“The good deed and the evil deed cannot be equal. Repel (the evil) with one which is better, then verily he, between whom and you there was enmity, (will become) as though he was a close friend. (Quran, 41:3
Islamic standards of goodness and justice go beyond friends, relatives, colour, nation, religion and creed.. Muslims are guided Allah to put equal weights on the scales of justice towards their friends and enemies alike. A good Muslim is believed to implements the Islamic teachings mentioned in the Quran and Sunnah of the prophet Muhammad [peace and blessings of Allah be upon him] in all walks of his life. It is very important for every Muslim to know in advance that adopting attribute of forgiveness and justice towards enemies is as important as many other teachings of Islam. Allah Says In Holy Quran, “O believers! Become tenaciously firm on justice, bearing witness (merely) for the sake of Allah even if (the witness) is against your own selves or (your) parents or (your) relatives. Whether the person (against whom is the evidence) is rich or poor, Allah is a greater Well-Wisher of them both (than you are). So do not follow the desires of your (ill-commanding) selves lest you swerve from justice. But if (whilst giving evidence) you twist your statement or evade (the truth), then Allah is indeed Well Aware of (all the works) that you are doing” (4:135) .This verse of holy Quran makes firm resolution for Muslims facing the enduring conflict between self-interest and justice. It commands Muslims be just, even if it is against their narrowly defined self-interest or against their relatives or in favour of their enemies. Islam forbids to protect self-interest by committing violence and injustice to others. These verses remove narrow-mindedness, reminding us that the true protector of interests of all mankind is Allah Almighty and He will protect our interests when we follow His command to be just and kind towards the entire humanity. It is clear from the above that Islam does not permit any favouritism when doing justice between relatives and non-relatives. According to another verse of the Quran, Muslims are commanded to do justice even when they are dealing with their enemy. The common tendency of ignorant people is to do injustice towards the enemy. This tendency was as true in the pre-Islamic period (Jahiliyyah) as it is today. But Islam categorically forbids this tendency. It was an unprecedented example for all mankind in terms of doing justice. Allah Almighty says, “O you, who believe, Stand firm for Allah, giving testimony with justice- and do not let the enmity of anyone tempt you not to do justice. Be just; that is nearer to piety [Taqwa] and fear Allah; indeed Allah is Well Aware of your deeds. It is Allah’s promise to those who believe and are righteous, that for them will be forgiveness and a great reward, and those who disbelieve [i.e. who do act of Kufr] and deny Our signs – it is they who are the people of the hell. (Surah Maidah5: 8-10) Stand firm for Allah means stand firm for acting according to the commands of Allah. Do not let the enmity of anyone prevent you from doing justice. Disbelieving any command of Allah is an act of Kufr [disbelief] that will take its perpetrator to the eternal hell. So, doing justice even towards the enemy is a command of Allah, even if the enemy are non-Muslims or unbelievers. The command of justice mentioned in the Holy Quran is a categorical statement for all cases; the application and the meaning of which can’t be changed in any circumstances. The model behaviour of justice and forgiveness is conspicuously demonstrated in the fact that the prophet Muhammad [peace and blessings of Allah be upon him] never took revenge on anyone on his own behalf but forgave even his staunch enemies. Consequently, this ideal attribute of the prophet softened many hard-hearted men, playing a pivotal role in attracting the pagans towards willingly embracing Islam and Muslims. According to Ahadith, whenever any issue of legal retaliation was brought to the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), he would always recommend his Ummah for being patient and pardoning the criminal. Holy prophet said, “Whoever suffers an injury done to him and forgives (the person responsible), Allah will raise his status to a higher degree and remove one of his sins.” (Sunan At-Tirmidhi) Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “Do not be people without minds of your own, saying that if others treat you well you will treat them well, and that if they do wrong you will do wrong. Instead, accustom yourselves to do good if people do good and not to do wrong if they do evil.” (Sunan At-Tirmidhî) The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said, “You shall keep relationship with one who cut it off from you, you shall give one who disappointed you, and you shall pardon on who oppressed you, Whoever wants an increase in his sustenance, increase in life [and riddance from a horrible death], should fear Allah and be helpful and kind towards his relatives”. (Al-Mu’jam Al-Kabir by Tabrani, Hadith: 14158, Musnad Ahmad 17915, 17797, Majmauz Zawaid: 13473, Musannaf Abdur Razzaq: 20237 and Mustadrak of Hakim: 3873, 7394) Allah says: “And We have not sent you but as a mercy to the worlds.” (Al-Anbiyaa’ 21:107). This reflects that the prophet’s distinctive quality was that he was the embodiment of a blessing in word and deed, not only for a particular Muslim community but for the entire world. His impassioned engagement and dedication was just with the distribution of love, peace and tranquility among all mankind.
“The major religions of the world Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism teach peace and forgiveness but it is unfortunate we see innocents killed in various parts of the world. In brief, major religions of the world command their adherents to treat even their enemies kindly and justly. It is high time Muslims, Christians, Hindus; Jews uphold and exercise the teachings of justice and kindness enshrined in their respective religions, whether they regard one another as friends or foes”.
According to a tradition recorded in Sahih Muslim, when the Prophet’s opponents greatly increased their persecution, his Companions asked him to curse them. At this, the Prophet replied, “I have not been sent to lay a curse upon men but to be a blessing to them.” His opponents continued to treat him and his Companions unjustly and cruelly, but he always prayed for them. It is reported that while the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was on the way to Ta’if where the Hijaz aristocracy used to while away their summer days, he was so badly stoned by his enemies that the blood streamed from all over his body. When he attempted to call them to Islam, instead of listening to his words of wisdom, they set the street urchins upon him, who kept chasing him till nightfall. Even after all this, he did not curse them. When he was at all exhausted and bleeding from head to toe, all he said was, “O my Lord, guide my people along the true path, as they are ignorant of the truth”. According to a hadith, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) once said, “A true believer is one with whom others feel secure and one who returns love for hatred.” According to another hadith, the Prophet once said, “By Allah, he is not a believer, by Allah, he is not a believer, by Allah, he is not a believer, with whom his neighbours are not secure.” This hadith teaches us that we should live with others like flowers, and not like thorns, without giving trouble to anybody. Islam pays great attention to the matter of prisons and the circumstances of prisoners; it is rare to find anything similar to this in any place or time. The fuqahaa’ discussed in their books the rulings pertaining to prisoners, their circumstances and how they should be treated. To make the matter easier to understand and to make the rulings more clear, the scholars divided the subject-matter into two parts: the rulings pertaining to the personal health of prisoners, and the rulings pertaining to health care in the place that is used as a prison. This concern stems from the Islamic concern for the protection of man and respect for his humanity.Upon capture, the prisoners must be guarded and not ill-treated. Islamic law holds that the prisoners must be fed and clothed, either by the Islamic government or by the individual who has custody of the prisoner. This position is supported by the verse (Quran 76:8) of holy Quran. The prisoners must be fed in a dignified manner, and must not be forced to beg for their subsistence. Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh) early followers also considered it a principle to not separate prisoners from their relatives. Once the fighting is over, prisoners are to be released freely, with some prospect of survival, or exchanged. The prisoners are not to be forced to convert to Islam. The freeing or ransoming of prisoners by Muslims themselves is highly recommended as a charitable act.The holy Qur’an also urges kindness to captives and recommends, their liberation by purchase or manumission. The freeing of captives is recommended both for the expiation of sins and as an act of simple benevolence. However, the Quran also permits certain forms of punishments against certain captives, such as those who are deemed as waging war against Islam, adulterers and fornicators.
Mutilating The Body: It is not permitted to punish a prisoner by cutting off any part of his body or breaking any of his bones. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade mutilation of prisoners-of-war and said: “Do not mutilate.” (Narrated by Muslim, 3/1357). A’ishah (r.a) wife of holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) reported that Allah’s Messenger was not unseemly or obscene in his speech, nor was he loud-voiced in the streets, nor did he return evil for evil, but he would forgive and pardon. The people of the Quraysh rebuked him, taunted and mocked at him, beat him and abused him. They tried to kill him and when he escaped to Madinah, they waged many wars against him. Yet, when he entered Mecca victorious with an army of 10000, he did not take revenge on anyone. He forgave all. Even his deadliest enemy, Abu Sufyan, who had fought so many battles against him, was forgiven, as was anyone who stayed in his house. Once, the holy Prophet was seated along with his Companions at some place in Madinah. During this time a funeral procession passed by. On seeing this, the Prophet stood up. One of his companions remarked that the funeral was that of a Jew. The Prophet replied, “Was he not a human being?” It is reported that one old woman made a habit of throwing rubbish on the Prophet Mohammed (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) whenever he passed through her house. Prophet Mohammed (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had to pass through her house daily on the way to the mosque. Even when the old woman threw rubbish on him, he would pass silently without showing any anger or annoyance. This was a daily event. One day when Prophet Mohammed (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was passing by, the woman was not there to throw the rubbish. The holy Prophet stopped and asked the neighbour about her well-being. The neighbour informed Prophet Mohammed (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) that the woman was sick and lying on the bed. The Prophet went to her house and politely asked for her permission to enter her house. When he reached her house, the old woman thought that he had come there to take revenge when she was unable to defend herself because of her sickness. But the Prophet assured her that he had come to her, not to take any revenge, but to see her and to look after her needs, as it was the command of Allah Almighty that if anyone is sick, a Muslim should visit him and should help him if his help is needed. The old woman was greatly moved by this love and kindness of Prophet Mohammed (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). By the example of greatness of Prophet Mohammed (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), she understood that he was truly the Messenger of Allah and Islam was the true religion. She accepted Islam at once by reciting the Shahadah. There are many Ahadith which show how he developed the notions of peace, kindness, forgiveness and justice regardless of religion, caste, colour etc. There is a message that, if we desire peace, we must tolerate many unpleasant things from others. There is no other way to establish peace in society. The outstanding perfection of his prophetic mercy can be attributed to mankind, family, children, orphans, widows, sick and animals. A good human being is identified as kind even towards his enemies. He does not deprive them of the rights that they deserve as his human counterparts. He does not punish his enemies any more than would be just, but if possible tries to forgive them. Such was the blessed attribute that the holy prophets of Allah Almighty –including Sheath, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and the final messenger Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon all of them)— brought to the world so as to encourage forgiveness, good treatment and justice towards the entire humanity. Islamic message of doing justice and kindness towards the enemies is also fully endorsed by the following teachings of the bible containing Old Testament [aka the Jewish Tanakh or the Hebrew Bible] and New Testament. “If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink”. (Old Testament aka the Hebrew or Jewish bible, Proverbs 25:21) Bhagavad Gita says, “Nobody is nobody’s friend, nobody is nobody’s enemy. But it is only the behavior by which one can understand who is his friend and who is his enemy.” Nobody is born enemy, nobody is born friend. But by our mutual behavior, somebody is my friend and somebody is my enemy. In the Hindu epic Ramayana, Lord Rama is known for his ability to forgive others. He showed kindness to friends and enemies alike. The major religions of the world Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism teach peace and forgiveness but it is unfortunate we see innocents killed in various parts of the world. In brief, major religions of the world command their adherents to treat even their enemies kindly and justly. It is high time Muslims, Christians, Hindus; Jews uphold and exercise the teachings of justice and kindness enshrined in their respective religions, whether they regard one another as friends or foes.
(The authors write regularly on Islamic topics exclusively for the opinion pages of “Kashmir Horizon”. The views, opinions and conclusions expressed in this article are those of the authors and aren’t necessarily in accord with the views of “Kashmir Horizon”)
Dr. Bilal A. Bhat
Intizar Ahmad
