How to react to people’s injustice and Wickedness
In our daily life we come across situations in which we feel handled unjust. Sometimes this can be due to misunderstanding but in most cases we can be victim of a verbal or even physical assault. A traumatic experience or discrimination. This can be challenging especially when it happens in a social context where we are bound to collaborate with those who treat us unjustly. It can happen everywhere: in family, friendship or in a context of studying or working together with people. It might start in the form of simple criticism and end up with persecution. Sages and prophets and men of wisdom of every time were said to have been very good in handling criticism and rough treatments. General personal development and psychological know-how are very helpful in many of such cases. But spiritual understanding can also pride a tremendous help especially when the real causes of the injustices are not perceivable in first sight.
The Mercy of God is above his wrath
1- To take revenge
There is a renowned book by Dale Carnegie entitled “ how to win friends and influence people” in which some of the greatest ideas about the best way to react to people are plainly exposed but you may not always succeed to implement some of the best advice of specialist in society without taking to account the spiritual aspect. Basically, when we feel misunderstood or injured in our ego due to rough insulting words or a discriminative behaviour, we will instinctively tent to do put ourselves into what psychologists call the fight mode. This is because humans are mostly guided by emotions . We turn into the fight mode and react in avenge to save the face or protect our ego.
However, to take revenge is not the way of righteousness because God forgives those who forgive others and one of the basic spiritual wisdom is that the strongest is not the one with physical strength but the one who can master himself.
As a psychological matter of fact criticizing your opponents will never help solve a matter. Even the most evident criminal will turn into the defensive when you blame him for doing something. And he might remember you some of your ow mistakes as nobody is free from failure.
“If Allah were to take people to task for their injustice, he would not have left a single creature on earth.” ( Quran 16: 61)
Therefore the fight mode should never be the first option against injustice but mastering oneself and persevering until one knows the right thing to do.
God is sufficient as helper
2- To ask for justice, the call a friend mode
This is a better option in our world. Our societies have laws and order, courts and several institutions that can be helpful to victims of oppression and injustice. However not everyone will satisfactory find a solution in these institution . Trying to understand
your experience and gaining control of yourself is sometime more efficient, as we often learn more from hardship and oppression as from books. However consulting a psychologist or an expert spiritual counsellor can be helpful.
To ask for justice is something everyone would like to do when he has been treated unjustly. The problem with asking for justice is that we are ourselves never perfect. God says in the books of wisdom: “Tell the sinners that if they repent I will forgive them, and tell the righteous that if I do some justice for them I will punish them.” That is the reason why it is better to forgive. Asking for justice is the best option of the people of the world as many of them do not believe in the hereafter, or even when they believe, would rather ask for their reward in this world. There is a clear example in a book of Imam Al Ghazali:
Among the children of Israel was a fisherman who used to catch fish and sustain his family thereby. One day a large fish fell into his net, and he rejoiced and said:
-“I will sell the fish and use the proceeds for our expense.” On the way a Bailiff cane up to him and asked,
-“Will you sell this fish? “The fisherman said to himself, “If I will sell, he will not give me a good price for it”; so he replied,
-”I am not selling it.” The bailiff grew angry and beat the fisherman on the back with a stick; then he took the fish without paying anything for it. The fisherman prayed,
-“O Lord, You created me weak and him strong; get me redress form him in this world, as I do not have the patience to wait for the world to come!
The bailiff carried the fish to his house and told his wife to broil it. His wife broiled the fish, and laid it on a tray and bought it to he husband.
According to one account, the man ate the fish and his finger began to ache and he became feverish. According to another account, the man stretched out his hand to partake of the fish , and the fish opened his mouth and bit the man’s finger and he became feverish, The doctor said.
-“ The hand must be amputated; but when he had amputated it, the pain again reappeared, and the man became so extremely feverish that he slipped away into the desert and began crying(to God) for help. Seeing a tree, he sat down beneath it and fell asleep. And in a dream(he was told):
–”Before you have the other hand cut off, give satisfaction to your adversary. After waking from his dream he meditated and remembered,
“ I have taken that fish unjustly and the fish has bitten me.” he went back to the city, found the fisherman, fell at his feet and wept remorsefulness;then he gave him all that he possessed. The fisherman was satisfied, and immediately the pain bated. He slept that night, and on the next day God restored his hand. God sent a revelation to Moses: “O Moses, if (this man) had not given satisfaction to his adversary, I who am God would have tortured him thus long as he lived. 1
All the prophets taught to forgive
3- To forgive.
There is an Islamic spiritual wisdom saying that the good deeds of the oppressor will go into the account of the oppressed whereas the oppressed will inherit the good deeds of the oppressor
Allah forgives those who do good. And those who do good forgive others. The greatest reward is for the patient ones. “And whoever is patient and forgives – indeed, that is of the matters [requiring] determination”(quran 42:43])Those who persevere in hardships until they understand the real cause of the unjust treatment and the wickedness of others. The Bible and the quran teach us that those who are nor merciful will not be pardoned. And one of the main criterion of men of faith is their ability to feel remorse and repent after they have committed a wrong action. In we are patient enough to forgive we will always get the best spiritual understanding and the best reward. It is a common knowledge hat every good deed return to the doer and it is forbidden to rejoice from people’s sufferance and calamity.
“And if you punish [an enemy, O believers], punish with an equivalent of that with which you were harmed. But if you are patient – it is better for those who are patient” (quran 16:126)
Sometimes you can return good for bad
4- To do good for bad: The spiritual mode.
The perfection of faith is when we are able to control our emotions so that we will not only forgive those who wrong us, but pray for them to be guided and do good to them. There are many hadiths stating that behaviour is part of faith as those who are guided are the best in their behaviour.
“But if you pardon and overlook and forgive – then indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful” (quran 64:14). Unless forgiving might lead to more corruption o the hearts, it is the best option for a man of God. However forgiving sinners and wrongdoers should be conditioned by their willing to change and improve in themselves. In many cases forgiving is giving the good example to follo . If one were to forgive in a case where the wrongdoer is being encouraged in his wrong actions then it forbidding becomes a sin.
If to goal is to help people improve then forgiveness should be direct. Misunderstanding of the character of prophets comes from this. Helping people change is one of the greatest challenges in life but no one should forgive or pardon people with no will to change. Imagine that a government say they will pardon all criminals unconditionally. This is the most dangerous things for the citizens as there is no sign that they will not commit more crimes and it is a way of encouraging evil. But if your pray for them and see that they can repent, give up sins and follow the path that is straight, then rewarding them is an option.
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