Author: Muhammad Dawood Yusufi Eshaqzahi
Islam and Democracy (Part 44)
Justice and Piety: Criteria for Righteous Rulers
Islam holds that those who are truly capable of implementing justice are those who believe in Allah (SWT), possess piety, and fear the Day of Resurrection. In contrast, those who merely proclaim justice while violating it in practice use such slogans for personal interests. Experience has shown that such individuals, after attaining power, may continue to perpetrate injustice through hypocrisy, deception, and abuse of the law, thereby becoming a source of social corruption.
The great Prophet of Islam (PBUH) and the righteous rulers throughout Islamic history provide practical examples of justice and equality. They never allowed family relationships, religious differences, personal interests, or pressure from powerful individuals to prevent the implementation of justice.
Aishah, the Mother of the Believers (RA), narrated that a woman from the prominent Quraysh tribe of Banu Makhzum, named Fatimah bint al-Aswad, committed theft. The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) ordered that the prescribed punishment for theft be carried out and that her hand be cut off. This greatly distressed the Quraysh. They decided to find someone who was respected by the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) to intercede on her behalf. Usamah ibn Zayd (RA), who was greatly loved and held in high regard by the Prophet, was chosen for this purpose. Usamah raised the matter with the Messenger of Allah (PBUH), but the Prophet responded with displeasure: “Are you interceding regarding one of the limits prescribed by Allah?” He then delivered a sermon and said, «إِنَّمَا أَهْلَكَ الَّذِينَ قَبْلَكُمْ أَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا إِذَا سَرَقَ فِيهِمُ الشَّرِيفُ تَرَكُوهُ، وَإِذَا سَرَقَ فِيهِمُ الضَّعِيفُ أَقَامُوا عَلَيْهِ الْحَدَّ، وَأَيْمُ اللَّهِ لَوْ أَنَّ فَاطِمَةَ بِنْتَ مُحَمَّدٍ سَرَقَتْ لَقَطَعْتُ يَدَهَا.» Translation: “The nations before you were destroyed because when a noble person among them committed theft, they let him go, but when a weak person committed theft, they applied the prescribed punishment to him. By Allah, if Fatimah, the daughter of Muhammad, were to steal, I would cut off her hand.” [1]
Jabalah ibn al-Ayham, one of the powerful Arab kings from the tribe of Banu Ghassan, embraced Islam together with some of his followers. One day, while performing Tawaf around the Kaabah, a pilgrim unintentionally stepped on a piece of his garment that had fallen to the ground. Jabalah became angry and struck the man on the nose with his fist, causing him to bleed. The man complained to Umar (RA). Umar (RA), without taking Jabalah’s status and position into consideration, judged the matter according to the principles of Islamic justice.
It is also reported that Umar (RA) once struck a person with a whip. However, when it became clear that the action had been taken without a valid Sharia basis, he immediately allowed the person to take retaliation against him. The person, however, forgave him. This incident demonstrates that even the most powerful ruler of that era was subject to the law and did not make exceptions when implementing justice.
In one example from the caliphate of Ali (RA), a Jewish man brought a complaint before the judge Shurayh and claimed that the armor in Ali’s possession belonged to him. After examining the evidence, the judge ruled in favor of the Jewish man and awarded the armor to him. This incident demonstrates that neither Ali’s position as Caliph nor religious difference prevented the administration of justice.
It is obligatory upon Muslims and their leaders to follow the rulings of Islam and, in light of the example of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH), the Rightly Guided Caliphs, and the righteous, to implement genuine justice. They should demonstrate to false claimants of justice that Islam established the principles of equality and universal justice more than fourteen centuries ago, at a time when the world was immersed in discrimination, oppression, and racism.
Quranic Verses and Hadiths Demonstrating This Principle
1. «يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَاكُمْ مِنْ ذَكَرٍ وَأُنثَى وَجَعَلْنَاكُمْ شُعُوبًا وَقَبَائِلَ لِتَعَارَفُوا إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِندَ اللَّهِ أَتْقَاكُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌ» [Al-Hujurat: 13] Translation: “O humanity! Indeed, we created you from a male and a female and made you into peoples and tribes so that you may know one another. Surely, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous among you.”
2. «إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ قَدْ أَذْهَبَ عَنْكُمْ عُبِّيَّةَ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ وَفَخْرَ الْآبَاءِ…» Translation: “Indeed, Allah Almighty has removed from you the arrogance of the pre-Islamic era and boasting about ancestry… All human beings are the children of Adam, and Adam was created from dust.” [2]
These divine teachings demonstrate the comprehensiveness and reality of Islamic justice.
Muslim political leaders should draw inspiration from these teachings, challenge existing systems of injustice, and present a practical example of Islamic justice.
Islam abolishes all forms of privilege based on race, language, region, ethnicity, skin color, and complexion and declares human beings to be brothers to one another. The sole criterion of superiority in Islam is piety and righteousness.
To those who falsely claim to uphold justice, it should be said, “Let us all unite under the shade of piety and servitude to Allah (SWT) and follow the religion of Islam, the religion that began with Prophet Adam (AS) and was completed with the mission of the Seal of the Prophets, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), so that through Islam we may attain global unity, peace, and justice.”
To be continued…
[1] Muttafaqun ‘Alayh: Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith no. 6406; Sahih Muslim, Hadith no. 1315.
[2] Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith no. 1212.
