Why Islam
Hello again WhiteFyre,
Here is some rational reasoning why Islam stands heads over shoulders when compared with other belief systems. Please see the original site below:
www.islamtoday.com
Islamic Values | The Discover Islam Project|
Islamic Values A value is an attribute that makes something an object of appreciation and respect, meaning that this attribute makes that thing sought after and desirable. It does not matter whether one individual or many hold this desire. For example, lineage has a very high value to the nobility, wisdom has a great value for the scholars, and bravery is a value coveted by princes and chiefs.
Values can be a subject of study. The study of values entails the examination of something with respect to it being desirable in and of itself, as well the investigation and examination of the value of various things, the different types of values that exist, and their origins.
If “values” are discussed in purely abstract terms, then the discussion will be of an idealistic nature. If, on the other hand, they are discussed in terms of their natural, psychological, or social causes, then the discussion will be of an existential and practical nature.
The best discussion of “values” is one that deals with both their ideal and practical aspects. This is because it is not possible to conceptualize values in either of these terms without considering the other. If it were not for this fact, then values would not have any existence and existence itself would not be able to hold any value.
Justice
When human life becomes devoid of justice, it becomes submerged in disorder and confusion. Oppression between people becomes the order of the day in the most horrible way, whereby the strong destroys the weak, the one who is capable denies the rights of the one who cannot fend for himself, the aggressor spills the blood of the one he overpowers, the ruler consumes the rights of his subjects, and the great in every way dominates the small. Nothing but the restoration of justice can remedy such a horrid state of affairs.
So, what is justice, and what forms does it take? What are its benefits? How do the Muslims apply it in their lives? We will try to deal with these questions.
Justice implies that everyone should receive their rights or whatever they deserve. If they deserve good, then they should receive good. If they deserve evil, then they should receive evil. Due to the importance and prominence of justice, Allah sent His Messengers and His books without discriminating between anyone with regard to their rights. Allah says:
Indeed we have sent Our Messengers with clear proofs and revealed to them the Scripture and the Balance that mankind may establish justice.
Justice is the custodian of the secular and the sacred. It is the source of good for individuals and nations, bringing their hearts and souls together in harmony, equity, and affection. Conflict and disunity are removed from society. By the dictates of justice, actions and people are measured. The standards of justice never vary.
Whoever prefers injustice exposes his religion to confusion, his life to ruin, his honor to disgrace, and his prosperity to loss.
The assurance that the rights and property of the individual are secure, and that justice is firmly established in people’s dealings with one another is a prerequisite for human prosperity. This is why justice is such an indispensable value in Islam, which ties justice into every provision of its Divine Law. There is no provision in Islam that does not have justice as one of its aims. Justice is intrinsically tied into its administrative, political, and judicial systems. It is tied into every other aspect of the Islamic order, in every sphere of human life, like the family order, the educational system, the economy, the social order, personal behavior, and intellectual activity.
History testifies to this, for the societies that were under Islamic rule were free from serious moral degeneration, secure from imbalance and inconsistent standards, and protected from wanton degradation and loss of life.
Justice takes many forms. There is worldly justice and justice that will only be realized in the Hereafter. Justice in the worldly life covers the course of human existence from the creation of Adam (peace be upon him) to the last days of the Earth. Allah says:
Indeed we have sent Our Messengers with clear proofs and revealed to them the Scripture and the Balance that mankind may establish justice.
Since people are ever prone to differ and are overpowered by their desires and lusts, causing them to oppress one another, Prophets were sent throughout the ages to successive generations to establish justice among the people. If it were not for them, human life would have been corrupted and nations brought to ruin.
In the story of the two sons of Adam – which is forever preserved for us in the Qur’ân – we get a clear picture of the seriousness and the harmful nature of oppression, in that it was the very first sin of man to occur on the face of the Earth. It stresses the necessity of justice so that humanity can live in peace and stability. This worldly justice must be explained and clarified, because it rests on the ability of people to apply the dictates of divine justice as outlined by the tenets of Islamic Law.
Justice in the Hereafter is the justice that Allah has reserved for the Day of Judgment. The oppressor may escape from the rule of justice in this world so as not be taken to task in this worldly life for his sins. His injustice will not be redressed in this world, but in the Hereafter. Likewise, the one who upholds justice in the world looks expectantly for a great reward that Allah has prepared in the Hereafter as compensation for patience and forbearance. Allah says:
The scales of justice will be set forth on the Day of Judgment so no soul will be wronged in the least. If it be the weight of a mustard seed, We will bring it. And We are sufficient to take account.
This is justice in the most absolute sense, because Allah Himself is the one who dispenses it, Allah whose knowledge is not eluded by the smallest particle in the heavens or the Earth.
Justice is comprehensive and universal, embracing human beings, animals, and the rest of Creation. As for its comprehensiveness with respect to the human being, there are many proofs that establish it. Among these is Allah’s statement:
…and do not let the enmity and hatred of others make you avoid justice. Be just, for this is nearer to piety.
This verse addresses every rational person. It is obligatory upon everyone who possesses reason to establish justice throughout his, both with him self as well as with others. This applies even if that other person is an enemy or opponent, because the rule of justice has no limits. It extends beyond the boundaries of religion and creed, beyond the boundaries of lineage and family ties, beyond the boundaries of nation and country. Whoever possesses that which is the right of someone else cannot use religion, lineage, or nationality as an excuse to oppress. On the contrary, human rights must be granted to all, because justice is a right that all people share equally.
As for justice being extended to the animals, people have been ordered not to oppress or abuse them. This forbidden abuse might take the form of confinement, starvation, or overwork, among other things. A woman entered the hellfire on account of a cat that she imprisoned, neither feeding it nor letting it hunt for food.
A woman entered Paradise on account of a dog that she found panting and swallowing the earth out of severe thirst. She went down to a well and filled her sock with water and gave it to the dog to drink. Allah rewarded her for this act with Paradise.
An animal cannot establish justice in its own life, because it cannot be held legally accountable due to it being unable to comprehend the divine injunctions. It can, though, be dealt with justly by those who live in its midst and are ordered to treat it with justice and to abstain from abusing it.
Regarding how justice comprehends the rest of Creation, this is what we can observe in the movements of the things that travel through the Earth and the things that travel through space. Their movements are just. We see justice between them in the swiftness and slowness of their movements, like the alternation of night and day, and the paths of the Sun, Moon, stars, and planets. For this reason, Allah says,
The Sun runs on its fixed course for an appointed term. This is the decree of the Almighty, the All-Knowing. We have decreed phases for the Moon until it returns like an old, dried, curved date stalk. It is not proper for the Sun to overtake the Moon, or for the night to outstrip the day. Each floats in its own orbit.
We see this as well in the relationship between water and dry land. If the water were to overrun the land, it would wipe out everything that thrives on the land, and if the water were to become depleted, everything that lives in the sea would die. We can observe justness in the biological and chemical makeup of living things. Justness has been ingrained in the life-functions of every living thing in Creation, and in the orderly movements of every nonliving object that moves through it.
Justice, when considered in relationship to human beings, can be divided into two categories:
1. Personal justice: This is the manifestation of a psychological balance within a person, whereby the internal forces – like reason, aggression, and desire – stay in conformity with a standard that returns to the individual. This consideration can be of an internal origin as a result of personal contemplation, or from external effects like acquired knowledge, learning, and perceptions. For example, a person can do justice to the body and soul, to the mind and thoughts, in giving and taking, in efforts and deeds, and in everything else that is specific to a person in the course of his or her life.
2. Societal justice: This is justice achieved by taking into consideration the rights of others and the accord and respect that they deserve. A person must be just in the demanding of rights and in the fulfillment of obligations. Every form of interaction between people that contains an element of justice can be given as an example of this, like justice in buying and selling, in governing and passing judgments, in giving testimony and fulfilling trusts, and in withholding things and giving them away.
A chief or leader – who is a single person – is responsible to the people under his or her authority to apply the rules of justice in making their appointments by assigning tasks and giving posts to the proper people who have the capability to do the job. A judge must apply justice in dealing with litigants by giving each of them what they are entitled to and by compelling the one who is obligated to another to carry out his obligation.
Likewise, a husband must be just to his wife or his wives and give to each one what she is lawfully entitled to with respect to such things as maintenance, housing, time, transportation, food, and clothing. A father is expected to be just to his children in their upbringing, education, health, and the things that he gives them and withholds from them. His must not show some of them preferential treatment......
see
www.islamtoday.com
:muslim_child:
Hope you can achieve a much knowledge in Islam..
