Part 10
By Khyber Jalal
8. Moderation in Judgment and Decision-Making
One of the areas where Islam places great emphasis on moderation and balance is judgment and decision-making. Much of the injustice, conflict, and unfairness found in society begins when people allow emotions, tribal prejudice, personal interests, or loyalty to relatives and friends to influence their decisions. When they turn away from the path of justice and fairness, make decisions contrary to divine law, and trample the rights of others, they end up choosing the path of oppression and abandoning fairness and balance in their judgments.
Islam obliges rulers, judges, and anyone entrusted with making decisions to make truth and justice their standard, not ethnicity, material gain, or personal desire. They are commanded to avoid every form of bias and unfair favoritism. Allah the Almighty says:
﴿إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُكُمْ أَنْ تُؤَدُّوا الْأَمَانَاتِ إِلَىٰ أَهْلِهَا وَإِذَا حَكَمْتُمْ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ أَنْ تَحْكُمُوا بِالْعَدْلِ﴾ [النساء: 58]
“Indeed, Allah commands you to render trusts to whom they are due and when you judge between people to judge with justice.”
The scholars of Quranic commentary explain that this verse speaks in particular to Muslim rulers and judges, reminding them to deal with people’s affairs fairly and to rule with justice. But this responsibility does not rest with rulers and judges alone. Every member of society should adopt the path of moderation and fairness in every part of life, within the family, in the community, at work, and wherever decisions have to be made. Justice should always come first.
The Holy Quran also instructs Muslims to remain just even when their own relatives are involved. Allah Almighty says:
﴿وَإِذَا قُلْتُمْ فَاعْدِلُوا وَلَوْ كَانَ ذَا قُرْبَى﴾ [الأنعام: 152]
“Whenever you speak, maintain justice, even regarding a close relative.”
Moderation in judgment means listening carefully to every side before reaching a conclusion, weighing the evidence fairly, and avoiding hasty decisions. Many rushed judgments end up violating people’s rights and planting the seeds of long-lasting resentment and hostility.
This principle has equal importance in everyday life. Parents should treat their children fairly. A manager should deal justly with employees. A teacher should assess students without discrimination. Anyone entrusted with responsibility must avoid prejudice, tribal bias, unfair favoritism, and every form of unjust treatment. For this reason, Islam has chosen the path of moderation and balance in judgment and decision-making, a path built on justice, the search for truth, fairness, and freedom from prejudice. Whenever this principle takes root in society, trust among people grows stronger, while injustice, conflict, and oppression steadily decline.
