“Thus, We appointed
you a midmost
community that you
might be witness
to the people, and
that the Messenger
might be a witness to you.”
(Qur’an, 2:143)
Justice and human
rights are often lost in the political arena, because of the excessiveness and
fanaticism of certain groups or parties and their attempt of supremacy or
hegemony over others. This wicked symptom in any nation is a dangerous disease,
especially because it often appears as a kind of religious faith. God warned us
against it in the Qur’an: “Do not go to extremes in your religious
conduct” (4:171).
This excessiveness
of conduct is indeed unfair, and may lead to overstepping the bounds of
justice, so God says: “O you who have attained to faith! Be ever
steadfast in upholding equity, bearing witness to the truth for the sake of
God, even though it be against your own selves or your parents and kinsfolk.
Whether the person concerned be rich or poor, God is closer to the two. So do
not follow any whim, lest you swerve, for if you twist, or refrain, surely God
is ever aware of what you do” (4:135).
Surely the desire
of supremacy over others is an odd and whimsy character, which we find in
dictators and tyrants of human history among various nations, but we also find
such unfair phenomena in common societies.
For a ruler to discriminate
between his people, and especially to depress or oppress any class, is a wicked
conduct. That is why the Qur’an has illustrated the character of Pharaoh as an
example of bad policy, which leads to corruption: “Truly Pharaoh had exalted
himself in the land and divided its people into castes, oppressing a group of
them, slaughtering their sons, and sparing their women. Indeed he was of those
who cause corruption” (28:4).
When the Qur’an
exposed Pharaoh as an example of whimsy dictators and corruptors on earth with
their total despise of people, it is because we always see tyrants emerging
here and there, oppressing and depressing weak people. It awakens the faithful and
helps them not to deviate from justice:
“O you who have attained to
faith! Be ever steadfast in your devotion to God, bearing witness to the truth
in all equity; and never let detestation of anyone lead you into the sin of
deviating from justice. Be just: this is closer to being God-conscious. And
remain conscious of God: verily God is aware of all that you do”
(5:8).
We have to be just
even towards those we detest; that is why God appointed Messengers and revealed
to them the Scripture, in order to balance people’s conduct, and not to let
them overstep the bounds of justice: “We have indeed sent Our Messengers with
clear signs, and We revealed with them the Scripture and the Balance, so that
Mankind may uphold justice..”
(57:25).
There is a saying “The
bond of faith is that you love (someone) for the sake of God, and detest for
the sake of God”. This means that we should appreciate anyone who does good
because God loves those who do good, and we should not appreciate anyone whose
deeds are detested by God. It does not mean that we should hate that person or violate
his rights.
If we reflect
thoroughly, we will find that, in fact, excessiveness
is caused by people being careless and too lazy to uphold their duty. They
are not tightly controlling their desires. They lose the power of conducting
their own selves because they have lost the balance.
God’s messengers
came with the Scripture and the Balance, so
that people may uphold justice, the midmost between excessiveness and carelessness.
