Transcription
My dear Yusuf, I didn't intend to tell you this now. Yusuf! I didn't want to pressure you. Why? Why? Why do You make it so hard? Why do You make it so hard for us, why? Why is every step like carving through rock, why? Why is war destined for us wherever we are?
I am fighting every day, every day. Every minute. Why is the life of others easier, why? Since the day we were born, we've suffered. Even when we left. What, do You hate me? Do You hate us? What did we do? I have been bold with You at times. But I swear, it's from my heartbreak. Forgive me. Forgive me. We are tired. I am tired. I'm tired and can't go on.
You've gotten past the why questions, you've gotten past the when questions, and you've gotten past the how questions. But now your heart still aches for justice, not only justice for you, but justice for the oppressed all over the world. And Allah loves that about you. You start to prioritize others over yourself and stop focusing on when you finally get what you think you deserve, but instead on how to deliver for those who can't fend for themselves because of some human imbalance of power. You're done asking for control, but you're still striving for balance in a world that seems to keep tipping in favor of the oppressor.
Indeed, Allah... ...does not wrong people at all, but people... ...wrong themselves. Indeed, Allah does not wrong a people in the least, but it is people who wrong themselves and sometimes others. So the balance was set by Him, but sometimes He lets imbalance run its short course here so that the scales can be perfectly set there. Yet you still feel the weight of that weight, especially when a voice is silenced that shouldn't have been silenced. And what makes you greater in the sight of Allah is when you start loving justice, not only when you're the one being wronged, but even when justice costs you something. When it stops being about vindicating your own pain and becomes about creating a more just world, even if that means holding yourself to a higher standard.
As for Allah, He is Al-Adl, justice as a name. Al-Adl as a concept means two things: placing things where they belong, placing each thing in its proper place, and giving every entitled one their due. Giving everyone their due right. And Allah commands us to live by that. Indeed, Allah commands justice and excellence. Indeed, Allah commands justice and excellence. This verse establishes that without justice, you can't have peace. And Allah is saying that you can't have excellence without justice. You can't have peace without justice because ugliness blocks beauty. And when people's rights are taken, you don't throw empty courtesy at them. You restore their rights and reestablish the balance. Al-Adl is the Just, and He even governs Himself by justice. "O My servants, I have forbidden oppression for Myself, and I have made it forbidden among you, so do not oppress one another." O My servants, I have forbidden oppression for Myself, and I made it forbidden among you. So do not oppress one another. Who could prescribe anything on Allah but Allah? Only He has the power to make something forbidden for Himself. And even with the most vile human being on earth, Allah promises that He will not wrong them, not because He loves them, but because He loves justice. So on the On Judgment Day, we meet Allah's justice or His grace, but never undeserved wrath. Only perfect consequence or pure mercy. And this is the standard that Allah puts on us as well. "And do not let the hatred of a people lead you to be unjust. Be just; that is closer to piety." Do not let your hatred for a people lead you to be unjust. Be just. That is closer to taqwa, closer to piety.
The perfect manifestation of justice for you as an imperfect being is when you establish it against yourself, even when you don't have to, and even for someone you don't particularly like. Imam al-Sha'bi narrates that Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, while he was Caliph, once saw a Christian man walking around the city with armor that he thought he lost. So Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "That's mine." And the man said, "No, it's not. It's mine." And Ali, the Caliph of the Muslims, said, "Let's go to a judge." So the Caliph went to a judge for a man who wasn't even Muslim. And they go to Shurayh al-Qadi, the great judge. And he says, "Leader of the Believers, do you have proof this is yours?" And Ali started to laugh and he says, "The judge asked me if I have proof." and I have no proof." So Shurayh says, "Then I have to rule in favor of the Christian man." So as they're leaving, the man comes back and says, "I testify that this is the way of the prophets. The leader of the believers took me to his appointed judge, and his judge ruled against him, and then he abided by it. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is His messenger." He converted, took the armor, and handed it back to Ali, saying, "I found it falling from your luggage on the day of the Battle of Siffin." So Ali laughed and said, "Take it back, not as a return, but as a gift for you now embracing Islam." That's the type of justice that made people fall in love with Islam because we governed ourselves by Allah's name, Al-Adl. And Imam Ibn Taymiyyah said, "Indeed, Allah upholds the just state even if it is disbelieving, and He destroys the unjust state even if it is Muslim." Indeed, Allah will sustain a just nation even if they're not Muslim, and He may destroy an unjust nation even if they're Muslim. And the Prophet said, "The prayer of the oppressed has no barrier between it and Allah, even if he is a disbeliever." The prayer of the the oppressed has no barrier between it and Allah, even if the supplicant is a disbeliever.
That is how much weight Allah gives to justice, which brings us to His next name, Al-Muqsit. Al-Muqsit is the one who distributes His justice with perfect equity. It is a specific manifestation of Al-Adl. Think of it this way: Al-Adl is the overarching principle. Al-Qist refers to the fair distribution of rights, punishment, and reward in accordance with that justice. So while Al-Adl emphasizes His absolute justice, Al-Muqsit highlights the execution of that justice, ensuring perfect fairness for everyone. Now, in regards to our application, Adl is a lifestyle that prevents injustice before it even happens, while Qist is usually restoring balance after harm takes place. So when Allah tells us to make peace between fighting believers, He says, "Make peace between them with justice and act equitably. Indeed, Allah loves the equitable." Make peace between them with justice and then act equitably. And indeed, Allah loves those who act with equity. The Prophet said, "Indeed, the equitable, in the sight of Allah, will be on pulpits of light to the right of the Merciful." That the equitable will be upon pulpits of light to the right of the Most Merciful, those who were fair in their rulings and with their families and in everything that was entrusted to them. You'll never have the throne, but you can be in its shade if you act in accordance with Allah's justice.
But because our courts are human, we need another name, which is Al-Hakam, the judge who delivers the final verdict. This name appears only once in the Qur'an. "Shall I seek a judge other than Allah, who sent down to you the Book in detail?" Shall I seek a judge other than Allah while He is the one who sent down to you the book in detail? And one of the things that the Prophet would say in his night dua, "You judge between Your servants in what they used to differ. Guide me to the truth they differed on. You guide whom You will to a straight path." It is you who judges between your servants concerning what they differ. O Allah, guide me to the truth in that which they differ. Indeed, You guide whom You will to the straight path. Allah is the only one who can judge with full knowledge of what was hidden and what was revealed, who intended treachery and who swallowed pain. Even the greatest human judge to ever walk the face of the earth couldn't do that. And that was the Prophet, and he warned. He said, "I am only human, and you bring me your disputes. And perhaps one of you is more eloquent in arguing their case, and so I rule in his favor based upon what I'm hearing. But if I give him something from his brother's right, know that it is a piece of the fire." So even if you win a ruling here, Al-Hakam will still call the case up on the day of judgment, and he will settle it with a truth that no tongue can twist.
Al-Qadi Iyad once had two women that came to him crying, and they were wanting an early judgment in their favor. And he said, "I can't consider their tears as proof because the brothers of Joseph cried too. And they came to their father at night, weeping. But what if I am ruled against unjustly here? Maybe they had a better lawyer. Maybe the court system was stacked in their favor. Well, that's when I count on His justice there, which brings us to the last name in this family. Let's say in this world, the final verdict was in your favor. What about all the unseen elements of the trial? I want you to think about today's courtrooms. I personally witnessed a father whose son was killed, and he smiled for just a second at the guilty verdict of the murderer. But then he lowered his head and he said, "But I still don't get my son back." So beyond the judgment is the reckoning, and that's Allah's name, Al-Hasib, the sufficient reckoner. "And Allah is enough as a Reckoner." Allah is enough as the reckoner. He is Hasbuka, enough for you when you're going through it and when He rewards you for it. The scholars say Al-Hasib is the one who accounts for every element that no one else could capture. Nothing escapes Him. Not the hidden tears, not the apology that no one acknowledged, not the kindness that was misread as guilt, not the pain that no apology could heal, not even the text message that you decided not to send. Allah kept the receipts of it all. And note the subtle difference. Al-Hakam delivers the verdict. Al-Hasib delivers the consequence. Al-Hakam rules with full knowledge. Al-Hasib repays with full measure. Sometimes justice feels like it's too slow, but listen to how Allah speaks of its speed. "And Allah decides; there is no adjuster of His decision. And He is swift in account." Allah judges, and no one can reverse His judgment, and He is swift in His reckoning. That means two things for the oppressor. First, as soon as Allah seizes the oppressor at death, "He will never let him go." Second, Allah is swift and severe with His punishment. And so on the Day of Judgment, the billions of souls will not delay Allah bringing forth the tyrant to account. Remember when Umar said, "Take account of yourselves before you are taken to account." Take account of yourselves before being judged.
Every one of these names brings comfort and accountability. Be accountable for the sins you must repent for and the blessings you must thank Him for. Take comfort in knowing He never forgets a wrong done to you, and He loves to forgive the wrongs you repent from. Focus on your human part and let Him handle the rest.
O Just One, O You whose balance never tips unfairly, when the world feels rigged for cruelty, remind us that You are merely delaying the cruel and never unjust, even by the weight of an atom. Make us witnesses to Your justice in this life and part of its fulfillment in the next. Let us love justice ourselves and be purified from oppression within. O Equitable One, restore to the victims what was stolen from them, and to the weary hearts the hope they lost. Make us a people who act with equity and never swerve from accountability. O Judge, You are the judge when human courts fail, when truth is buried beneath lies. Let Your verdict rise, clear and unstoppable. Judge between us and those who wrong us without remorse, and let us not find ourselves except on the side of the oppressed. O Reckoner, You are enough when proof is hidden and power abused. Account for every unseen tear and every cruelty silenced by fear. Let Your reckoning come swift for those who harm and gently for those who endured. To Allah belong the most beautiful names, so call upon Him by them.