Page 22 - Justice and Compassion in the Qur'an

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JUSTICE AND COMPASSION IN THE QUR'AN

upholders of justice, bearing witness for Allah alone, even
against yourselves or your parents and relatives..." (Surat an-
Nisa', 135) What earns peoples' trust is this unswerving
commitment to justice they observe. Protecting people
because of kinship or friendship creates unease and insecurity.
Someone who acts in conformity with the laws of the
Qur'an, however, follows the recommendation of Allah:
"...that you are equitable when you speak—even if a near
relative is concerned; and that you fulfil Allah‘s contract.
That is what He instructs you to do, so that hopefully you
will pay heed." (Surat al-An‘am, 152). This conduct is the
manifestation of one's strong faith in Allah and the moral
perfection he displays.
In the Qur'an, one example is related from the life of the
Prophet Moses (as). Allah states in the verse:
He entered the city at a time when its inhabitants were
unaware and found two men fighting there—one from his
party and the other from his enemy. The one from his
party asked for his support against the other from his
enemy. So Moses hit him, dealing him a fatal blow. He
said, "This is part of satan's doing. He truly is an outright
and misleading enemy." (Surat al-Qasas, 15)
In this story, the Prophet Moses (as) witnesses two men
fighting, one of them from his own tribe. He sides with the one
from his party and strikes the man from the other party. He
does not intend to kill him, but the man dies from the blow.
The Prophet Moses (as) realizes that he has erred. This is an
important example clarifying the concept of justice that a
believer must adopt. It also conveys to us the message that if
someone is in the wrong it is unjust to support him simply
because of kinship or friendship. As a matter of fact, Moses