Justice, Relationships, Fuel for Lust
Issue 390 » August 11, 2006 - Rajab 17, 1427
General
| Living the Quran |
An-Nisa
(The Women)
There is one word that captures the essence of all Islamic laws and all Islamic teachings; one word that describes the overriding value that permeates all Islamic values. Justice. The sole purpose of sending the prophets was to establish Justice in the world and end injustice. Broadly speaking, doing justice means giving everyone his due. But this simple statement camouflages all the complexities of life in their myriad and ever-changing relations; all the temptations; all the apprehensions and concerns; all the conflicts and dilemmas. To guide the people, Allah sent down the prophets with clear signs, the Book, and the Balance. The Book contains the revelations that spell out what's fair and unfair or right and wrong. The Balance refers to our ability to measure and calculate so we can follow the path shown by the Book and explained by the Prophets. Together these sources taught us what are the rights of Allah, of other people, and of our own persons on us and how to balance them. A life lived in obedience to Allah, then, is a continuous balancing act, both individually and collectively. Under normal circumstances many people can be just. But Islam commands its followers to be just even in the face of strong conflicting emotions. In dealing with other human beings, two major impediments to justice are love and hatred. Ignorant people think they are protecting their self-interest by being unjust to others. Their decision to be just or unjust may be based on a cold calculation of self-interest. But real faith in Allah elevates one beyond that narrow-mindedness. The justice demanded by Islam permits no favouritism. The other equally potent impediment is hatred. The natural, uneducated, and uncivilized tendency is to treat the enemy as less than a human being; one who has no rights and deserves no justice or fairness. It was as true in the pre-Islamic tribal jahilya (based on ignorance) society as it is today. Islam directly curbs it with a reminder that Allah is watching us, that enmity of others cannot be used as an excuse for committing injustices against them. Justice does require retribution and Islam does call for, "an eye for an eye." But it does not mean an innocent eye for an innocent eye; it means the eye of the perpetrator for the eye of the victim. Source: |
| Understanding the Prophet's Life |
| Relationships It is unlawful for the Muslim to shun another Muslim, to break ties with him, or to turn away from him. If two Muslims quarrel with each other, they are allowed a cooling-off period of three days, after which they must seek out means of reconciliation and peace, overcoming their pride, anger and hatred. The Prophet (peace be on him) said, "It is not permissible for a Muslim to keep apart from his brother for more than three days. If three days pass, he should meet him and greet him, and if he replies to it, they will both have shared in the reward, while if he does not reply, he will bear his sin while the Muslim (who offered him the greeting) will have been freed from the sin of keeping apart." (Reported by Abu Dawud.) This applies as long as such shunning or boycotting is not for the sake of Allah, while if it is for the sake of Allah and in the cause of justice these injunctions do not apply. The strongest bond among the believers is established through loving for the sake of Allah and hating for the sake of Allah. Abdullah bin Umar boycotted one of his sons for the remainder of his life because his son did not abide by the hadith, narrated to him by his father, in which the Prophet (peace be on him) prohibited men to prevent their women from going to the mosque. (Reported by Ahmad) Estrangement and enmity between Muslims must never be for any worldly reason, for in the sight of Allah and the Muslim, the whole world is of such little value that it is not worth abandoning and breaking the relationship with another Muslim. How can it be otherwise, when the penalty of such animosity is the deprivation of the forgiveness and mercy of Allah? The Prophet (peace be on him) said, "The gates of the Garden are opened on Mondays and Thursdays, and Allah forgives every person who does not associate anything with Allah except a man between whom and his brother there is enmity. Thrice the command will be given: 'Leave the two of them until they have reconciled.'" (Reported by Muslim) It should suffice for the aggrieved person that his brother come to him and apologized; he must then accept the apology and reconcile. It is unlawful for him to rebuff his brother by not accepting his apology. The Prophet (peace be on him) warned against this by saying that the one who does so will not meet him, the Prophet, at the Fountain in Paradise on the Day of Resurrection. (Reported by al-Tabarani) Source: |
| Blindspot! |
Fuel for Lust It is impossible to lower one’s gaze while watching Television. Channel after channel, program after program, and even during commercial breaks, TV bombards us with indecently dressed men and women and sexual innuendo, if not outright pornographic content. Even seemingly-innocent programs, such as news, have begun to follow this trend. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) says, “The furtive glance is one of the poisoned arrows of Shaytan, on him be God’s curse” (Al-Haakim). Most television programming does not promote modesty (Haya) in men and women. A study shows that an astounding 55-65 percent of content contains sexual content in word or deed, yet only 10 percent of those make any reference to being faithful to one’s life partner. Source: |
