Page 52 - Justice and Compassion in the Qur'an

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JUSTICE AND COMPASSION IN THE QUR'AN

In the Qur'an Allah does not even discriminate
between those who do not believe in Him and religion
and those who are actively hostile to it. Allah commands
Muslims to make their position clear to those who are
hostile, while He orders them to treat with justice to those
who do not show such hostility:
Allah does not forbid you from being good to those
who have not fought you over religion or driven you
from your homes, or from being just towards them.
Allah loves those who are just. Allah merely forbids
you from taking as friends those who have fought
you over religion and driven you from your homes
and who supported your expulsion. Any who take
them as friends are wrongdoers. (Surat al-
Mumtahana, 8-9)
In the Qur'an, we are commanded not to make
judgments about people just because they belong to a
particular race, nation or religion. In every community,
there are good people as well as wicked people. In the
Qur'an, Allah draws attention to this differentiation. For
instance, right after mentioning the rebellious nature—
against Allah and His religion—of some People of the
Book, there is reference to an exception and, said:
[However] They are not all alike. Among the People
of the Book there is an upright community who recite
the revelation of Allah during the night and fall
prostrate before Him. They believe in Allah and the
Last Day, enjoin what is right and forbid what is evil,
and vie with one another in good works. They are of
the righteous and whatever good they do, its reward
will not be denied them. Allah knows those who fear