What is zulm
Your reflections on injustice and its prohibition in Islam are deep and so very close to reality, as elucidated by the Holy Quran and Sunnah. Injustice in any form is against the spirit of Islam, that is justice, fairness, and compassion.
That mentioned verse of the Noble Qur’an clarifies the intensity of injustice, even more when in the fold of disbelief. It brings to our attention the fact that if one wrongs and disbelieves, Allah will never forgive them and for them, their torture is eternal
Another hadith leading to the same meaning was by Abu Tharr, in which he said: “Injustice, be it even from Allah, to each human being is prohibited. So, this hadith helps to remember all of us not to be unjust to others and to be just and fair in all of our dealings.
Further on, your quotation of Ibn Al-Jawzi talks about how vile injustice is and its many faces: oppression in matters of money or when defying the divine, it states the necessity of developing a good heart and following the way of God in facing up to the injustice.
Ultimately, your message reiterates the following view: “Real justice lies in upholding Islam, sticking to the fitrah, and following sound reasoning and not in following self-desires and whims or man-made laws.” Thank you for these thoughts.
QUR’AN VERSES CONCERNING ZULM
Following is my collection of some of the Quranic verses regarding zulm:
Surah Al-Baqarah (2:205):
“And when he goes away, he strives throughout the land to cause corruption therein and destroy crops and animals. And Allah does not like corruption.”
Surah Al-Baqarah (2:114):
“And who are more unjust than those who prevent from Allah’s mosques, so that His name not be mentioned within them, and strive toward their destruction. It is not for them to enter them except in fear. For them in this world is disgrace, and they will have in the Hereafter a great punishment.”
Surah Al- Baqarah (2:120):
The Jews will not be satisfied with you, nor the Christians, unless you follow their religion. Say: “Surely God’s guidance is the guidance.” We should certainly believe in Allah’s guidance. Were you to obey their desires after the knowledge that has come to you, you would have neither a guardian nor a helper against God.
“Or do you say that Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the Descendants were Jews or Christians? Say, ‘Are you more knowing or is Allah?’ And who is more unjust than one who conceals a testimony he has from Allah? And Allah is not unaware of what you do.”
Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse 2:213
“Mankind were but one community; then they differed and were not enjoined to differ, except those whom Allah has mercy on. And He sent down upon them the Book after clear adversarial points had come to them, only out of jealousy among themselves. Then truly Allah guided those who believed, regarding that concerning which they were at variance, by His leave. Allah guides to a straight path those whom He wills.”
Surah Al-Baqarah 2:217:
They ask you about the sacred month – about fighting therein. Say, “Fighting therein is great [sin], but averting [people] from the way of Allah and disbelief in Him and [preventing access to] al-Masjid al-Haram and the expulsion of its people therefrom are greater [evil] in the sight of Allah. And fitnah is greater than killing.” And they will continue to fight you until they turn you back from your religion if they are able. And whoever of you reverts from his religion [to disbelief] and dies while he is a disbeliever – for those, their deeds have become worthless in this world and the Hereafter, and those are the companions of the Fire; they will abide therein eternally.
These two verses highlight different aspects of zulm, including ruination, stoppage from taking the name of Allah, hiding testimony, causing deviation from the true religion, and fighting against believers. They underscore the importance of justice, adherence to the guidance of Allah, and the consequences of wrongdoing in this world and the Hereafter.
تِلْكَ آيَاتُ اللَّهِ نَتْلُوهَا عَلَيْكَ بِالْحَقِّ ۗ وَمَا اللَّهُ يُرِيدُ ظُلْمًا لِّلْعَالَمِينَ
This verse is from Surah Al-Imran (3:108) in the Quran. It translates to: “These are the verses of Allah. We recite them to you, [O Muhammad], in truth; and Allah wants no injustice to the worlds.”
إن يمسسكم قرح فقد مس القوم قرح مثله وتلك الايام نداولها بين الناس و
کِن تزرغه وتجعلاتلذاوالباغی شرع نصبت، اhome. And if a wound should touch you – there has already touched the [opposing] people a wound similar to it. And these days [of varying conditions] We alternate among the people so that Allah may make evident those who believe and [may] take to Himself from among you martyrs – and Allah does not like the wrongdoers.
This is part of the verse of the Quran in Surah An-Nisa’ (4:30). It reads: “And whoever does that in aggression and injustice – then We will drive him into a Fire. And that, for Allah, is [always] easy”.
This is a verse from Surah An-Nisa (4:58) of the Noble Qur’an and, in translation, reads: “Indeed, Allah commands you to render trusts to whom they are due, and when you judge between people, to judge with justice. Good instruction. Allah instructs you. Verily, Allah is Ever-Hearer, All-Seer.”
O my people.
This verse is from Surah Hud (11:123) in the Quran. Translation: “Say, ‘O my people, work according to your position; [for] indeed, I am working. And you are going to know who will have succession in the home. Indeed, the wrongdoers will not succeed.’
This is a verse that is from the Quran, Surah Al-A’raf 7:9. It translates as, “And [for] those whose scales are light – they are the ones who will lose themselves for what injustice they had been doing toward Our verses.”
Do not think that Allah is unaware of what the evildoers do. He only gives them respite until a Day on which their eyes will stare in terror,
This is a verse from the Qur’an, Surah Ibrahim 14:42. It means: “And never think that Allah is unaware of what the wrongdoers do. He only delays them for a Day when eyes will stare [in horror].”
Anyone who does good works and is faithful will not be forced to fear that his due reward will be proscribed beforehand.
This is a verse from the Surah Al-Furqan: 25:72 of the Holy Qur’an. It says: “And whoever does good would not fear a thing nor would he be subject to distress.”
“And those who disbelieve say, ‘This is not except a falsehood he invented, and another people assisted him in it.’ But they have committed an injustice and a lie.” (Quran, An-Naml 27:14)
This verse shows the outcry of the disbelievers at the message of Qur’an to be a lie. Their denial and accusations were shown to be both unfair and untrue.
Said he: “That [is established] between me and thee? Full of my term whichever the two I have proven to be complete there is no injustice right there against me, and the god over what we say is processor of witness.
And [mention, O Muhammad], when Luqman said to his son while he was instructing him, “O my son, do not associate [anything] with Allah. Indeed, association [with him] is great injustice.”” (Quran, Surah Luqman, 31:13)
ٱلۡيَوۡمَ تُجۡزَىٰ كُلُّ نَ
“Today, every soul will be provided with its record of deeds. No injustice today! Surely God does not wrong anyone in the least.” (Quran, Surah Ghafir, 40:17)
The following classification of Zulm, or injustice, explains the various forms it can take:
Zulm upon oneself through major shirk: This is the gravest type of Zulm, for it is through major shirk that one attributes an ‘associate’ to Allah, which is diametrically opposed to the very basic principle of monotheism. The greatest form of zulm is that a person does not give rights to Allah and falls into eternal punishment.
Zulm upon zulm between people: This is the type zulm between themselves; it is the violation that an individual commits against another. This may include such actions as murder, physical harm, theft, pushing around, or any form of injustice that infringes on a person’s rights, whether those rights are regarding life, body, or money.
Zulm against oneself in the matters of being a servant to Allah: this is a reference to sins that a person may commit against himself in his relationship to Allah. It is in these sins that a person’s acts do not necessarily cause harm or hurt to other people but, on the contrary, they are acts that surpass the commands of Allah, negligence of the obligations, or practicing what is forbidden. This kind of Zulm is typical with actions concerning one’s spiritual well-being and relationship with the Creator.
The translator has elaborated his points still further with footnotes and given the reader more scope for understanding the issue with the help of the Quran and Hadith, accentuating the importance of being aware and careful about any kind of Zulm in Islam.
You refer to the first verse of Surah Al-An’am, number 82, and it calls for the maintenance of clean belief without associating others with Allah. It points out that such people, who believe truly with no admixture of wrong deeds, shirk, associating partners with Allah—peace and direction.
The second verse is from Surah Luqman, verse 13, in which Luqman advises his son not to join partners with God in worship. He said that that is a terrible injustice.
Those verses underline the most fundamental concept of Islam: Tawheed, on one hand, and prohibition of shirk, on the other. Thereby, these verses remind believers to always keep their faith pure and clear; they are worshippers of nobody but Allah and do not join any partners with Him.
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