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

68
JUSTICE AND TOLERANCE IN THE OUR'AN
A Muslim knows only too well how severe this
punishment might be. God is the al-Adl, the Just, and He
renders His servants perfect justice. He will show His justice
to His servants in the hereafter in the same way that He does
in this world. People will give account of every deed,
whether important or insignificant, they have done all
through their lives, every remark they have uttered and
every thought that occurred in their minds, and they will be
repaid for them. This will take the form of either the endless
blessings of Paradise or painful punishment:
Each and every one of you will return to Him. God's
promise is true. He brings creation out of nothing and
then regenerates it so that he can repay with justice
those who had faith and did right actions. Those who
were disbelievers will have a drink of scalding water
and a painful punishment because of their disbelief.
(Qur'an, 10:4)
For this reason, a Muslim avoids all kinds of behaviour
which will not be pleasing to God. The social life marked by
peace and tolerance during the administration of the Prophet
Muhammad (pbuh), the caliphs succeeding him and other
Muslim administrators, depended on commitment to the
Qur'an.
As exemplified in this book, Muslims have an honourable
past with the justice, mercy, tolerance, compassion, conscience
they displayed and the noble values they possessed. There is
therefore nothing to prevent the Muslims of today drawing
lessons from past experiences and re-establishing justice on
earth, and putting an end to cruelty. The only thing that
remains to be done is to act in unity and to strive seriously to
attain the real justice promised in the Qur'an.