Part 3
Karim Akrami
Advice on Justice
Justice is one of the most fundamental principles, and no Islamic system can last without it. In many of his statements, the Amir al-Mu’minin (HA) has presented this principle as more than a simple moral recommendation. He has said it is the means by which the Islamic government survives. At a gathering of religious scholars in Kabul, he took the Seerah of Hazrat Ali (RA) as the model and stressed that justice in the Islamic system must mean this: if the Amir himself or anyone connected to the government goes to court, the judgment must be like the ruling of a judge in the time of Hazrat Ali’s (RA) caliphate.
These words show his deep understanding of what justice means for the stability of the Islamic political system, because in his view an oppressive government never stays and cannot last. At the same gathering he pointed to the story of the case between Hazrat Ali (RA) and a Jewish man, in which the verdict went in the Jewish man’s favor, and stressed that judgment in the Islamic system must be based on justice, with no regard for a person’s status or position.
Another important point that can be seen clearly in his words is the link between justice and the fear of Allah (SWT). He has warned that if an oppressed, innocent prisoner is harassed and abused in prison, there is no veil between him and Allah (SWT), and his supplication can destroy the system in a single moment. This warning is a reminder that comes from faith and Islam, from a deep belief that Allah (SWT) watches over what rulers do.
It is not a political threat. With this statement the Amir al-Mu’minin (HA) tells officials that justice is more than an administrative duty. It is a trust, and if the trust is betrayed, the consequences will catch up with them, in this world and in the hereafter. He has also said: “If one day, God forbid, I go to court, it must be like the ruling the judge gave under the caliphate of Hazrat Ali (RA).” This alone shows that in the system of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), no one is above divine law and sharia.
From an analytical point of view, what the Amir al-Mu’minin (HA) says about the justice of Hazrat Ali (RA) can be summed up in a few basic points. First, everyone is equal before the law. He has said that if he himself or anyone else affiliated with the government goes to court, they must be tried like ordinary people. Second, special sensitivity and attention toward the oppressed. His warning about oppressed prisoners shows that the Islamic system must protect the downtrodden and must never let power become a tool for oppressing the innocent. Third, justice and the survival of the system are tied together.
The Amir al-Mu’minin (HA) has also said plainly that oppression destroys governments, and where justice does not rule, fitna and discord take the place of security and peace. In this regard he has warned that if powerful, well-connected people are not tried for their violations, and only helpless, oppressed people with no connections are tried, this system will not last and will be destroyed.
In another part of his words, the Amir al-Mu’minin (HA) has said that justice is necessary in every field of governance, the courts included. He has said that a sound policy, governing on the basis of the sharia, protecting the Islamic sharia and enforcing the hudud in an Islamic government are obligatory. This statement shows that in his thinking justice goes beyond judging cases and must be observed in every government decision, from the distribution of resources to the treatment of people.
In the view of the Amir al-Mu’minin (HA), justice is the main pillar. If it weakens, the whole structure of the Islamic system falls, and if it stays firm, society moves toward happiness and peace. By stressing that “justice is the means by which a government survives,” he is trying to root the principle of justice in every part of the Islamic system, so that Afghan society can find lasting peace and security under its protection.
The words of the Amir al-Mu’minin (HA) on justice show a deep and all-round understanding of the responsibility of Islamic governance. By taking the Seerah of the noble Sahabah as the model, he is working to build a system in which every person, from the highest office to the lowest citizen, is equal before the divine law, and no one can use their power to oppress others.
This approach, if it is properly carried out across society, can strengthen public trust in the Islamic system and encourage the people to support it, because experience has shown that people grow attached to a government that establishes justice among them, and they stand behind it. This is the very ideal the IEA has set out to achieve.
