'God commands justice, doing good, and generosity towards relatives and He forbids what is shameful, blameworthy, and oppressive. He teaches you, so that you may take heed'. (al-Nahl 16: 90) This Ayah summarizes a Muslim's political and social responsibility: to enjoin the good and forbid the evil, to promote goodness and strive against evil in every capacity that's possible. Three commandments that Allah calls for: rough translation: Justice, Excellence, and kinship! Three evils that Allah warns from: shamelessness, wrongdoings, and aggression. According to Ibn Ashur, justice (‘adl) is to give the bare minimum of rights when due, and it encompasses: ● 'Justice towards one’s self, as when Allah says, Do not contribute to your destruction with your own hands (al-Baqarah 2: 159), by prohibiting intoxicants. ● Justice towards our Creator, by acknowledging His attributes and fulfilling our duties towards Him. ● Justice towards the rest of creation, in our social and family circles, in both our speech and our actions Allah says: 'And when you speak [i.e., testify], be just, even if [it concerns] a near relative' [al-Anaam 6:152] and 'when you judge between people to judge with justice' [al-Nisaa’ 4:58]' And if justice is the bare minimum that a Muslim should give when it’s due, then ihsan (excellence) is the maximum: it encompasses excellence in worshipping Allah as though one can see Him (as in the famous Hadith of Jibril), as well as excellence in dealing with people, especially when no social norm or right invites us to do so. Ihsan and justice are particularly important when it comes to our relatives, as the social justice framework in Islam starts with and focuses especially on our direct and extended families and relatives. At the same time, Allah forbids three specific acts of injustices and sins that people may commit towards themselves, their families, or communities: ● Lewdness and indecency (fahsha’), which refers to committing or spreading morally inappropriate actions and behaviour, such as adultery and fornication. Clearly, such acts threaten the basic unit of the society, the family, that Muslims are told by Allah to protect. ● Recognized evil (munkar), which refers to the disagreeable and objectionable acts that human beings with sound minds and hearts reject and abhor (see Hadith 12 for more insight). ● Rebellion and aggression (baghy) against Allah and His commands, or against the innocent, the weak, and the oppressed segment of a community.

For more insight on this, feel free to grab a copy for my upcoming book on activism and community service:

https://tinyurl.com/40hadithactivism

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