211 SOCIAL JUSTICE FROM THE QURANIC PERSPECTIVE: A QUALITATIVE STUDY
Juliyana Junaidi
Faculty of Islamic Studies, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM, 43600 Bangi, Selangor
Tel: +60176861315, E-Mail: [email protected]
Latifah Abdul Majid, UKM Mohd Arif Nazri, UKM
Abstract
Social justice is an ideal, ongoing struggle, that unites numerous people to attain it despite many obstacles. It is pivotal to be applied in various dimensions of life and involves the roles of many. Discussions of social justice, in general, are commonly circulated around equality, fairness, freedom, and solidarity.
However, most discussions on social justice emphasize the interaction among mankind without placing the role of the divine source, the Quran as guidance.
The role of the Quran as the words of Allah should not be abandoned as He is the Creator who acknowledges everything about his creations. Besides, the application of social justice in the western perspective keeps changing depending on the condition of the society. This article aims to explore the principles of social justice embedded in Quranic verses by extracting and analysing the verses based on the books of Quranic commentary (tafsir). This study is qualitative in nature, utilizing content analysis as a tool, which involved describing, analysing, and synthesizing the words, themes and concepts present in the data. The results demonstrated that the principles of social justice are extensively discussed in the Quran, composing of honourable dignity of human beings, human’s equality, liberty of humans, fair distribution of wealth and opportunities and respecting human rights.
Keywords: Social Justice in Quran, Human Right, Social Justice, Social Justice in Islam
INTRODUCTION
The burgeoning social injustice happening globally sparks numerous discussions among the society on many levels. It is almost unimaginable how mankind in the twentieth century still practices oppression towards the minority in various
212 forms despite the rapid growth of technology. The expansion of scientific knowledge does not reflect the advancement of the minds when people are still trapped behind the wall of ignorance. It is disheartening to witness inequality that happens due to the greed of tyrants that uphold power as their objective in life, ignoring the fact that life is temporary and Allah Al-cAdl, the Most Just will judge them on the Day of Judgement.
The ninety-nine beautiful names of Allah, embodied in Asmaulhusna, is a tool to get to know Allah SWT through the characteristics and qualities that He possesses, which includes the principle of justice. Allah, al-cAdl is among the many names that link with the justice principle along with al-QisÏ, and al-Haqq which refer to the Most Just, the Most Equitable, and the Truth, respectively. In fact, before Allah gives ordinance to people to conduct matters with justice, he first named Himself the Most Just. Besides, since the beginning of mankind, Allah sent down the messengers to uphold justice and execute benevolence; the prophets preached the same social values and creed even though the legislations (tashric) might differ.
Islam, as a comprehensive religion, pays utmost attention to both relationships of mankind with Allah, and amongst mankind, which are reflective in the term hablum minallÉh and hablum minannÉs. In hablum minannÉs, Allah emphasizes how humans need to take good care of relationships with each other, which aligns with the principle of justice where justice needs to be practised across societal settings. At large, social justice, even though heavily discussed in the literature, mainly revolves around the notions of freedom, equality, and solidarity. However, little to no attention is given to the divine revelations as the centre of its discussion.
Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore the principles of social justice in the Quran by extracting and analyzing the Quranic verses, based on books of Quranic interpretation (tafsÊr). A qualitative method is employed, using content analysis as a research tool, where it uses descriptive and analytical approaches to analyse the data. The study found out that social justice from the Quranic perspective encompasses mankind’s respectable dignity, equality of humans, freedom of mankind, fair distribution of wealth and opportunities and honoring human rights.
DEFINITION OF JUSTICE IN QURAN
The Quran has long elucidated the principles of justice comprehensively in different levels such as the state, family, arbitration, and justice for oneself. al-
213 Baqiyy (2008) mentioned that the value of justice is reiterated seventy-eight times in the Quran and it speaks volumes on the importance of justice to be executed in different spectrums of life. In the Quran, justice could be found in three different Arabic words which are al-cAdl, al-QisÏ, and al-MÊzÉn. (Shihab, 2007)
Al-cAdl comes from the root cadala in which it occurs 28 times in the Quran in two forms: ‘adala (14 times) and cadl (14 times) (M.Badawi & Abdel Haleem, 2008) cAdala could be divided into three different patterns under the intransitive verb form such as 1) to act equitable, to judge justly (Surah al-AncÉm 6:152), 2) to offer as an equivalent, to compensate (Surah al-Baqarah 2:48), and 3) to deviate, to turn away (Surah an-Naml 27:60). Besides that, cadala could also appear in transitive verb form as 1) to make straight, to put upright, to be well- proportioned (Surah al-InfiÏÉr:7) and 2) to consider, or set up, as equal (Surah al-AncÉm 6:1). Apart from the verb forms, the root cadala could also appear in the noun form, cadl. cAdl in the Quran could be categorized into four different definitions: 1) justice, fairness, equity (Surah an-NisÉ’:58), 2) uprightness, impeccable character (Surah at-ÙalÉq: 2), 3) the equivalent (Surah al-MÉidah:
95), 4) recompense (Surah al-Baqarah 2:123), and 5) justice (Surah al-AncÉm 6:115)
Moreover, another word that is synonymous with cadala is qist and it appears 25 times in the Quran in five different forms. TuqsiÏ appears three times, qÉsiÏun twice, aqÎat twice, muqsiÏÊn three times and qisÏ fifteen times. These words definitions are as follows: 1) tuqsit refers to ‘to act justly’ (Surah an-NisÉ’4:3) 2) qÉsiÏun refers to ‘those acting unjustly, or unrighteous; those who deviate from the right path’ (Surah Al-Jinn 72:14) 3) aqsaÏ refers to ‘more/most just’ (Surah Al-AhzÉb 33:5), 4) muqsiÏÊn is ‘those who act justly or fairly, those who are even-handed’ (Surah al-HujurÉt 49:9) and 5) qisÉ refers to ‘justice’ (Surah Al- AcrÉf’ 7:29) and fair or just (Surah Al-AnbiyÉ’ 21:47).
Apart from the words of al-cAdl and al-Qist, al-MÊzan that is originated from the root word wazana can also be linked to the idea of justice in the Quran. Five forms of this word appear 23 times in the Quran: wazana three times, wazn three times, mauzËn once, mÊzan nine times and mawÉzin seven times. The definitions of these words are as follows: 1) wazana means to weigh with correctly balanced scales (Surah Al-IsrÉ’ 17:35) or to weigh out something for someone (Surah Al-MuÏaffifÊn 83:3), 2) wazn refers to weighing, weight (Surah Al-Kahf 18:105), 3) mawzËn refers to being balanced, well-proportioned (Surah Al-Hijr 15:19), 4) mÊzÉn means weighing/weight/scales (Surah Al-AcrÉf 7:85) and principles of justice (Surah Al-AnbiyÉ’ 21:47).
214 In general, the definitions of justice in the Quran through the words of al-cAdl, al- QisÏ, and al-MÊzÉn revolve around the discussion of fairness, equality, justice, balance, weight, well-proportioned and it could appear in both verb and noun forms. The recognition of these words and their definitions in the Quran contribute to the comprehension of justice in general, and social justice, in specific.
METHODOLOGY
A qualitative method using document analysis has been chosen as the design of this study. This method sets forth a combination of both descriptive and analytical approaches in its data analysis process. Prior to the data analysis process, the element of social justice was identified, leading to the collection of related Quranic verses. In analysing the data, several books of exegesis (tafsir) were referred to such as tafsÊr fi ÐilÉl al-QurÉn by Syed Qutb, tafsÊr jalalayn by Imam SuyËÏi, and other supporting sources.
RESULT AND DISCUSSION
The results of the study found that social justice in Quranic perspectives could be divided into several categories namely man’s honourable dignity, equality of mankind, human rights, fair distribution of wealth and opportunity, and freedom of humans. It is found that the Quranic perspective of social justice possesses some similarities and differences with the existing theory of social justice.
Therefore, the results and discussions are presented as follows:
Man’s Honourable Dignity
The dignity of men is one of the most notable notions when it comes to the discussion of social justice. Mankind is not in this world just to live without a sense of purpose. When other objects have exchanged values, man is not to be sold for any price. Man owns dignity; thus, becomes priceless. Immanuel Kant, a philosopher in the eighteenth century mentioned that any man who sold himself for money would be cheated out of their rightful due, as a man is beyond all price and possesses infinite worth (Sahakian & Sahakian, 1966).
215 From the Quranic perspective, Allah SWT has already uplifted mankind’s status by honoring them exceeding His other creations. Even though other creations were created with better strengths and sizes, Allah has specifically chosen humans as the best creation. Allah has rendered mankind with free will, which means that there are possibilities of mankind abiding or going against Allah, thus despite being honored as the best creation, not all human beings remain faithful to Allah. (Nasr, 2002)
ُهَٰ َنۡل َّضَفَو ِتَٰ َبِهي َّطلٱ َنِهم مُهَٰ َنۡقَزَرَو ِرۡحَ ۡ لۡٱَو ِه َبِ ۡ
لٱ ِفِ ۡمُهَٰ َن ۡلَ َحَْو َمَداَء ٓ ِنَِب اَنۡمَّرَك ۡدَقَلَو ٖيِْث َك ََٰ َعَل ۡم
ۡنَّمِهم
۞ لاي ِضۡفَت اَنۡقَلَخ ٗ
70. And We have certainly honored the children of Adam and carried them on the land and sea and provided for them of the good things and preferred them over much of what We have created, with [definite] preference. (Surah al-Isra’:
70)
In this verse, Allah mentioned that the highest status was given to mankind preceding his other creations includes angels, jinn, animals, and plants.
Moreover, it is also explained about the form of transportation to carry mankind on land and sea, which suit the life pattern of mankind. While humans are physically incomparable with the magnificent creations on the land and sea, Allah endowed the human with high intellect to utilize his capabilities in acquiring the natural resources.
Allah provided many skills and abilities in their innate nature that enable them to be the vicegerent (khalifah) of this earth. According to Syed Qutb (2015), the preference of Allah enables mankind to be the vicegerent of the earth, to be responsible for their actions and purposes. This explanation could be emphasized by the following verse from Surah al-Baqarah.
اَهيِف ُدِسۡفُي نَم اَهيِف ُلَعۡ تَ َ َ
أ ْآوُلاَق ۖٗةَفيِلَخ ِضرۡ َ ۡ
لأٱ ِفِ لِعاَج ِ ه
نِّإ ِة َكِئََٰٓلَمۡلِل َكُّبَر َلاَق ۡذوَإِ
ِٓ ه
نِّإ َلاَق ۖ َكَل ُسِهدَقُنَو َكِدۡمَ ِبِ ُ ِهبَسُن ُنۡ َنََو َءٓاَمِهلٱ ُكِفۡسَيَو
۞ َنوُمَلۡعَت لا اَم ُمَلۡع َ َ أ
30. And [mention, O Muhammad], when your Lord said to the angels, "Indeed, I will make upon the earth a successive authority." They said, "Will You place upon it one who causes corruption therein and sheds blood, while we declare Your praise and sanctify You?" Allah said, "Indeed, I know that which you do not know." (Surah al-Baqarah 2:30).
This verse elucidates Allah’s conversation with the angels on the election of mankind as the successive authority (khalÊfah) of this world. It is further implied that the angels compare themselves who worship Allah tirelessly to the characteristics of humans that cause corruption and killing each other. Allah
216 exclaims that the angels do not know any better than Allah which implies the limited knowledge of angels in contrast to Allah SWT. The heavy responsibility of khalÊfah of this earth falls upon mankind and it is incumbent for mankind to hold accountable for this huge role. Before the world is created, the children of Adam were asked by Allah, “Am I not your Lord?”, they replied “Yes” (Surah Al- A’raf 7:172) Through these confessions lie all our responsibilities as vicegerents who accepted the divine trust (amÉnah) from Allah SWT which is an obligation for us to carry in this world.
Apart from that, Allah also explained that man is created in the best form. Each body part, internal organ, cell, and everything from our physical body are designed perfectly by Allah SWT.
ِ ۡ
لٱ اَنۡقَلَخ ۡدَقَل
۞ٖميِوۡقَت ِن َسۡح َ
أ ٓ ِفِ َنَٰ َسن
4. We have certainly created man in the best of stature; (Surah al-Tin 95:4)
Not only has Allah raised our honor as His best creation, He further designed us in the best form. This truly mirrors Allah’s love towards mankind. By understanding the honor that Allah has already bestowed upon mankind, men should externalize the appreciation of the given status by striving to be a khalÊfah (vicegerent) who implement justice in the world.
Equality of Mankind
When it comes to the discussion of equality which is one of the branches of social justice, the existing theory pays attention to the equality in economic and social status more than the equality of humanity. John Rawls (1999), one of the prominent philosophers in social justice argued that the notion of ‘justice as fairness’ aims to reduce inequalities. In his framework, he suggested the “original position” where we do not know our destiny in the future. Apart from that, Rawls suggested two conceptions of equality which are equality in distribution and equality of respect. This section is relatable to the second concept as it is pertaining to the mutual respect among mankind.
The Quran has reinforced that everyone is equal from Allah’s perspective. No discrimination shall lie in the eyes of Allah, and He certainly does not judge someone based on their physical appearance. Body type, skin colour, strength, weight, or height do not matter in His eyes. Mankind is equal in its origin as the foundation of human is from an extract of clay, and from Adam AS. Surah al- Mu’minËn verse 12 mentioned this notion.
نِ لٱ اَنۡقَلَخ ۡدَقَلَو ۡ
۞ٖينِط نِهم ٖة َلََٰلُس نِم َنَٰ َس
217 12. And certainly did We create man from an extract of clay (Surah al-Mu’minun:
12)
To prove Allah’s superiority and wisdom, He created different sets of people, nations and tribes, genders, skin colours, body size, and others so that humans can get to know one another. Discrimination shall not happen based on the outer appearance as Allah only judges someone based on the act of God-conscious (taqwa). The following Quranic verse records this notion.
َّنِإ ۚ ْآوُفَراَعَِلِ َلِئٓاَبَقَو اٗبوُعُش ۡمُكََٰنۡلَعَجَو َٰ َثَنُأَو ٖرَكَذ نِهم مُكََٰنۡقَلَخ اَّنِإ ُساَّلنٱ اَهُّيَأََٰٓي ۚۡمُكَٰىَقۡت َ
أ ِ َّللّٱ َدنِع ۡمُكَمَرۡك َ
۞ يِْبَخ ٌميِلَع َ َّللّٱ َّنِإ أ
13. O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted (Surah al-HujurÉt 49:13)
The differences of gender, tribes, language, and others are not aimed to create gap and division between each other, nor to create chaos, but its objective is to appreciate each other’s differences. Everyone is also endowed with different sets of capabilities, and this should bring unity among each other, to build bridges instead of walls to execute the roles of humanity (Syed Qutb, 2015) In proving the equality of mankind in creation, Allah has also mentioned in the Quran that people are actually of one ummah (nation).
ٓ َّ
لاِإ ُساَّلنٱ َن َكَ اَمَو َّم ُ
أ
۞ ْۚاوُفَلَتۡخٱَف ٗةَدِحَٰ َو ٗة
19. And mankind was not but one community [united in religion], but [then]
they differed. (Surah Yunus:19)
According to Al-SuyËÏi (1999), originally, mankind was one nation in the submission of Allah from the time of Prophet Adam to Prophet Nuh AS, but then they differed. Some of them remained in their faith and others became disbelievers. Thus, rooting from the same descendant of Adam AS, we shall remain objective in achieving the higher purpose of humanity which is to establish justice in this world. In addition, Allah has purposely created mankind with different forms so we could get to know each other and glorify Allah’s magnificence. No discrimination should happen when mankind realizes that we are indeed one ummah. Recognition of us as one ummah would encourage us to help each other in doing good deeds.
Human Rights
218 It is unimaginable if the discussion of social justice does not include the notion of human rights. Western scholars like Jack Donnelly (1989), Ann Elizabeth Mayer (1991) and Jerome Shestack (1985) claimed that human rights are modern achievement that is absent in traditional religions. The West considers human rights to be universal, yet the understanding of this term changes over time.
Secular perspective promotes the idea that human being is purely an earth creature and what matters most is the individual right (Nasr, 2002). Islam, on the other hand, prioritizes the rights of Allah above the rights of human being.
However, it does not imply that human rights are neglected in Islam. Even though Islam has been consistently accused of being incompatible with human rights through half-baked information and implementation of criminal laws in certain countries, the Quranic perspective has shown the opposites.
Long before the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Quran has first recorded various rights of the humans to be preserved. For instance, the right of life is recorded in the following verse of Surah al-AncÉm. The verse spells out the forbiddance of murdering children out of poverty and to not kill any individual which Allah has prohibited unless by legal right.
ۡ َش ۦِهِب ْاوُكِ ۡشَُت َّلاَأ ۖۡمُكۡيَلَع ۡمُكُّبَر َمَّرَح اَم ُلۡتَأ ْاۡوَلاَعَت ۡلُق۞
َ لاَو ۖاٗنَٰ َسۡحِإ ِنۡيَ ِلََٰوۡلٱِبَو ۖاٗٔ ٔ
َهۡنِم َرَه َظ اَم َشِحََٰوَف ۡلٱ ْاوُبَرۡقَت َلاَو ۖۡمُهاَّيوَإِ ۡمُكُقُزۡرَن ُنۡ َّنَ ٖقََٰلۡمِإ ۡنِهم مُكَدََٰلۡوَأ ْآوُلُتۡقَت اَمَو ا
مُكَٰى َّصَو ۡمُكِلََٰذ ِِّۚهقَ ۡ لْٱِب َّ
لاِإ ُ َّللّٱ َمَّرَح ِتِ َّلٱ َسۡفَّلنٱ ْاوُلُتۡقَت َلاَو َۖنَطَب ۡمُكَّلَعَل ۦِهِب
۞َنوُلِقۡعَت
151. Say, "Come, I will recite what your Lord has prohibited to you. [He commands] that you not associate anything with Him, and to parents, good treatment, and do not kill your children out of poverty; We will provide for you and them. And do not approach immoralities - what is apparent of them and what is concealed. And do not kill the soul which Allah has forbidden [to be killed] except by [legal] right. This has He instructed you that you may use reason." (Surah al-AncÉm:151)
In this verse, Allah has prohibited shirk, commands humans to do good to parents and to not fear humiliation and poverty to the extent of murdering children. Allah guarantees that He will bless people with provisions.
Furthermore, Allah prohibits the action of slaying the life which He has made sacred except if it is according to legal action. Imam al-SuyËÏi (1999) explained that unless it is a prescribed punishment for apostasy and the stoning of due to the act of fornication.
The mentioned verse emphasizes Quranic perspective of social justice principle through the element of human right to live. Mankind has the right to live without
219 the fear of poverty and humiliation. He is al-RazzÉq (the Provider) and He will provide sufficiency for His slaves. Furthermore, the act of murdering is also a grave sin that will enable someone to fall into hellfire, if committed. Thus, humans own the right to live, and it is incumbent for us as the vicegerents of this world to protect this basic human right.
Apart from the right to live, the mankind also requires the right for security. The following verse from Surah al-AnfÉl records this notion.
َّنِإ ِۚ َّللّٱ َ َعَل ۡ َّكََّوَتَو اَهَل ۡ َنۡجٱَف ِمۡلَّسلِل ْاوُحَنَج نوَإِ
۞ُميِلَعۡلٱ ُعيِمَّسلٱ َوُه ۥُه
61. And if they incline to peace, then incline to it [also] and rely upon Allah.
Indeed, it is He who is the Hearing, the Knowing. (Surah al-Anfal: 61)
Syed Qutb (2015) stated that this verse refers to the disbelievers who did not exhibit any resistance or against the propagation of Islam in the era of Prophet Muhammad. Through this verse, Allah SWT instructed Prophet Muhammad to accept their inclination to peace and put reliance on Allah. This verse highlights the right to obtain security. Justice is when security can be obtained through a peaceful process. In Islam, the idea of justice and peace is inseparable, as justice cannot be obtained with the absence of peace. In the Malaysian context, the citizens of Malaysia are obligated to maintain peace and act justly under the Federal Constitution in which any breach of human right will be judged based on the rule of law.
In accordance with the right for security, mankind also deserves a shelter that could provide comfort and prevent from disturbance and danger. Humans have the right to own a shelter so that the family institution will be protected. A shelter is a place that one can be comfortable in, and the Quran approves this idea through the following verse.
َّو ْاوَواَء َنيِ َّ
لَّٱَو ِ َّللّٱ ِليِبَس ِفِ ۡمِهِسُفن َ
أَو ۡمِهِلََٰوۡم َ
أِب ْاوُدَهَٰ َجَو ْاوُرَجاَهَو ْاوُنَماَء َنيِ َّلَّٱ َّنِإ ْآوُ َرَُن
َء َنيِ َّ
لَّٱَو ِّۚ ٖضۡعَب ُء ٓاَ ِلَۡوَأ ۡمُه ُضۡعَب َكِئََٰٓلْوُأ ء ۡ َش نِهم مِهِتَيَٰ َلَو نِهم مُكَل اَم ْاوُرِجاَهُي ۡمَلَو ْاوُنَما
مُهَنۡيَبَو ۡمُكَنۡيَب ِۢمۡوَق َٰ َ َعَل َّلاِإ ُ ۡرَُّلنٱ ُمُكۡيَلَعَف ِنيِهلٱ ِفِ ۡمُكوُ َرُنَتۡسٱ ِنوَإِ ْۚاوُرِجاَهُي َٰ َّتَِح ُ َّللّٱَو ۗ قَٰ َثيِهم
۞ يْ ِصَب َنوُلَمۡعَت اَمِب
72. Indeed, those who have believed and emigrated and fought with their wealth and lives in the cause of Allah and those who gave shelter and aided - they are allies of one another. But those who believed and did not emigrate - for you there is no guardianship of them until they emigrate. And if they seek help of you for the religion, then you must help, except against a people between yourselves and whom is a treaty. And Allah is Seeing of what you do. (Surah al-AnfÉl:72)
220 Surah al-AnfÉl verse 72 describes the solidarity among muhÉjirÊn and anÎÉr whereby Allah mentions that they are allies of one another. MuhÉjirÊn who left Makkah and migrated to Madinah was celebrated with open arms by the ansar who would not feel hesitant in providing aids in different forms to them. They were willing to help the MuhÉjirÊn despite not having family nor marital tie, yet they were united on the axis of tauhid. The muhÉjirÊn was free from any interest of economy, relationship with their tribes, the location they left, or others, and migrated solely for the sake of Allah. The same goes to the anÎÉr who provided shelter and helped the muhÉjirÊn unconditionally as their goal was only to attain Allah’s blessings (Syed Qutb, 2015) Even though the context of this verse is during the time of Prophet Muhammad, it should not be treated as a strange idea in the contemporary setting. Everyone has the right to be provided with a shelter and it is the role of fellow mankind to help one another. This could be done by following the spirit of muhÉjirÉn and anÎÉr that Allah has recounted in the divine book.
Besides the right to shelter, another human right that is essential is the right to education. Islam prioritizes knowledge and lifts the status of people of knowledge. The following verses further explain this idea.
َمَّلَع يِ لَّٱ۞ ُمَرۡك َّ َ ۡ لأٱ َكُّبَرَو ۡ
أَرۡقٱ ۞ ق َلَع ۡنِم َنَٰ َسنِۡلٱ َقَلَخ۞ َقَلَخ يِ َّلَّٱ َكِهبَر ِمۡسٱِب ۡأَرۡقٱ َمَّلَع۞ ِمَلَق ۡلٱِب
۞ۡمَلۡعَي ۡمَل اَم َنَٰ َسنِ ۡ لٱ
1. Recite in the name of your Lord who created 2. Created man from a clinging substance. 3. Recite, and your Lord is the most Generous 4. Who taught by the pen 5.Taught man that which he knew not. (Surah al-cAlaq 96:1-5)
The very first Quranic verse revealed to Prophet Muhammad is pertaining the importance of knowledge in Islam. This confirms that Quran affirms the right to education. Allah emphasized the importance of reading, with His name through this verse. The reason of revelation for this verse is when the angel of JibrÊl came to Prophet Muhammad in the Cave of HirÉ’ and asked him to read with the name of Allah, who creates him from the clinging substance. This verse also signifies that Allah is the one who taught men who does not possess knowledge from the beginning.
In addition, the following verse also mentioned about the importance of education in the form of value of people who has knowledge in contrast with those who does not have knowledge.
۞ ِبَٰ َبۡلَ ۡلأٱ ْاوُلْوُأ ُرَّكَذَتَي اَمَّنِإ َۗنوُمَلۡعَي َلا َنيِ َّلَّٱَو َنوُمَلۡعَي َنيِ َّلَّٱ يِوَتۡسَي ۡلَه ۡلُق
221 9. "Are those who know equal to those who do not know?" Only they will remember [who are] people of understanding. (Surah Az-ZumÉr 39:9)
Hence, according to the presented verses, it is crystal clear that the right to education is strongly accentuated in Islam. Education prevents people from being oppressed and acts as a means for people to be well informed about their rights. It uplifts the status of oneself and assists others to find solutions of their existing circumstances. In prioritizing the importance of education, the Malaysian government has designed several policies that are present in Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025, Malaysia Education For All 2000-2015 and other reports, which highlight the idea of broadening access to education and unifying diverse ethnic population through a common curriculum. The renewal of policies is a deliberate effort in preserving the rights of education for every citizen of Malaysia.
All in all, the presented descriptions and arguments have disputed the misconception of Islam being the religion that is incompatible with human right.
Instead, the Quran clearly presents numerous explanations on human rights through its many verses.
Fair Distribution of Wealth and Opportunities
In the existing theory of social justice, the discussion of fair distribution could be categorized into ‘distributive justice’. Distributive justice includes a fair distribution of wealth, income, educational opportunity, and other resources. Six well-known western theories pertaining to distributive justice include strict egalitarianism, justice as fairness, resources-based principles, welfare-based principles, desert-based principles, and libertarian principles (Furqani, 2018).
While the western perspective places the autonomy on people and fully utilizes this world to distribute sources, the Quran, on the other hand, reminds us that wealth is one of the blessings that Allah gives to the mankind and it is advised to be handled with wisdom and caution as every matter associated with someone will be asked on the Day of Judgement (Jami' at-Tirmizi, hadith 241) Besides, wealth could also come as a form of test for people. Allah explains in the Quran, Surah al-Nahl verse 71,
ۡتَكَلَم اَم َٰ َ َعَل ۡمِهِقۡزِر يِهدٓاَرِب ْاوُلِهضُف َنيِ َّلَّٱ اَمَف ِِّۚقۡزِهرلٱ ِفِ ٖضۡعَب ََٰ َعَل ۡمُكَضۡعَب َلَّضَف ُ َّللّٱَو َف َ
أ ٌۚء ٓاَوَس ِهيِف ۡمُهَف ۡمُهُنََٰمۡيَأ
۞ َنوُدَحۡ َيَ ِ َّللّٱ ِةَمۡعِنِب
71. And Allah has favored some of you over others in provision. But those who were favored would not hand over their provision to those whom their right
222 hands possess so they would be equal to them therein. Then is it the favor of Allah they reject? (Surah an-Nahl:71)
In this verse, Allah states that the provision Allah has given to mankind might differ from each other. Al-Suyuti and Al-Mahali (1999) elucidated that it means that some people are relatively wealthy poor than the other. Therefore, as vicegerents, humans are responsible to arrange fair distribution of wealth among each other. The discourse of fair distribution cannot be separated with having a fair leader since leader is the one who is responsible in managing the wealth of a country. A leader who practises Islamic way of life should practice fair distribution as not only it is an obligation as a Muslim, but it is also a moral responsibility. In contrast to that, the root of injustice is having materialistic and adopting anti-religious worldviews (Shariati, 1981). Hence, Islam as a religion that upholds the principle of justice abhors the idea of materialism and excessive love for wealth. In the application level, Islamic financial system characterizes the ability to achieve social and economic justice through various mechanisms such as zakat institution, Islamic banking, takaful, and others.
Equal opportunity, equal rights, and equal resources that are distributed to people will not work if one is not capable of using it. Hence, Amartya Sen (1992) proposed the capability approach in achieving social justice. Rather than seeking to equalize resources or welfare, Sen (1992) proposed that equality is established and pursued in terms of everyone’s capability to seek and achieve well-being. Thus, the fair distribution of resources and welfare to the society is as important as recognizing and utilizing diverse capabilities of every individual to achieve prosperity.
The Quran reveals that Islam recognizes different capabilities among individuals and encourages fair opportunity to everyone despite their differences.
Discrimination based on the abilities should not occur, instead it shall encourage other people to extend their help to people with special needs. This idea is recorded in this verse,
َءٓاَج نَم اَّم َ
۞ ةَرِكۡذَت اَهَّنِإ ٓ َّ َكَلّ ۞َٰ َّهََّلَت ُهۡنَع َتنَأَف ۞َٰ َشَۡ َيَ َوُهَو ۞َٰ َعَۡسَي َك أ
8. But as for he who came to you striving [for knowledge] 9. While he fears [Allah], 10. From him you are distracted. 11. No! Indeed, these verses are a reminder; (Surah Abasa 8-11)
223 This surah refers to a companion named Abdullah Ibn Umm Maktum, a visually impaired person who came to the Prophet with full sincerity to learn about Islam while the Prophet was entertaining the Quraisy leaders to invite them to Islam.
However, the Prophet did not turn his attention from the leaders to him. As a result, Allah admonished Prophet Muhammad for his action, indicating that Allah cares about all humans equally despite having better access in power or not.
From that day onwards, the Prophet did not cease to pay his attention to Abdullah Ibn Umm Maktum and was generous to ask about his needs.
This situation describes the prominence of equal distribution of opportunity to people with different abilities, and people with special needs. In the context of these verses, people have the right to gain knowledge or the access to any form of services without discrimination. The Prophet has given us a stronger evidence when he by elected Abdullah Ibn Umm Maktum as the caller for prayer (muazzin) in Islam besides Bilal bin Rabah. His action is the proof that people with different abilities could also contribute to Islam, and the society at large, despite their physical limitation. Likewise, in Malaysia, Persons with Disabilities Act 2008 act was created to protect the right of persons with disabilities. It is an effort to achieve social justice by upholding the idea of equality and equity.
Freedom of Human
Social justice also encircles the idea of liberty of mankind whereby the society is considered liberated if they are not exploited by any parties who intent to take autonomy after another mankind. However, existing concept of freedom prioritize human rights over the right of other creatures. As a result, the natural environment is selfishly destroyed by people’s hands in the name of human freedom. Quranic perspective offers different method to define human’s liberty.
On the axis of responsibility, the thought of ‘this is my body, and I can do whatever I want with it’ appears to be contradictory from the teaching of the Quran as our body, and souls belong to our creator, Allah SWT and we are responsible to take care of it (Nasr, 2002).
Due to this responsibility, we are given the freedom of conscience in religious matters, free to seek salvation of our souls. Allah wants us to deeply internalize our belief based on our own free will and conscience, and eventually spread the truth with wisdom and beautiful preaching. This is aligned with the following verse from Surah al-Baqarah verse 256 whereby Allah states that compulsion should not exist when it comes to faith. The Quran has emphasized justice in a universal form whereby justice is to be applied even with people of other religions (Hasan, 2007).
َ َّينَبَّت دَق ِِۖنيِهلٱ ِفِ َهاَر ۡ كِإ ٓ َلا ُّرلٱ
ِۚه َغ ۡلٱ َنِم ُدۡش
224 256. There shall be no compulsion in [acceptance of] the religion. The right course has become clear from the wrong. (Surah al-Baqarah:256)
The Quran is against the idea of exploiting others in the name of religion as coercion is incompatible to religion due to its connection with faith and willingness of individual. The charter of Madinah is considered one of the evidences of this notion when Prophet Muhammad implemented justice, even to the disbelievers, protecting their rights as citizens of Madinah who deserved equal treatment. The people of Madinah were free to practice their religion and tolerance among different religions during that time as it is necessary to build a strong and peaceful nation. As the indicator to implement this freedom in Malaysia, the Federal Constitution Article 3(1) mentions that ‘Islam is the religion of the Federation: but other religions may be practiced in peace and harmony in any part of the Federation’. It is one of the ways to attain social justice through the freedom of practising any religion.
Apart from freedom of religion, the Quran also elucidates the freedom of earning wealth and provision. People are permitted to obtain wealth and provision as long as it is done justly, without exploiting others, and within the way that is loved by Allah.
َرَت نَع ًةَرَٰ َجِت َنوُكَت ن َ أ ٓ َّ
لاِإ ِلِطَٰ َب ۡلٱِب مُكَنۡيَب مُكَلََٰوۡمَأ ْآوُلُكۡأَت َلا ْاوُنَماَء َنيِ َّلَّٱ اَهُّيَأََٰٓي ٖضا
ِحَر ۡمُكِب َن َكَ َ َّللّٱ َّنِإ ۚۡمُكَسُفنَأ ْآوُلُتۡقَت َلاَو ۚۡمُكنِهم اٗمي
29. O you who have believed, do not consume one another's wealth unjustly but only [in lawful] business by mutual consent. And do not kill yourselves [or one another]. Indeed, Allah is to you ever Merciful.
Allah allows people to do transaction, maximizing their ability, skills, and capabilities to earn money and find comfort in this world. However, the guideline set by the Quran needs to be followed by mankind. For instance, one must not conduct injustice in their businesses, oppressing others by not giving their rights, practising usury in transaction, or being involved in the act of corruption. Such actions are displeased by Allah. In Malaysia, there are numerous acts that are proposed to combat injustice in business such as Malaysian Anti-Corruption Act 2009 and others. The implementation and reinforcement of this act would assist Malaysia in being an ideal society that practices social justice.
225 CONCLUSION
The Quran, as the book of guidance, encompasses numerous values, principles, rulings, and characters to be implemented in the life of mankind. One of the highest principles mentioned is justice whereby it is essential for mankind to internalize this principle within themselves and the society. The idea of social justice mainly circulates around the notion of freedom, equality and solidarity.
Even though the social injustice issues are skyrocketing despite being in the twenty-first century, one must not surrender and give in to oppression.
Therefore, the guidance of social justice in the Quran needs to be emphasized and practiced in our daily life. In Islam, the idea of justice could be observed from the names of Allah itself where He named Himself as Al-cAdl (the Most Just), Al- MuqsiÏ (the Most Equitable), and al-Haqq (the Truth). Moreover, the Quran also records the justice principle through several different words such as al-cAdl, al- QisÏ and al-MÊzan in which each carries different forms of justice in different contexts and compartments. Overall, this study found out that social justice in Islam prioritizes the idea of mankind’s dignity, human’s equality, freedom of humans, fair distribution of wealth and opportunities and respecting human rights. As a servant and vicegerent of Allah, it is obligated upon us to establish justice in our relationship with Allah and our relationships with other human beings.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
This paper presents a work that is supported by the Minister of Higher Education (MOHE), under Skim Latihan Akademik Bumiputera (SLAB) with Faculty of Quranic and Sunnah Studies, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia with the collaboration of Fakulti Pengajian Islam, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.
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