Hadiths of the Prophet Regarding the Prohibition of Injustice
The teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) include numerous authentic hadiths that address the concept of injustice, highlighting its prohibition and warning against it. Some of these hadiths explicitly mention injustice by name, while others discuss various forms and examples of it. Among these hadiths are the following:
- In a sacred hadith reported by the Prophet, who narrates from Allah, the Almighty, He said: “O My servants! I have made injustice forbidden for Myself and made it forbidden among you. So do not commit injustice to one another. O My servants! All of you are misled except those whom I have guided. So seek guidance from Me, and I will guide you. O My servants! All of you are hungry except those whom I have fed. So ask Me for food, and I will feed you. O My servants! All of you are naked except those whom I have clothed. So ask Me for clothing, and I will clothe you. O My servants! You sin by night and by day, and I forgive all sins. So ask forgiveness from Me, and I will forgive you. O My servants! You cannot harm Me, nor can you benefit Me. O My servants! If the first of you and the last of you, the humans among you and the jinn among you, were to have the heart of the most righteous man among you, it would not add anything to My kingdom. And if they were to have the heart of the most wicked individual, it would not decrease anything from My kingdom. O My servants! If all of you stood together in one place and asked Me, and I gave each individual what they asked for, it would not decrease what I possess any more than a needle decreases the ocean when dipped into it. O My servants! Your deeds are counted for you, and then I will fulfill them for you. Whoever finds good, let them praise Allah, and whoever finds other than that, let them blame no one but themselves.”
This sacred hadith illustrates that Allah has prohibited injustice to emphasize its grave immorality and the severity of committing it.
- The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) stated: “Beware of injustice, for injustice will be darkness on the Day of Resurrection. And beware of greed, for greed destroyed those before you; it led them to shed blood and violate the sanctities of one another.”
This hadith emphasizes the importance of avoiding injustice, likening it to the darkness that will surround the wrongdoer on the Day of Judgment when only their deeds will count.
- He (peace be upon him) also said: “Support your brother, whether he is an oppressor or a victim.” A man asked, “O Messenger of Allah, I understand how to support him when he is a victim, but how can I support him when he is the oppressor?” He replied, “By restraining him or preventing him from committing injustice. This is how you support him.”
This illustrates the Prophet’s encouragement for Muslims to assist their fellow believers, whether they are the oppressors or the oppressed. The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) understood their duty to help the oppressed and questioned the support of an oppressor, to which the Prophet clarified that support for the oppressor comes from preventing them from committing injustice.
Hadiths of the Prophet on Various Forms of Injustice
There are hadiths that discuss certain forms and manifestations of injustice without explicitly using the term “injustice,” yet they fall within its definition. Examples include:
- The Prophet (peace be upon him) relayed Allah’s words: “Three individuals will I contend against on the Day of Resurrection: a man who makes a promise in My name and then betrays it, a man who sells a free person while knowing he is free, and a man who hires a worker and receives their full service without paying them their due.”
In this hadith, the Prophet describes three categories of individuals who have wronged others. Their injustice manifests as breaking a promise made in the name of Allah, taking the rights of others, such as in the case of someone selling a free person, or failing to compensate a worker for their efforts.
- Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Do you know who the bankrupt person is?” They replied, “The bankrupt among us is one who has no dirham or goods.” He then said: “The bankrupt among my followers is one who comes on the Day of Resurrection with prayers, fasting, and almsgiving, but he has also insulted, accused, consumed the wealth of, shed the blood of, and beaten others. His good deeds will be distributed among those he wronged, and if his good deeds are exhausted before he compensates them, he will be laden with their sins and thrown into the Fire because of his injustice.”
This hadith illustrates various forms of injustice, such as verbal abuse, unlawful accusations, physical harm, and taking others’ property without right. The Prophet described the perpetrator of such acts as bankrupt because on the Day of Judgment, they will be devoid of good deeds after compensating those they have wronged. If their good deeds are depleted before they fulfill their debts, they will be burdened with the sins of those they wronged, causing their evil deeds to outweigh their good ones, resulting in their punishment.
Types of Injustice
Injustice can be classified into three types according to some scholars:
- The injustice between a person and Allah, which manifests as disbelief, polytheism, or hypocrisy. This is highlighted in the verse of Allah: “Indeed, associating partners with Allah is a great injustice.”
- The injustice between one person and others, which involves transgressing against or violating the rights of others.
- The injustice a person inflicts upon themselves, illustrated in the verse: “He said, ‘My Lord, indeed I have wronged myself, so forgive me.’ And He forgave him; indeed, He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.”
The first two types of injustice fall under the third category of self-injustice, as the act of pursuing and committing injustice ultimately harms the individual who perpetrates it. The consequences of injustice and its adverse effects rebound upon the unjust individual themselves.