OPPRESSION IS DARKNESS
Religiousness or commitment to religion does not mean that man should concentrate wholly on the side of the rituals of worship and leave the other one of treatment or practical behavior in his life dark, confused and disturbed.
Certainly, he should not do that, for the Exalted Allah did not send His Apostles to teach people only prayer and fasting. Rituals are means of purification, and man's treatment and good behavior should be the outcome of this worship. When the main purpose of worship does not exist and does not lead to the required result, the cause (worship) becomes worthless because it loses its truth.
Hasn't our Lord said: "for Prayer restrains from shameful and unjust deeds" (Al 'Ankabut, v. 45)? Prayer is not ordained to purify only the heart and soul of man, but it should also results in righteous behavior and treatment.
The Exalted Allah said:
"We sent aforetime Our messengers with Clear Signs and sent down with them the Book and the Balance (of Right and Wrong), that men may stand forth in justice" (Al Hadid, v. 25).
The religious influence on the individual, community and society should be reflected in treatment. When treatment is fair and righteous, and void of any deception, fraudulence or oppression, this will certainly be an indication of religiousness.
The aspect of the crowded mosques, with people who come to perform the night prayer in Ramadan, is not an indication of religiousness, unless it is accompanied with honesty in markets, mastery of work in factories, and truthfulness in society. Otherwise it would be a mere custom, and the difference between habit and worship is that the latter presents righteous treatment on the part of man.
This is a truth which every one who calls himself committed to religion should measure himself by.
Concerning this idea, the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said:
"the dishonest man is a disbeliever", for if his faith is true, it will be manifest in his treatment so that he preserves the trust.
The Exalted Allah said:
"Allah doth command you to render back your trusts to those to whom they are due" (Al Nisa', v.58).
The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) also said:
"whoever has no commitment, has no religion",
i.e., the one who does not keep his promises and pledges is irreligious, for the believer is led by religion to the straight way. But when man promises to oblige himself to a covenant, then he does not keep his promise, he is not influenced by his religion, and the required effect is not manifested in his behavior, so he has no religion because he has no commitment.
Concerning this idea, I extrapolated the verses that deal with oppression from the Holy Qur'an, and found that they are divided into two main types:
1-Man's oppression to himself.
2-Man's oppression to the others.
Man's oppression to himself is when he disobeys the instructions of the Exalted Allah concerning his personal behavior with himself. But when this oppression proceeds to trespass on the others, it is something else. I noticed that when the Holy Qur'an mentions man's oppression to himself, Allah's forgiveness and pardon are also mentioned with it in this case.
The one who oppresses himself is liable to be forgiven if he turns to the Exalted Allah in repentance with sincerity, but the case of the one who oppresses the others is quite different, for torture awaits him in this world and in the Hereafter.
The Exalted Allah forgives the oppressor of himself if the latter repents and asks forgiveness, but the one whose oppression proceeds to the others, should expect torture in this life and the Hereafter.
I found this conclusion clear in the following verses while I was reading the Holy Qur'an:
"Be quick in the race for forgiveness from your Lord, and for a Garden whose width is that (of the whole) of the heavens and of earth, prepared for the righteous. Those who spend (freely), whether in prosperity, or in adversity; who restrain anger, and pardon (all) men; for Allah loves those who do good. And those who, having done something to be ashamed of, or wronged their own souls (i.e., those who do wrong and commit a sin in their personal behavior), they mention Allah (i.e., they remember the Greatness of Allah and His generosity, His favor and His mercy), and ask for forgiveness for their sins, and who can forgive sins except Allah? and are never obstinate in persisting knowingly in (the wrong) they have done" (Al Umran, vs. 133-135).
And:
If they had only, when they were unjust to themselves, come unto thee (i.e., come to the Prophet (PBUH), and asked Allah's forgiveness, and the Messenger had asked forgiveness for them, they would have found Allah indeed Oft-Returning, Most Merciful" (Al Nisa', v. 64).
The speech of the queen of Saba' who embraced Islam with our master Solomon (PBUH) can be mentioned in this context:
"She said: O my Lord! I have indeed wronged my soul; I do (now) submit (in Islam), with Solomon, to the Lord of the Worlds" ( Al Naml, v. 44).‏
But the Holy Qur'an mentioned this incident in her biography after explaining that this queen was not unfair. She was just and used to depend on the method of mutual consultation in ruling her country. Describing her while she was talking with her nation, the Holy Qur'an said:
"She said: Ye chiefs! Advise me in (this) my affair (i.e., concerning the message sent by Solomon , PBUH, to her); no affair have I decided except in your presence" (Al Naml, v. 32)
She abstained from taking any decision alone unless it depends on mutual consultation. Oppression is denied when the ruler applies the method of mutual consultation, because he will not be depending on the 'I' that produces oppression to the others.
She did not worship the Exalted Allah before she became a Muslim. She worshipped the sun, but she did not oppress the others. The Holy Qur'an describes her behavior before she became a Muslim as oppressor to the self as she admitted:
"She said: O my Lord! I have indeed wronged my soul I do (now) submit (in Islam), with Solomon, to the Lord of the Worlds",
so the Exalted Allah accepted her and made her honored and revered.
If we move on to the verses that deal with another kind of oppression, we read:
"Those who unjustly eat up the property of orphans, eat up a fire into their own bodies: they will soon be enduring a blazing fire"(Al NIsa', v. 10).
Throughout this verse, there is no mention of any meaning that refers to any forgiveness or pardon. The right of Allah could be forgiven when one asks forgives and repents, but what about the trespassing on the others' rights?
"Those who unjustly eat up the property of orphans, eat up a fire into their own bodies: they will soon be enduring a blazing fire".
In the same context, there is a queer comparison in the following verse where the Exalted Allah makes oppression equal to atheism:
" Those who reject Faith and do wrong, Allah will not forgive them nor guide them to any way. Except the way of Hell, to dwell therein forever. And this to Allah is easy" (Al NIsa',vs. 168-169).
This comparison is mentioned only to refer to the abominable state of oppression.
Referring to the torture of the oppressors on the Day of Judgment in the Holy Qur'an, we read the following:
" Every soul that hath sinned", i.e., every soul that oppressed the others not itself. There is a great difference between the two types of oppression, for in the first case man's oppression is restricted to his personal circle, whereas in the second one, oppression is directed to the others with brutality, beastliness, greed and avarice.
"if it possessed all that is on earth", if the man that used to oppress the others to accumulate wealth, or to get high position in society or authority possessed all the wealth of the world on the Day of Resurrection, he would give everything he possessed, and everything he has got in his life and all that he used to dream of getting, to present it as a ransom to redeem himself from the painful torture that awaits him in the Hereafter, but all that will not make him be exempted from torture.
"if it possessed all that is on earth would fain give it in ransom: they would declare (their) repentance when they see the penalty" (Yunus, v. 54).
In another verse, the same meaning is emphasized with a little difference:
"Even if the wrongdoers had all that there is on earth, and as much more", i.e., double the wealth of the earth. I used to wonder about the secret of doubling the torture by doubling the ransom of the sinner in this case, whereas in the previous case the oppressor would redeem himself by the wealth of all the world!
Try to understand the meaning of the Qur'anic expressions. In the first case, there is one oppressor with nobody to help him in oppressing the others, whereas in this case, there is collective oppression where oppressors help one another, for whoever helps an oppressor is also an oppressor like him. Therefore the case is doubled here, as there is collective oppression where a group of people join together to produce oppression.
"Even if the wrongdoers had all that there is on earth, and as much more (in vain) would they offer it for ransom from the pain of the Penalty on the Day of Judgment: but something will confront them from Allah, which they could never have counted upon" (Al Zumur, v. 47).
The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, as related in the sound Hadith:
"Be on guard against committing oppression, for oppression will be darkness on the Day of Resurrection",
i.e., let a far distance separate you from oppression as protection.
The Holy Qur'an also decides that oppressors should expect not only the torture of the Hereafter, but torture in this life will also befall them. This worldly torture might be either:
-at the hands of the believers, or
-another type of torture sent by the Exalted Allah by way of cosmic disaster as expressed by the Holy Qur'an:
"Such were the populations we destroyed when they committed iniquities; but we fixed an appointed time for their destruction" (Al Kahf, v. 59).
And:
"but we visited the wrongdoers with a grievous punishment" (Al A'raf, v. 156).
And:
"Of the wrongdoers the last remnant was cut off. Praise be to Allah, the Cherisher of the worlds" (Al An'am, v. 45).
Removing the oppressors from the earth is a favor from the Exalted Allah that is worthy of thanks.
The Exalted Allah warns people who witness oppression and do not object to it, because torture befalls not only the oppressors when there is amongst them people who bend their heads in approval and keep silent. In such a case, torture befalls them all:
"And fear tumult or oppression, which affecteth not in particular (only) those of you who do wrong: and know that Allah is strict in punishment" (Al Anfal, v. 25).
Keeping silent with no objection to oppression is like making a hole in the boat of society, i.e., when an oppressing group join together to make a hole in the boat of society, and nobody prevents them from doing that, all society will be drowned and perish.
The Holy Qur'an also warns against, not only keeping silent, but when there is inclination deep in the hearts to that oppression. The inclination that implies liking to the oppressors is one of the causes that incurs torture, so how would the case be with the oppressor himself? If the inclination of the heart to the liking of the oppressor brings about torture, how about the oppressor himself?
The Exalted Allah said:
"And incline not to those who do wrong, or the fire will seize you; and ye have no protectors other than Allah, nor shall ye be helped" (Hud, v. 113)
-As for the type of torture inflicted by means of the believers upon the oppressors, there is an example mentioned in the Book of the Exalted Allah about the good believer king, Thul Qarnain:
" He said: whoever doth wrong, him shall we punish; (Inflicting torture on the oppressor is a means to prevent him from oppressing the others which is the very same justice), "then shall he be sent back to his Lord; and he will punish him with a punishment unheard of (before" )Al Kahf, v. 84).
Thus, the oppressors suffer two types of torture, in this life and in the Hereafter.
The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said:
"Whoever eats lawful food (i.e., earns money lawfully) and applies the Sunnah (he is guided by the instructions of the Messenger of Allah, PBUH), and people feel safe from his evil (Bawa'iqahu), he will enter Paradise." He said " people" not "Muslims or the believers" 'Bawa'q' is the plural of 'Ba'iqa' which means a very bothering matter.
When you harm somebody and cause him pain and distress, you become away from the means that lead you to Paradise.
Thus, man has to realize three conditions.
Write them down and make them your constitution in life "Whoever eats lawful food, and applies the Sunnah, and people feel safe from his harm, he will enter Paradise" (a good traceable Hadith).
I conclude my speech by the agreed upon Hadith of Al Mustafa (PBUH), narrated by Al Bukhari and Muslim, the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said:
"By Allah, he does not believe. By Allah, he does not believe. By Allah, he does not believe". (the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) swore for three times), It was said: 'Who is that, Oh Allah's Me3ssenger?' (Who is the person that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) swore for three times that he is away from faith) He said: 'that person whose neighbor does not feel safe from his evil".
After all that, will you measure yourself accordingly, and ask yourself whether your soul is an oppressor or not?
Does your tongue oppress people by spreading scandals about them?
Do you attribute to people qualities they are innocent of, and be, thereby, an oppressor by your tongue and your soul?
Do you oppress by your wealth? Do you oppress by your power? Do help an oppressor? Do you cooperate with an oppressor? Does your heart feel inclination towards an oppressor?
Discipline your tongue. Discipline your money. Discipline your behavior.
The oppression that is between you and the Exalted Allah may be forgiven, but that between you and the servants of the Exalted Allah will be the cause of chaining you and imprisoning you in the darkness of Hell when you oppress them.
"Be on guard against committing oppression, for oppression will be darkness on the Day of Resurrection".
We should have a little pause and review our deeds and have self-accounting so that we do not have the illusion that the frequent remembering of the Exalted Allah, or frequent prayer we perform or fasting may make us be away from this darkness that oppression leads to.
The Messenger of Allah said that "a man may elongate his travel, dishevel, dust-covered, raising his hands in invocation to heaven and saying: 'Oh my Lord…Oh my Lord…', whereas his food is unlawful, his drink is unlawful, his clothes are unlawful, and he is nourished by the unlawful, so how can his invocation be accepted?"
Allahum…Guide us to You favorably, and make us from those who listen to wisdom and follow the best of it.
I say my words and ask Allah's forgiveness.