Justice is an essential aspect of humanitarian concerns, especially for Muslims. It is also valuable for helping in solving serious social problems. As Allah said:
“Indeed Allah orders justice and good conduct and giving to relatives
and forbids immorality and bad conduct and oppression. He admonishes
that perhaps you will be reminded”.
The Meaning of Justice:
Justice is also related to honesty, truthfulness, transparency, and clarity. It gives several meanings. Perhaps it refers to:
- Conformity to the law, legal validity, the quality or fact of being just.
- The upholding of rights.
- The punishment of wrongs, by the law.
- The upholding of rights, the punishment of wrongs, by the law.
- To set straight and run away from one [wrong] pass to the other [right] one.
The main sources of Shari’ah are the Qur’an and the Sunnah. Justice is to deal with people and treat them equally, to identify the rights and duties around you, and also to keep their balance. Allah says in the Quran:
“And when they have fulfilled their term, either retain them according to acceptable terms or part with them according to acceptable terms. And bring to witness two just men from among you and establish the testimony for [the acceptance of] Allah.
At the time when Omar [PUH] served as the supreme court judge and a great companion of the Prophet [SAW], Ali [PUH], had a disagreement with a Jewish man and they had a case. They went to Omar [PUH] and his job as a judge is to hear from both sides. So he asked both sides what happened? The Jewish man told his story and he turned to Ali and said “Father of Hassan, what do you say?” Ali said, “Wait hold on! When you called him, you called him by his actual name and you called me by a nickname, you’re biased, we don’t want your judgment, thank you”. He left because he’s a little bit soft even in the way that he addressed him and they were sensitive to that. Because they understood that even that much can tilt the scales and I want to be absolutely fair. This idea that there is somehow any bias can make its way in a judgment that will go in my favor. Nowadays people are trying to skew the judge’s opinion in their favor in some ways. That’s the first problem when justice goes away.
Justice in Trade
The concept of things being equal measure is related to justice
Islam has different domains in life such as spiritual, personal, intellectual, economic, social, and political. Moral codes are clear as per the verses of the Quran and Prophet Mohamed [SAW] Sunnah. They are far comprehensive. Business and trade are common among Muslims, as it gives you complete freedom to economic enterprise. Anyone in Islamic societies has complete freedom and even encouraged to trade and earn by Halal recourses. Islam prohibits all activities that may harm people and traders.
When the Prophet Mohammed [SAW] was in Mekkah, he used to travel a lot with traders to different places such as Syria and Yemen. From a very young age, He involved in the trade. He was a hardworking, honest, and truthful businessman. Prophet Mohammed [SAW] and his companions gain a lot of success and profit in business because they work hard and do business according to the ethics of Islam.
Islam stated the buyer and the seller should be just and satisfied and measurements should be done properly and fair trade will be rewarded [both the buyer and the seller].
Allah [SWA] said: “and give full measure when you
measure out and weigh with a true balance; this is fear
and better in the end’’
Cheating:
The vast majority of people are honest in many situations and uphold high ethical and moral standards, so regardless of belief in God. Many individuals feel that they are responsible for themselves to stay honest and do the right thing, and of course, when they do it they feel good inside, but when they act dishonest, cheat, or lie, they feel a certain discomfort. This feeling comes from the natural disposition of human beings[the Fitrah]. So the uncorrupted human soul feels a certain disquiet overlying cheating or stealing even if you managed to avoid impunity, you can’t be able to feel relief.
Many passages of the Quran condemn lying, cheating, and deception as well. Allah said in Surat Almotaffen to the people who cheat others and give them less than what they paid for when weighing. “ Woe to those who give less [than due], who, when they take a measure from people, take in full. But if they give by measure or by weighing to them, they cause loss. Do they not think that they will be resurrected for a tremendous day’’ It mentions the attitude of people that if the good is being weighed out to them they check the balance and the weights and the measures carefully to make sure that they’re not being shortchanged in any way, but if they themselves are measuring out to others that when they cheat and give short weight.
Prophet Mohamed [SAW] did insist that when goods are being sold, everything should be on the up and up. There should be no lying, cheating, or deception.
Conclusion:
Anyone can be fair and choose to be honest:
- You should pick industries in which we don’t have to practice this dishonesty to get ahead.
- If you are in an industry where everyone seems to be getting ahead, but they are unreliable, you can chart out a new course.
- Honesty itself inspires a new way of confidence and will bring you, customers. In fact, in that way, you may profit from your honesty. Even if you do not gain in this world from honesty, the Muslim hopes that in life hereafter you will be rewarded amply by Allah [SWA]. The reward from Allah and just will be tremendous, and you will be satisfied forever.
