By ADIL SALAHI
The Prophet (peace be upon him) often highlighted certain aspects of unfair dealings in order to stress how repugnant they are from the Islamic point of view.
Indeed Islam abhors all types of injustice, particularly when it is aimed at the weak and vulnerable. If one is given power or influence and uses it to deal unfairly with those who have no means to counter that, he stands in a very difficult position as God does not accept injustice, no matter who is the perpetrator. Reflect on the following Qudsi Hadith reported by Abu Hurayrah, in which the Prophet quotes God as saying: “Three types of person will find me their opponent on the Day of Judgment: a person who gives a pledge in My name and then acts treacherously, and one who sells a free person and pockets his price, and one who hires someone and gets the job done but defaults on paying his wages.” (Related by Al-Bukhari).
Perhaps there is no more serious warning than the one expressed in this Hadith, as it quotes God’s own words, threatening anyone who commits any of the three types of injustice with standing as opponent to God Almighty when all people are handed their judgments. What person can listen to this warning and afford to remain heedless of it? Just to imagine that one stands among those whom God looks upon as hostile to Himself should send a shiver into even the most arrogant and conceited of tyrants. Yet unfortunately, people continue to commit such injustices every day and in all societies. God will not let such injustice go unpunished; certainly not when He takes it upon Himself to stand for the recipients of such injustices to ensure that they get back their dues.
The first type mentioned in this Hadith is a person who gives a pledge and calls on God to be his witness but then reneges on his pledge. The same is the case of one who assures another that what he is telling him is absolutely true, swearing by God to that, but he knows that his assertions are untrue. Of course, the Hadith takes it for granted that the person concerned is aware of his breach of his pledge. If there is no deliberate treachery in the transaction, the situation is different. God certainly knows whether treachery has been committed or not. He is not unjust to anyone, not even to unbelievers.
Categories: Asia, Islam, Law and Religion, Middle East, Saudi Arabia