Philosophy of Justice from the Perspective of Hazrat Zahra (as)
In the Fadakiyah sermon, Hazrat Fatima Zahra (PBUH) says: In the Fadakiyah sermon, Hazrat Fatima Zahra (sa) says:
فَجَعَلَ اَللَّهُ اَلْإِيمَانَ تَطْهِيراً لَكُمْ مِنَ اَلشِّرْكِ وَ اَلصَّلاَةَ تَنْزِيهاً لَكُمْ عَنِ اَلْكِبْرِ وَ اَلزَّكَاةَ تَزْكِيَةً لِلنَّفْسِ وَ نَمَاءً فِي اَلرِّزْقِ وَ اَلصِّيَامَ تَثْبِيتاً لِلْإِخْلاَصِ وَ اَلْحَجَّ تَشْيِيداً لِلدِّينِ وَ اَلْعَدْلَ تَنْسِيقاً لِلْقُلُوبِ وَ طَاعَتَنَا نِظَاماً لِلْمِلَّةِ وَ إِمَامَتَنَا أَمَاناً لِلْفُرْقَةِ وَ اَلْجِهَادَ عِزّاً لِلْإِسْلاَمِ وَ اَلصَّبْرَ مَعُونَةً عَلَى اِسْتِيجَابِ اَلْأَجْرِ وَ اَلْأَمْرَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ مَصْلَحَةً لِلْعَامَّةِ وَ بِرَّ اَلْوَالِدَيْنِ وِقَايَةً مِنَ اَلسُّخْطِ وَ صِلَةَ اَلْأَرْحَامِ مَنْسَأَةً فِي اَلْعُمُرِ ] مَنْمَاةً لِلْعَدل [ وَ اَلْقِصَاصَ حَقْناً لِلدِّمَاءِ وَ اَلْوَفَاءَ بِالنَّذْرِ تَعْرِيضاً لِلْمَغْفِرَةِ وَ تَوْفِيَةَ اَلْمَكَايِيلِ وَ اَلْمَوَازِينِ تَغْيِيراً لِلْبَخْسِ وَ اَلنَّهْيَ عَنْ شُرْبِ اَلْخَمْرِ تَنْزِيهاً عَنِ اَلرِّجْسِ وَ اِجْتِنَابَ اَلْقَذْفِ حِجَاباً عَنِ اَللَّعْنَةِ وَ تَرْكَ اَلسَّرِقَةِ إِيجَاباً لِلْعِفَّةِ وَ حَرَّمَ اَللَّهُ اَلشِّرْكَ إِخْلاَصاً لَهُ بِالرُّبُوبِيَّةِ فَاِتَّقُوا اَللّٰهَ حَقَّ تُقٰاتِهِ وَ لاٰ تَمُوتُنَّ إِلاّٰ وَ أَنْتُمْ مُسْلِمُونَ – وَ أَطِيعُوا اَللَّهَ فِيمَا أَمَرَكُمْ بِهِ وَ نَهَاكُمْ عَنْهُ فَإِنَّهُ إِنَّمٰا يَخْشَى اَللّٰهَ مِنْ عِبٰادِهِ اَلْعُلَمٰاءُ
God ordained Faith (Iman) as a purification for you from polytheism (Shirk); Prayer (Salat) as a cleansing from arrogance; Alms-giving (Zakat) as a purification of the soul and a growth in sustenance; Fasting (Sawm) as a confirmation of sincerity; The Pilgrimage (Hajj) as a reinforcement of the religion; Justice as an arrangement for the hearts; Obedience to us (the Ahl al-Bayt) as an order for the nation; Our Leadership (Imamah) as a safeguard against discord; Striving (Jihad) as a glory for Islam; Patience (Sabr) as an aid to earning reward; Enjoining good (Al-Amr bil Ma’ruf) as a benefit for the general public; Kindness to parents as a shield against [God’s] wrath; Maintaining kinship ties as a delay in life (and a growth for justice); Retaliation (Qisas) as a preservation of lives; Fulfilling vows as an exposure to forgiveness; Giving full measure and weight as a means of preventing deficiency; The prohibition of drinking wine as a purification from defilement; Abstaining from slander as a veil against the curse; and Abandoning theft as a necessity for chastity. And God forbade Shirk to establish sincerity for Him in Lordship. So, fear God as is His due, and do not die except as Muslims, and obey God in what He has commanded and forbidden you, for indeed, those who fear God among His servants are the knowledgeable.
Justice is one of the basic principles of religion
One of the basic principles of religion is justice. Hazrat Zahra (peace be upon her) said about justice: And justice is what unites hearts.
God has founded the foundation of the universe on justice. The system of Sharia and the guidance of mankind is also based on justice. The meanings of justice are the same as the meanings of the Quran. Although the terminology and interpretations of scholars have largely interpreted justice, the terminology of these sciences cannot be considered the basis of Quranic teachings. Because the Quran takes the meanings of its words from the dictionary, not from the sciences. The sciences came later. The Quran was revealed long before it. The science of jurisprudence, theology or the science of hadith, etc., all came into being centuries after the revelation of the Quran. The language of the Quran is the everyday language of the Arabs of that time with whom they communicated. There are no terms for any science in it. Justice was used by the Arabs to maintain balance and equilibrium of goods when loading them on the backs of camels. The Holy Quran has also introduced this meaning from the Arab vocabulary into the system of guidance of mankind, that is, religion. And God Almighty Himself has based all the laws of religion and human rights on the basis of justice and has also commanded humans to “Be just, for that is nearer to piety.” You too should act justly in your daily life. And the punishment and reward of the hereafter are also based on justice. This means that a person is rewarded and punished based on his performance. If his performance is positive, If his performance is positive, he should be rewarded and if his performance is negative, he should be punished.
And the person should also keep the same principle in mind in his daily life that everyone should ask for as much as he needs, this is justice. Punishment should be given based on the mistake. Reward should be given based on the good performance. He should be given a position and position based on his ability and capability. All of these things should be based on the fact that everyone should be rewarded according to their efforts.
And it is not that God has only ordered humans to conduct their lives in a just manner among themselves, but rather, He has actually taught them through the prophets by establishing justice in human society that a society in which justice is the basis of all affairs is an ideal society. To improve society, it is necessary for justice to be the standard in our homes.
If justice is the foundation in a home, balance is created within the child or personality that is raised in that home, and this balance is transferred from homes to society, and the entire society and community achieves balance and equilibrium.
But if there is no such thing as justice in the home, the people raised in that home will be unbalanced and each of them will try to violate the rights of others. An unbalanced person not only does not adhere to his own rights, but also tries to violate the rights of others. As a result, the entire system of the home becomes chaotic, and if this were true of all homes in a society, we can all imagine what the state of society would be like. But if, before the birth of children in the home, the parents establish the principles of their home on the basis of justice and both are equal in character, In this case, all children born in that house will be equal, that is, whoever has the right to something will receive the same amount, will not demand more than he can afford and will not take less than it.
When justice is established in homes, the whole society will become equal, but vice versa, If it is said that society is unequal and some people are born just, as in our jurisprudence, justice is a condition for certain positions. If the people who sit in these few positions, such as the Imam of the congregation, the Imam of Friday prayers, the witness, and the judge, are just, what difference does it make to society? These four people cannot establish justice in the whole society because justice needs a much stronger foundation than this.
Justice is a characteristic of the Quranic society
The entire focus of the teachings of the Quran and the pure Imams (a.s.) has been on the society, but the entire focus of our scholars and jurists is on the individuals. They have given religion an individual form, while religion is not for individuals, It came for the society. For example, the commandment to wear hijab is for the society, not for individuals. But we made it an individual commandment, which is why some women wear hijab while the majority are seen without it. But if hijab is considered necessary for the society, Every woman must wear a hijab. So if the society were to wear a hijab, every new woman who entered it would automatically wear a hijab. All the rulings of Islam are collective in nature. That is why the Messenger of God (saww) said: The example of a believing society is the example of a body. That is, if the body is healthy, all its members are healthy, but if the body is sick and one member is healthy, health does not spread from that member to the whole body. But if the whole body is healthy and only one member is sick, the whole body heals it together. This means that the example of the believers is like the body.
For this reason, God Almighty has also prescribed justice for the entire society. An example of this was established by the Messenger of God (saww) in his time. He created a society in which all principles were implemented. Justice was also one of the principles that he established in the society of that time, so whoever came to this society, Even if he came from outside, he would have cultivated the characteristics of this society. The Quranic society is built on these principles.
Let me give a small example of how the Prophet of Islam (saww) fought for justice in his society. The command of religion and Sharia in the matter of marriage is that both the boy and the girl should be equal. Being on the same level means that both are compatible in terms of human qualities and values, apart from external characteristics, i.e. age, height and appearance. There should be a balance and equilibrium between the two. For example, if one is religious, the other should not be irreligious; if one has a higher education, the other should not be completely ignorant. There should also not be a large age gap. During the time of the Prophet (saww), some people had not yet reached this level of awareness and did not observe these matters in marriage according to their customs and traditions, as they do today. Many people came to the Prophet (saww) to propose to Hazrat Zahra (saww), Including young and old people, and sometimes even those who were older than the Prophet (saww) himself, came to propose to Bibi (saww). And this matter was very unpleasant for him (saww). For this reason, when such a person came to him to propose to Bibi (saww), the Messenger of God (saww) turned away and immediately after they left, sent someone to Hazrat Ali (AS) to marry Fatima Zahra (SA). Considering the perfections that Bibi (SA) had, Hazrat wanted someone who had the same perfections. This is what is called justice. In the perfections and human qualities, there is balance and equilibrium between a girl and a boy.
Lack of Justice in the Case of Hazrat Fatima Zahra (saww) After the Messenger of God (saww)
Hazrat Zahra (sa) herself had grown up in the cradle of justice, so her marriage could not have been unjust. The Messenger of God based everything from marriage to government matters on the basis of justice, but a time came when after the Messenger of God (saww) this scale of justice was broken in the case of Bibi Zahra (sa), While Bibi did not expect this, Bibi believed that a society to which the Messenger of God, after all his efforts, had brought such high levels of justice and fairness, would maintain its position and those who deserved it would reach that position.
Is personal performance the criterion of justice or lineage?
Similarly, the Holy Quran considers personal performance as the criterion of justice in a believing society. But our society, apart from personal performance, considers lineage as the criterion. If the father was in a position of power, even if the son is not capable, he is given a position. This is against justice. Justice does not judge a person based on lineage. Rather, He grants this entitlement based on personal performance.
If justice is implemented in society, it automatically grants every individual a right. Be it a social right or a political right, an economic right or even a hereafter right. God Almighty does not even grant a hereafter right based on ethnicity or lineage, but rather on the basis of a person’s character and performance. The idea of the Israelites was that God will punish and reward us on the Day of Judgment not based on our actions but on our lineage. He does not look at our actions but rather our lineage, and this has now been realized among Muslims. The Shiites in particular have been told that your actions are not seen, but your lineage is seen. When a Shiite dies, Imam Ali (AS) appears in the grave and tells the angels that there is no need to hold him accountable, this is our man, because he is related to us, so we will decide about him ourselves. This idea exists among the Shiites today and has come to us from the Children of Israel. This did not come from the Quran. Since it is stated in the Quran that
’’وَلَا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرَىٰ
“And no one will blame anyone for another’s sin, and no one will bear the burden of another’s sin.”
وَ اتَّقُوْا یَوْمًا لَّا تَجْزِیْ نَفْسٌ عَنْ نَّفْسٍ شَیْــٴًـا وَّ لَا یُقْبَلُ مِنْهَا شَفَاعَةٌ وَّ لَا یُؤْخَذُ مِنْهَا عَدْلٌ وَّ لَا هُمْ یُنْصَرُوْنَ.
And fear the Day when no soul will be recompensed for another, nor will intercession be accepted from it, nor will any exchange be taken from it.
There is no kinship at all, the Quran did not even accept lineage. When the son of Prophet Noah behaved badly, God also expelled him from his household.
’’ اِنَّهٗ لَـيۡسَ مِنۡ اَهۡلِكَ ۚاِنَّهٗ عَمَلٌ غَيۡرُ صَالِحٍ ۖ
“Indeed, he is not from your household, because his actions and morals are not righteous.”
The possibility of establishing the entire religion through establishing justice
If this principle of the Quran is established in society, the rest of the religion will be established. Three things have been mentioned in the hadiths that if established in society, the rest of the religion will be established. One of them is guardianship. The second is enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong, and the third is justice. If these three pillars are established in society, the rest of the religion will be established. Because this is the main pillar of the tent of religion. And it must be established within the society. Society cannot be just with a few people and religion cannot be established in it. Yes, if the society is just, the individuals will be just. He will be a very wicked person who is a criminal in a just society.
Explanation of the word Tansaq
Considering the need for justice in society, Bibi Zahraa (sa) said:
جَعَلَ اَللَّهُ اَلْعَدْلَ تَنْسِيقاً لِلْقُلُوبِ
God has placed justice to create order and harmony in hearts.
This translation is consistent with one version of the sermon, but in another version, “tansik” is used. The word “tansik” also appears in the Quran, as in “an salaati wa naski.” The translators have translated “naski” as acts of worship, although this is not its literal meaning. The literal meaning of “Nask” is to wash and clean, as when dirty clothes are washed and their original color is restored, it is called “Nask.” Similarly, when agricultural land is contaminated with salt and is no longer suitable for cultivation, the farmer tries to cleanse the land of these salts with a special trick or method. This process is also called “nask” in Arabic. It means removing the pollution and dirt from something and making it usable. Similarly, purifying dirty water and making it drinkable is “nask”
The acts of Hajj are called rituals because those who have been contaminated by sins are purified in Mecca through the various acts of Hajj and their impurities are removed. For this reason, it is narrated that after Hajj, a person is as if reborn from the mother’s womb.
So, if clothes are contaminated, they can be made usable through Tansik, if land is no longer suitable for cultivation, it can be made suitable for cultivation through Tansik, if water is contaminated, it can be made suitable for drinking through Tansik, and so on. When people become poor because of sins, they can be purified through Tansik through the rituals of Hajj.
Justice as a means of purifying hearts
Hazrat Fatima (saww) says that God has made justice a means to purify hearts. What makes the heart dirty so that it becomes pure and pure? All moral diseases and pollutions are related to the heart. Hatred is born in the heart, backbiting, slander, malice, in fact, every evil is related to the heart. When the heart becomes polluted, it needs purification. What is the means of purification? Hazrat Zahra (PBUH) said that the means of purification and purity of hearts is justice. If justice comes to the heart, these diseases will disappear one by one. Because all these things are garbage and if all these things enter the heart, they become a garbage dump. All kinds of garbage are thrown into the garbage dump. If someone’s heart becomes a garbage dump, how can that person go to heaven with this heart? Because heaven is a place of purity, not a place of stinking garbage dump. God created hell for such garbage dumps, where such things are burned and purified. Therefore, If we leave this world without purifying our heart, which is like a garbage dump, our fate will be very bad, so we must purify it here and there. Justice purifies the human heart and makes it balanced and balanced. After that, the good qualities
that make this heart beautiful begin to emerge in this heart.
