Stand out firmly for justice !

"O you who believe! Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah; even though it be against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, be he rich or poor, Allah is a Better Protector to both (than you). So follow not the lusts (of your hearts), lest you may avoid justice, and if you distort your witness or refuse to give it, verily, Allah is Ever Well-Acquainted with what you do." [4:135]

Imaam Ibnul Qayyim said: Allah commanded His servants to stand out firmly for justice on behalf of everyone – be it an enemy or an ally. And the affair that is most worthy of being established with justice – by a person – are the (sound and upright) statements, views and methodology related to the commands of Allah as well as everything that Allah related (in the Qur’an and the authentic Sunnah). Therefore, to establish these affairs based on desires and disobedience is contrary to the command of Allah and a negation (i.e. either intentionally or unintentionally) of that which Allah’s Messenger (saws) was sent with (i.e. the Qur’an and the authentic Sunnah).

The establishment of justice is the responsibility of those entrusted with the task to convey Islam after the death of the Messenger (saws) and this task cannot become a reality unless when one establishes it based on pure justice and sincerity to Allah – (sincerity) to Allah’s Book, to Allah’s Messenger and out of sincere advice to Allah’s servants. These people are the true inheritors (i.e. inheritors of the knowledge left behind by the Prophets), but not that one who merely makes his companions, sect and school of thought the determinant of truth and the distinction between (truth and falsehood) – by showing enmity towards the one who opposes him and allies with the one who agrees with him, merely based on being opposed or agreed with (i.e. without sound proofs based on the Book and the authentic Sunnah); because where is that (application of the) command to stand out firmly for justice on behalf of everyone, even though standing out firmly for justice is the greatest command and obligation?!

Then Allah says: "As witnesses to Allah": A witness is that one who presents information about something, so if he presents credible information he is a just witness and his (statement) is accepted; but if he gives false information, he is a false witness. Allah command us to stand out firmly as just witnesses for His Sake, therefore it has to be carried out for the Sake of Allah and not for other than Allah.

And in (5:8, Allah said): "Stand out firmly for Allah and be just witnesses": This Ayaah establishes four affairs: One should stand out firmly for justice and carries that out for sake of Allah; witness to justice and carries that out for the Sake of Allah. Then Allah said: "Even though it be against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin."

Allah commands us to stand out firmly for justice and testify (for or against) everyone, even if it were someone who is the most beloved person to us. A person should stand out firmly for justice (whether it is for or against) himself, his two parents, his other close relatives and his best friend amongst the people. If a person’s love for himself, his parents and his relatives prevents him from standing out firmly for the truth against them, especially if the truth is with someone he hates and regards as an enemy due to them, then indeed none will stand out firmly for justice in such circumstances except one whose love for Allah and His Messenger is more than their love for everyone else.

On the other hand, a person has to establish justice when dealing with his enemies and  that one who deprives him of his rights; for indeed it is not permissible that hatred towards his enemies leads him to be unjust towards them, just as it is not permissible (to allow) love of himself, his parents and relatives to make him abandon standing firmly for justice against them. Therefore, hatred harbored against someone should not lead him to falsehood, and love (of himself, parents and relatives) should not make him fall short in establishing truth, just as some of the Salaf said, “The just person is that one who when angry, his anger does not lead him to falsehood, and when he is pleased, it does not remove him from truth.”

The two verses of the Qur’an (i.e. 4:135 and 5:8) convey two rulings and they are: Standing out firmly for justice and making a truthful testimony on behalf of one’s allies and enemies.

Then Allah said: "Be he rich or poor, Allah is a Better Protector to both (than you)" – Meaning: Allah is the Lord of both of them and their Protector, and they are both His slaves. It may be that you become fearful of standing firmly for justice by testifying against a rich person or a poor person – either fearing that the rich person might lose his wealth or because the poor person has nothing, so your hearts become lackadaisical towards standing out firmly for the truth.

Therefore, it should be said to them (i.e. the people): Allah is a Better Protector to both the rich and poor person. Allah knows the affair of the rich person more than you and He is more Merciful to the poor than you, so do not refrain from standing out firmly for the truth and from giving testimony (for or against) the rich or the poor.

Then Allah said: "So follow not the lusts (of your hearts), lest you may avoid justice" – Meaning: Allah forbids (His slaves) from following desires, which will lead them to abandon justice.

 

Then Allah said: "and if you distort your witness or refuse to give it, verily, Allah is Ever Well-Acquainted with what you do" – Meaning: Allah mentions two reasons that will inevitably lead to concealment of truth, then He warned against them and issued a threat: The first of them is distortion and the second is to turn away from giving truthful witness. That is because when a proof that supports the truth is manifested and the one who wants to repel it finds no way of doing so, he refrains from mentioning it and thus becomes a silent devil, and sometimes he distorts it. Distortion is of two types: Distorting words and distorting meanings. Distorting words is when one utters a word in a context in which it does not establish the truth – either adding to the word or omitting something from it, or substituting it with something else – to the extent that the listener is made to believe something, whilst something else is intended by it, just as the Yahood  (i.e. those Yahood who disbelieved in the Prophet and hated him) used to distort words when giving Salaam to the Prophet (i.e. saying As-Saamu Alayka (death be upon you), instead of saying Assalaamu alaykum). This is one type of distortion.

The second type of distortion is related to meanings – distorting the wording; giving it an interpretation that is not intended by the one who uttered it and pretending not to know its unintended meaning; or dropping other meanings intended by it etc. Allah said: "and if you distort your witness or refuse to give it, verily, Allah is Ever Well-Acquainted with what you do."

And when it is the case that a witness is required to bear witness based on what the affair should be (i.e. the complete truth), therefore neither should he hide nor change it. Turning away from the testimony is tantamount to concealment, and distortion is tantamount to alteration and substitution. Therefore, contemplate on this ayah and the treasures of knowledge it contains. The Imaan of a person cannot be complete, except by way of accepting the texts of the Shari’ah and calling the people to them – neither turning away from them at times nor distorting them at other times.

[An Excerpt from ‘Bada’i At-Tafseer Al-Jaami Lima Fassarahu Al-Imaam Ibnul Qayyim - Vol 1. Page 300-303]