Most of us have at least felt despair over the state of the world we live in today. Be it the wars that continue to break out, the oppression towards (and by) our fellow brethren across the world, global warming and its evident effects, the mountains of plastic waste found in our oceans and lands, widespread hunger and poverty, the persistent spread of infectious diseases like tuberculosis and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and even the threat of non-communicable diseases like cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus and hypertension.

We often wish that we have more power to help the oppressed, and that our voice is louder so that people could hear our defense for the helpless, that we have more money so we could help the poor, that our words have more influence on others so that we could together lift all the injustice in the world. We wish the world super powers and rulers would do a lot more to improve the living conditions of all that inhabit this planet.

We might not be able to change the attitude of our current leaders and lawmakers, but do we, as individuals, really have no capacity to make the world a better place?

40 on Justice: The Prophetic Voice on Social Reform by Omar Suleiman

From his social media posts, we could see that Imam Omar Suleiman is involved in a lot of social activism, be it about Muslims or any other oppressed members of the community. So when he wrote a book on justice and social reform, one would think that there would be a lot of discussions about politics and leadership. 

While it is true that there are discussions about oppression, seeking leadership, usury (riba), insurance, the rights of refugees, slavery and gender equity, most of the topics covered just treatment towards children, parents, the elderly in community, our neighbours, extended family, and people with special needs. Imam Omar also examined the issues of working conditions, stereotypes, responsibilities of a healthcare worker (especially doctors), animal rights, and environmentalism. As we could see from the topics discussed, the book tackles the responsibilities of different groups of people; individuals, communities and rulers. However, every single chapter touches about individual responsibility to uphold justice in their own capacity.

What is justice?

The Arabic word for justice, ‘adl, comes from the root ‘Ayn-dal-lam, which means “to make something upright.” Ibn al-Qayyim states that “justice entails putting things in their rightful place”1. 

Meanwhile, oppression (dhulm, in Arabic) is the opposite of justice. Technically, in Arabic, it means injustice. In Islam, it means putting something in a place in which it does not belong. Being unjust can mean going too far or being excessive. It can also mean withholding too much or causing deficiency2.

Individual Responsibilities

It was narrated by Abdullah Ibn Umar (RA), Rasulullah (SAW) said, “The just will be seated upon pulpits of light on the right side of the Merciful (ar-Rahman). Those who are fair with regards to their judgement and with their families and anything they undertake.” [Sahih Ibn Hibban]2

In this Hadith, the Arabic word used to describe “the just” is “al-muqsiteen”, which means “people who are put in a position to judge, govern, arbitrate or distribute”. However, the Hadith does not only refer to those in the position of power, it also includes all of us2. We could make this inference when we refer to the following Hadith from Al-Bukhari and Muslim: 

Ibn Umar reported, that Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said, “All of you are guardians and all of you will be questioned about your flock. The ruler is a guardian of his society, the man is a guardian of his family, the woman is a guardian and is responsible for her husband’s house and offspring; and so all of you are guardians and are responsible for your subjects.”2

Going back to one of the definitions of oppression, when we are given the charge of a certain flock, we could either uphold justice (i.e. giving everyone under our care their due rights), or oppress (i.e withholding them their rights). Hence, it is clear that all of us have the obligation to fulfill the rights of the people and His other creations that He has sent along our path.

In Surah An-Nisa, ayat 36, Allah SWT has outlined the order of priority of the people who have rights upon our kindness:

“Worship Allah and associate nothing with Him, and to parents do good, and to relatives, orphans, the needy, the near neighbor, the neighbor farther away, the companion at your side, the traveler, and those whom your right hands possess. Indeed, Allah does not like those who are self-deluding and boastful.” [Saheeh international]3

To strengthen the evidence, let us recall another hadith. Ibn Umar said: “Whatever a man spends on himself and his family, dedicating this to God, will not fail to be rewarded by God (exalted be He). One should begin with one’s immediate dependents. If one has something to spare, the one should spend it on one’s nearest relatives, then the next nearest. If there is still something left, one may give it away.” [Related by al-Bayhaqi]4

Let’s think about this: if every one of us try our best to take good care of ourselves, families, parents, relatives and neighbours, wouldn’t the whole society become a better one?

Since it is now evident that we all have the duty to uphold justice, be it in a small circle or in larger communities, we shall reflect on the individual capacity to make a change in this world.

Individual Capacity to Make a Change

Chapter 5 of the book starts with the following hadith:

Narrated by Malik Ibn Murthad from his father who said, Abu Dhar said, “ I said, O Messenger of Allah (SAW), what are the things that protect a person from the Hell-fire?” He said, “Faith in Allah.” I said, “What are the actions that accompany faith?” He said, “He should spend from (the small amount) that Allah has provided him.” I said, “What if that person is too poor and he cannot find anything to give?” He said, “Then he should enjoin good and forbid evil.” I said, “Oh, messenger of Allah, what if that person is in a position in society where they are too vulnerable to enjoin good and forbid evil?” He said, “Assist someone who is skilled or do something for the one who has no skill.” I said, “Oh, Messenger of Allah, what if this person has no skill and knowledge?” He said, “He should support someone who is oppressed.” I said, “What if that person is weak and oppressed himself?” He said, “You aren’t going to leave any good for your brother to do?” The Prophet (SAW) then said, “He should restrain his evil from people.” I said, “If that is all he does then will he enter into Jannah?” The Prophet (SAW) said “There is no believer that pursues any of these things except that on the Day of Judgment it grabs his hand until it enters him into Jannah.” [Ahmad]2

Not all of us could make a change in a large scale. Not all of us will become leaders or policy makers. Abu Dhar was aware that people have different means to do good, and he may have noticed that some could not give as much as the others, hence he asked those questions. Prophet Muhammad (SAW) gave answers that included people from all kinds of positions in the society.

We are blessed differently; we have diverse talents, inclinations, knowledge, and strengths. We are given different financial means, health and free time. A sign of a grateful person is that he uses whatever talent, knowledge, health, free time or financial means in his hands to serve others, no matter how small they are. 

Take an environmentally sustainable life for example. In a neighbourhood, maybe there are a few individuals who could teach the children who couldn’t read, write or count, and at the same time teach them how to keep their place clean and not litter. Perhaps some two or three families in the neighbourhood who have knowledge about farming and gardening; they could spread their knowledge to others. Or perhaps one member of each family could take charge of managing the house waste so that they could live a more sustainable life.  

Imagine if all communities do this, there will be a lot of good coming out from the society; they do not even need to wait for law makers to set up rules and regulations. The housing areas become cleaner, they could depend more on themselves for food sources, and they may live a life with less waste.

Consumption and Oppression

It was narrated from ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Amr that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) passed by Sa’d when he was performing ablution, and he (SAW) said, “What is this extravagance?” He said, “Can there be any extravagance in ablution?” He said, “Yes, even if you are on the bank of a flowing river.” [Ibn Majah]2

Since oppression also means being excessive, we need to deeply reflect on how we consume. This hadith shows that even if we perform ablution on a bank of a flowing river, even when ablution is an obligatory act before solat, we should only take the smallest amount that is necessary, and anything more than that is considered extravagance.

What about the food that we over consumed? The clothes that we bought without obvious needs? The handbags that are used only once a year? Even the books that we bought but did not read? How much of that extra money spent on food, clothes, handbags and books could have been spent on better causes? We might complain about the wealth imbalance that is so obviously seen in this world right now, but what do we, as individuals, do about it ourselves? 

Consider this: reducing deep fried food consumption will reduce likelihood to get cardiovascular diseases. The hospitals will be a lot less crowded, the doctors will be happier because they can spend more quality time with the patients who are there not due to lifestyle-related illnesses. More money can be spent to fund research on diseases like multiple sclerosis, endometriosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and many cancers. The doctors might even have more time for their families at home. At the same time, reducing deep fried food consumption will reduce the need for frying oils, hence less forest areas need to be cleared to plant oil-producing crops. Even the oil producers need less money because they consume less, hence they don’t need to expand their businesses. How many human and animal lives can be saved just because individuals collectively decided to reduce eating deep fried food? 

Conclusion

As we could see from the Hadiths and reflections above, all of us not only have the capacity to make a change in this world, we also have the responsibility to uphold justice with and prevent oppression from our own hands. The end result of individual justice is, inevitably, the collective justice in the family, community, the country, and the world.

References

  1. Yousef, Jinan. Reflecting on the Names of Allah. London: Al Buruj Press, 2020. 
  2. Suleiman, Omar. 40 On Justice: The Prophetic Voice on Social Reform. Leicestershire: Kube Publishing Ltd, 2021. 
  3. “The Noble Quran.” Quran.com. Accessed April 22, 2022. https://quran.com/. 
  4. Salahi, Adil. Al-Adab Al-Mufrad with Full Commentary: A Perfect Code of Manners and Morality. 2nd ed. Leicestershire: Islamic Foundation, Limited, 2019.