Blindspot!
From Issue: 1040 [Read full issue]
Fairness and Justice
One of the most fascinating, and understudied, aspects of the Quranic text is its discourse on the idea of justice. The Quran connects the idea of bearing witness upon humanity with the idea of balance. For instance, the Quran states in part: "Thus, We have made you [Muslims] a nation [that must be] justly balanced, so that you may bear witness over humanity." [2:143, 22:78] Elsewhere, the Quran interchanges the obligations towards justice with the obligations towards God. For instance, it states, "O you who believe, stand firmly for God as witnesses for justice, and let not the hatred of others to you make you swerve to wrong and depart from justice," [5:8] and then, "O you who believe, stand firmly for justice as witnesses for God, even as against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, and whether it be [against] rich or poor."[4:135]
It seems that standing firmly for God or standing firmly for justice are one and the same, or, at least, coexist in the same moral plane. Furthermore, without being themselves morally balanced, Muslims cannot discharge their obligation to bear witness upon humanity, let alone to bear witness upon themselves. It strikes me as unjust to bear witness upon others according to a balance that is neither accessible, nor understandable, nor accountable to those others. If Islam is a universal message, its language of morality and justice ought to make sense beyond the limited confines of a particular juristic culture in a particular cultural setting. I am not advocating a universal law, and I am not advocating the abolition of all cultural particularism. But, at a minimum, it seems that serving God means serving justice, and serving justice necessarily means engaging in the search for the just, moral and humane. The test and the challenge to our sense of balance and equanimity is, regardless of the socio-historical circumstances, or textual and doctrinal indicators, to try always to pose the questions: is it fair? Is it just? And, at the end of every conscientious and diligent process, to close with, "And, God knows best."
Compiled From:
"Speaking in God's Name: Islamic Law, Authority and Women" - Khaled Abou El Fadl