"O you who have believed, be persistently standing firm in justice, witnesses for Allah , even if it be against yourselves or parents and relatives. Whether one is rich or poor, Allah is more worthy of both. So follow not [personal] inclination, lest you not be just. And if you distort [your testimony] or refuse [to give it], then indeed Allah is ever, with what you do, Acquainted."
[Surat An-Nisā' (4:135)]

Justice. The word ‘justice’ appears 24 times in the Quran in 22 verses. Such is the importance of this term in the eyes of the Almighty. So much so that the word ‘Justice’ is one of the central ideas of the Quran because it is one of the most important attributes of Allah Himself. The MOST JUST.

The word justice means to put everything in place, there where it is supposed to be. So justice can take place in all walks of life; in family, in business, at work, with friends and everywhere else. Closely related to the concept of justice in the Quran is the concept of Equality which goes hand in hand with justice. A simple example of justice in Islam is the Friday prayers, where men stand together, shoulder to shoulder, rich or poor, dark or fair skinned and pray together. That is equality. That is justice. And THAT is what Allah has asked us to embrace.

Allah has said “O My slaves, I have forbidden injustice for Myself and forbade it also for you.  So avoid being unjust to one another.” Such a beautiful verse in which Allah has declared that when HE himself shows justice to His entire creation then why can’t we do the same? Indeed He expects us to stay away from injustice the same way that he does.

But the places where the term ‘Justice’ has been mentioned in the Quran has a far deeper meaning than what can be superficially seen. Allah has said in the Quran “We sent Our Messengers with clear signs and sent down with them the Book and the Measure in order to establish justice among the people…” (Quran 57:25)” THIS justice that Allah is talking about is the knowledge of Islam that Allah spread to His creation through His messengers. Him giving us Islam as a religion and Quran as the complete code of life is Him giving us Justice. Justice that we may use our entire lives. Justice that will help us become better Muslims, go to the right path, and enter Jannah.

Allah says in the Quran: “O you who believe!  Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah, even if it be against yourselves, your parents, and your relatives, or whether it is against the rich or the poor...” (Quran 4:135)

So when Allah says that we should stand firm in Justice even against our family and friends, He does not only mean the Justice of the worldly life but also the Justice that one follows by embracing Islam. By reading the Quran and the references of justice given in it, let’s all hope to become better Muslims and be just to Allah’s creation as well as to Him, just like He is to us. Ameen.