Yahya - Justice and Tolerance in the Qur'an (2003)

10
JUSTICE AND TOLERANCE IN THE OUR'AN
same truth: even if some people believe in the necessity of
justice, they may violate it when their interests are at stake.
Since people with such mentalities are in the majority in
some societies, justice remains an illusionary concept.
For due administration of justice over the world, a
morality which will enable people to set aside their personal
benefits for the sake of justice is needed.
This morality is the values of the Qur'an which God
commands and instructs us with in the Qur'an. That is
because the values of the Qur'an command an absolute
justice that makes no discrimination between people, that
sides only with what is true and just. In Sura Nisa, God
commands people to rule with justice, even if it works
against themselves:
O You who believe! Be upholders of justice, bearing
witness for God alone, even against yourselves or your
parents and relatives. Whether they are rich or poor,
God is well able to look after them. Do not follow your
own desires and deviate from the truth. If you twist or
turn away, God is aware of what you do. (Qur'an, 4:135)
As the verse maintains, justice that is carried out with the
fear of God and with the sole intention of earning God's
approval is true justice. This form of justice makes no
discrimination between people. When such justice is the
main goal, neither one's personal interests, kinship, enmity,
outlook on life, language, colour, nor race will influence his
decisions. He will decide only in favour of righteousness. In
societies in which people live by the values of the Qur'an, it
is certain that people will enjoy true justice, peace and trust.
Only someone who fears God and knows that he will be