God Commands Justice
and Kindness
Man must be generous and fulfil the rights of others, be they weak or strong. He must also be just, kind and abstain from things forbidden by God.
Chapter 16 of the Quran states: “God commands justice, kindness and giving their [due to] near relatives, and He forbids all shameful deeds, and injustice and transgression. He admonishes you so that you may take heed! Fulfil the covenant of God when you have made one; and do not break your pledges after their confirmation. Indeed you have made God your surety; for God knows all that you do.”
(16:90-91)
The first thing an individual must ensure is that justice (adl) is done. This means that whatever right one person has over another should be fully discharged, be the claimant weak or strong. In the fulfilment of rights, only the nature of the right will be considered and not any other factor.
The next thing is showing consideration (ihsan). This means that while ensuring that one’s rights are honoured, one should be broadminded. The demands of justice should be mitigated by human considerations. One should exhibit such generosity and sympathy as go beyond legal requirements. A person should have the courage as far as possible to reconcile with whatever is rightfully due to him and try to give to others more than is rightfully their due.
The third thing is ‘giving near relatives their due’. This means that just as a person becomes anxious when he sees his wife and children in need and fulfils that need, he should be similarly sensitive about the needs of others who are close to him.
After this, three things have been prohibited in this verse.
The first thing is moral evil (fahsha) which is clearly judged to be such by the human conscience and is universally considered shameful.
The second is the perpetration of such deeds as are judged improper by common moral standards. This includes all those things which are considered evil and which human nature refuses to accept.
The third thing is transgressing all limits (baghi). This includes arrogance; a person exceeding his recognized limits and attacking another person; his engaging in sinful behaviour in order to harm another’s life, property and honour; his making use of his strength and influence to gain an illegitimate advantage.
