Justice is one of the essentials maintaining social order. Every country employs its individual judicial system. However, owing to the persistent difficulties experienced in the contemporary judicial systems, the quest for an ideal model has never ended.
There is one essence of the ideal judicial system aspired to across the world: the establishment of a judicial mechanism in which each and every person is fully repaid for his acts without being subject to any form of prejudicial discrimination. Despite new methods, different approaches, and projects and solutions devised to attain this ideal model, however, exercising justice remains a steep road yet to be taken.
The moral deterioration of society accounts for these unfavourable situations. Deterioration, a simple consequence of non-adherence to the values commanded by Allah, brings harm to societies in all domains of life.
Again, this deterioration accounts for swindling, bribery, cheating, injustice and many social evils. Daily life abounds with examples of this sort. A frequently encountered situation in business life, for instance, is businessmen who cheat on their partners and deceive them by embezzling their money, houses or cars. Meanwhile, a longstanding friendship and the material and spiritual losses the other party suffers do not mean anything to the swindler. Primarily concerned about his self-interests, values such as friendship, family ties, spirituality, social cohesion and good morals have no meaning whatsoever to the swindler.
All relations this person establishes with anyone else will be under the influence of such a rationale since he fails to reflect that Allah is aware of all that he does, and that he will account for every act he commits. Never remembering that swindling is an unfair gain and unjust behaviour contributes to this crooked rationale.
The following example will contribute to a better understanding: a person who believes that swindling is a horrible crime, will strictly avoid it throughout his life. Once, however, someone thinks he can derive personal benefit, the same person may bear false witness against another or slander him for something of which he is completely innocent. Meanwhile, he may find refuge in some excuse: that conditions compelled him or his responsibilities to his family laid the ground for such a crimeé No matter what these excuses are, the fact remains that slander is wicked under all circumstances.
This aforementioned pattern appears particularly at times when people feel their interests are at stake. This rationale also holds true for thieves, swindlers and oppressors. In a society riddled with people with vested interests, the existence of injustice, interest conflicts and chaos is unavoidable.
Nevertheless, no matter what compelling forces there are, a person living by the Qur’an would never stoop to these wicked deeds and never display attitudes inconsistent with its values. Someone having strong fear of Allah never forgets the fact that one day he will meet each and every deed in which he engages and each and every word he utters. Injustice, which is an outcome of moral deterioration such as only pursuing one’s own interests, hoarding possessions, ignoring the needy and those in trouble, has a unique solution: the dissemination of the values of the Qur’an among people. That is because in the Qur’an, Allah commands His slaves who believe and live by these superior values to be just:
You who have iman! Be upholders of justice, bearing witness for Allah alone, even against yourselves or your parents and relatives whether they are rich or poor, Allah is well able to look after them. Do not follow your own desires and deviate from the truth. If you twist or turn away, Allah is aware of what you do. (Surat an-Nisa’: 135)
Allah commands justice and doing good and giving to relatives. And He forbids indecency and doing wrong and tyranny. He warns you so that hopefully you will pay heed. (Surat an-Nahl: 90)
In a society where people have an understanding of justice as described in the aforementioned verse, injustice do