.B.U.H.) : Peace and Prayers Be Upon him. A statement Muslims use any time they mention the name of the messenger or make a reference to him.

Qadar - Fate. Preordainment is the teaching that all things, good and bad, are preordained to occur.

Qadr - (night of Qadr): The night when the first revelation of the Koran took place. Most likely it happened during one of the last ten nights of the month of Ramadan. Or when the Koran was brought down to the nearest heaven in one go, and from there it was brought down in bits and few verses at a time over a period of 23 years. This night is considered the holiest night for Muslims with tremendous advantages.

Qibla - The direction which Muslims turn for daily prayers, towards Mecca.

Quraish - An ancient Arab tribe to which the messenger Muhammad belonged.

Ramadan - The ninth month of the Islamic calendar which is the month of the fast. The holiest month in the Muslim colander.

Salat - Prayers. Generally it covers all forms of worship, but more specifically refers to the Muslim rituals which is performed to worship Allah five times daily.

Shiaa: A sect of Islam that teaches that a religion leader (Imam) should be the political ruler and must be direct descendants of the messenger (PPBU). Therefore, disapproving of all Muslim leaders who ruled After the messenger (PPBU) except Ali, the messenger's grandson.

Shirk - Associating another god with Allah. Or associating anyone or anything with Allah. Or using anyone or anything as a medium to Allah. The opposite of Monotheism or Tawheed.

Siam or Soam- Fasting

Sunni: is a the title of those Muslims who are suppose to be following the life style of the messenger. This differentiates them from the Shiaa of Iran.

Sunna (Sunnah): Is how the Messenger PPBU lived, what he did or said. It includes the way he dressed, ate, drank, prayed, interacted with other people and fought. Basically, sunnah is the life style of the messenger PPBU. It is considered the second source of legislation in Islamic laws and it is considered to be an important reference to be used for concluding arguments and disputes. It is also a title give to the main stream Muslims who make 90% if all Muslims.

Surah - A chapter of the Koran.

Tawaf: part of the pilgrimage (Hajj) ritual. It involves walking round the Ka'aba Mosque in anti-clock wise direction a number of seven circles.

Tauhid - Tawheed - Monotheism, in Islam is the teaching that there is only one God who alone is worthy of worship. The first requirement of becoming a Muslim. It is included in the testimony of faith for new Muslims when declaring that God is one: (No God but Allah)

Taqwah - Proper fear and veneration of Allah. A divine spark that enables the person to understand God.

Taurat: The old Testaments and scriptures of Mosa.

Ummah - the word means: a Nation. Usually refers to the Islamic nation unless otherwise stated.

Umrah - (Amrah): A mini hajj. A Minor form of pilgrimage to Mecca. Unlike Hajj which can only be done on the 12th month of the Islamic year, Umrah can be performed at any time.

Wathoo (wadoo): a washing up ritual done by Muslims before each of the five daily prayers known as ablution.

Zaboor - The Psalms

Zakat - The third pillar of Islam. Alms giving, charity that is given to the poor.

Faheem Bukhatwa, my email address is : faheemfb@gmail.com