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The concept of justice in Islam is comprehensive and broad

Friday Khutba by Dr Zahid Aziz, for Lahore Ahmadiyya UK, 12 September 2025

“Surely Allah commands you to make over trusts to those worthy of them, and that when you judge between people, you judge with justice. Surely Allah instructs you with what is excellent. Surely Allah is ever Hearing, Seeing.”  — ch. 4, An-Nisā’, v. 58

اِنَّ اللّٰہَ یَاۡمُرُکُمۡ اَنۡ تُؤَدُّوا الۡاَمٰنٰتِ اِلٰۤی اَہۡلِہَا ۙ وَ اِذَا حَکَمۡتُمۡ بَیۡنَ النَّاسِ اَنۡ تَحۡکُمُوۡا بِالۡعَدۡلِ ؕ اِنَّ اللّٰہَ نِعِمَّا یَعِظُکُمۡ بِہٖ ؕ اِنَّ اللّٰہَ کَانَ سَمِیۡعًۢا بَصِیۡرًا ﴿۵۸﴾

In this khutba, we will look at the importance placed by Islam on the concept of judging with justice. The verse which I have recited provides the fundamental prin­ciple of how to govern a state or a community in Islam. The people of the nation or the community entrust some among them with the authority to decide the affairs of the entire nation or community. They must take care to entrust those persons with authority who are worthy of holding this responsibility. Being worthy in terms of character means that they should be persons of integrity, truthful­, honest, conscien­tious and reliable. But they must also be worthy in terms of being capable of perform­ing their necessary duties. The word for “trusts” in this verse is amānāt. Someone once asked the Holy Prophet Muhammad about the hour of judgment, i.e., when a nation meets its doom or final end. The Holy Prophet replied: “When the trust (amānat) is wasted, wait for the doom.” The man asked: “How will the trust be wasted?” The Holy Prophet replied: “When government, or rule, is entrusted to those unworthy of it, then wait for the doom” (Bukhari, hadith 59 and 6496).

Worthiness is not just about honesty and a good, virtuous and righteous character, but as I said above, having the qualities to perform the task. This is illustrated in the Quran with reference to the histories of previous prophets. The Israelites, sometime after the time of Moses, asked a prophet of theirs to appoint a king over them who may lead them in battle. When that prophet appointed a king, who is called Saul in the Bible and Tālūt in the Quran, they objected that he was from a lower ranking family nor did he possess much wealth. Their prophet replied:

“Surely Allah has chosen him above you, and has increased him abundantly in knowledge and physique” (2:247).

He had the most righteous character, excelling them all, and he also had knowledge and physical strength, required to lead and fight the enemies. When the prophet Joseph asked the king of Egypt to appoint him to look after the finances of the country, he said to the king about his qualification:

“Surely I am a good keeper and have know­ledge”, ḥafīz and ‘alīm (12:55).

Again, Moses was on the run in a foreign country and he helped two sisters to water their sheep, because their father was too old and had sent them to do this task. One of them later suggested:

“My father, employ him; surely the best of those that you can employ is the strong, the faithful one” (28:26).

There was a just and righteous Muslim ruler at the end of the first century Hijra, by the name of Umar ibn Abdul Aziz. He said that someone who is to be appointed as a judge, and this includes persons you choose to rule you, should have all of five quali­ties. He must be: intelligent, tolerant, of pure character, firmly truthful and just, and knowledgeable as well as a seeker of know­ledge.

Anyhow, the above verse goes on to say: “when you judge between people, judge with justice.” The first duty of the rulers or the authorities is to dispense justice to the people. By “people” here (nās) are meant everyone under their rule, and not just Muslims. Justice is done by looking only at the facts and the evidence. If in your decision-making you are influenced by any prejudice, for or against anyone who is seeking justice, then your decision is not justice. The Quran calls that as “following your low desires”. It mentions a command given to the prophet David about justice, which is in fact meant for the Holy Prophet Muhammad and all Muslims:

“O David, surely We have made you a ruler in the land; so judge between people justly, and do not follow desire that it should lead you astray from the path of Allah” (38:26).

The word translated here as “justly” is literally “with truth” (bil-ḥaqq). Every effort must be made to avoid one’s own prejudices and views influencing one’s judgment, against the actual facts. Of course, mistakes can be made in judgments. So the Holy Prophet has said that when a judge passes a verdict, after applying his faculty of reasoning, and he comes to the right judgment, he will have a double reward. But if, after applying his faculty of reasoning, he comes to a mistaken judgment, there is still a reward for him in the sight of Allah. (Bukhari, hadith 7352)

There is a verse of the Quran which addresses Muslims as follows:

“O you who believe, be maintainers of justice, bearers of witness for Allah, even if it is against your own selves or (your) parents or near relatives — whether he is rich or poor, Allah has a better right over them both. So do not follow (your) low desires, that you deviate” (4:135).

This verse orders Muslims to be maintainers of justice, that is, not only to treat another person with justice in your individual dealing, but to keep up a system of dispensing justice for the entire community. The verse then tells them to bear witness for God, that is to say, give evidence which is true as far as you know, just as God knows all the truth, and also remember that you will be held accountable by Him. Then it mentions what is the opposite of bearing witness for God, and that is to give evidence with the interests of others in mind. The first of those others is you yourself, and then your parents and relatives. It says that you should give true evidence even if it goes against yourself or any close relatives. In another place the Quran says:

“And when you speak, be just, even (against) a relative” (6:152).

The verse 4:135 goes on to say that in giving evidence, for or against anyone, you should not care about whether that person is rich or poor, so that you favour the rich or disfavour the poor. It ends with the instruction: “So do not follow (your) low desires, that you deviate.” Low desires are to favour your own interests or the interests of your relations and friends unjustly, and also to disadvantage other people whom you don’t like or who are not from among you.

This verse is not far from the end of chapter 4. And near the beginning of chapter 5 there is another verse which begins with the same words but in a different order. It says:

“O you who believe, be maintainers for Allah, bearers of witness with justice; and do not let hatred of a people incite you not to act equitably. Be just; that is nearer to observance of duty. And keep your duty to Allah. Surely Allah is Aware of what you do” (5:8).

The opening words of both verses are the same, but in a different order. Both begin by ordering Muslims to be qawwāmīn, or “maintainers”. The first says, “be main­tainers of justice (qawwāmīn bil-qisṭ), bearers of witness for Allah (shuhadā’ li-llāh)”, while the second says, “be maintainers for Allah (qawwāmīn li-llāh), bearers of witness with justice (shuhadā’ bil-qisṭ)”. The words “Allah” and “justice” have been switched round. This shows that justice in Islam has such a very high place that you can interchange the name of “Allah” with the word “justice”. Another point is that while the verse 4:135 mentions the people whom you like and requires that you should not favour any of them by giving false evidence in their favour, the verse 5:8 mentions the people you dislike and requires that you must not be unfair to them, by giving false evidence against them. So the two verses complement one another and cover every­thing that goes against justice.

It is not only in disputes for which people go to courts of law that justice has to be done, and deciding who has done harm to whom. In matters of religious beliefs also, we have to exercise justice as to where other people are wrong and where they are right. The Holy Prophet is told preach Islam to others in the following way:

“To this (message) then go on inviting, and be steadfast as you are commanded, and do not follow their low desires, and say: I believe in what Allah has revealed of the Book, and I am com­manded to do justice (‘adl) between you. Allah is our Lord and your Lord. For us are our deeds, and for you your deeds. There is no contention between us and you. Allah will gather us together, and to Him is the eventual coming.” (42:15)

What is meant by not following the low desires of the people to whom you are presenting Islam?  These low desires would be to believe about yourself that you can commit evil with impunity, without risking God’s punishment, because you belong to God’s true and chosen religion and He will always favour you and forgive you. You are held in special regard by God, over and above how He looks upon other human beings. So the Holy Prophet, and all Muslims, are told not stoop to their low desires and preach an Islam of this kind. Instead he should say to them that Allah is our Lord and your Lord. Allah applies the same rules for reward and punishment to us as to you. This instruction, that you should not follow the low desires of the people that you are preaching to, may also have other meanings. For example, the Holy Prophet or any preacher of Islam should not become a priest like the priests of other religions who present themselves as the gateway to God and require blind obedience from their followers.

The Holy Prophet should say to others, when he is presenting the message of Islam to them, that he is commanded to do justice between other religions, to recognize good wherever found and to denounce evil wherever found. It is the height of justice to say to them:

“For us are our deeds, and for you your deeds”.

God will judge us and you by our practical behaviour, applying the same principles to us and to you. This is the most perfect level of justice, to say that people will be judged not by who they are but by what they do.

Website: www.aaiil.uk