The Act of being Unjust
Our religion is a belief, worship and way of life. It is also etiquette, manners, dealings with others.
Such is the perfection of Islam, if everyone lived the lives and manners of Islam then they would live in tranquillity and peace.
Equally so, if good manners have gone from society then there would be injustice and no doubt it will be painful. It would cause problems and consequences that would lead to evil and oppression in the world.
This is why Allah SWT has forbidden this on Himself and made it forbidden among his slaves, and warned against it.
The concept of being unjust is the topic of this week’s khutba and it is not one to be overlooked by us. Allah SWT has made it clear in the Glorious Quran through mention of it in ayat 19 of Sura Al-Furqan:
So they will deny you, [disbelievers], in what you say, and you cannot avert [punishment] or [find] help. And whoever commits injustice among you – We will make him taste a great punishment.
And also in Sura Haj, ayat 38:
Surely Allah wards off evil from those who are true believers: for certainly Allah does not love anyone who is treacherous, ungrateful.
Dear brothers and sisters, the concept of injustice is mentioned here alongside the great punishment that awaits those that transgress this rule.
We need to be conscious of this so that we are not of those people. But what does it mean to be Unjust?
The best way to explain is that of examples, so this khutba concludes with three examples that we can all relate to insh’Allah and thus correct ourselves in our manners.
The first example of being unjust is that of the Parent to the Child. So many times we hear of the obligations that the Child has towards it’s parents, it is important to be able to balance this with the obligations that Allah SWT puts on the parents.
The Prophet SAWS mentioned this particular example as is conveyed by the following hadith which is translated to say:
Fear Allah and be just with your children.
So what does it mean to be unjust? Unfortunately we have people in society that are still unjust when it comes to Sons and Daughters. Parents who favour the Sons and spoil them more. This is an example of being unjust and what should be avoided.
The second example of being Unjust is of the Husband. Dear brothers, this one is important as it is more and more part of our society in this day and age. Our behaviour is unjust if our wives complain that we are not spending enough time, attention or care with them. Our behaviour is unjust if, after marriage, our schedules are prioritised with work or socialising with mates coming before the needs of the wife. This is an example of being unjust. And yes, work is important and it is demanding. But nobody said marriage was easy, it requires effort on our parts and especially if we are in danger of being labelled unjust by our partners in this life.
The final example of being Unjust is that of the Employee or Student. Being Unjust here is not giving due time and care to your study or job.
As a student, our education is coming at a cost. Whether it’s our parents, our government or ourselves, education comes at a price. We risk being unjust to ourselves if we do not recognize this blessing and give it our best effort all the time. Just look at people on television who don’t have this blessing. Fellow souls we see studying in rubble or public areas on makeshift materials. Then we can truly appreciate how important being just to ourselves actually is.
As an employee, we are paid to carry out a service. Everyone these days is tempted to cut corners. Coming in late or leaving early if nobody is looking. Surfing the net when the boss isn’t around. But despite how much you yearn for a better job, you are employed to work there and being unjust in this example is not giving it your best for the sake of your employer.
Dear brothers and sisters, we live in a society where it is very easy to be unjust. In fact, the selfish nature of most means that it is almost the norm to be guilty of this crime. However, we as Muslims need to set an example to others, more so now than ever before, and the best way to do that is through our actions of being just, being fair and being a role model in whatever we do in life.
May Allah SWT enable us to recognize where we are Unjust. May Allah SWT enable us to replace unjust actions with just ones and may Allah SWT reward us for our acts of reform in justice.
