BE JUST among your children

“O you who have believed, be persistently standing firm for Allah, witnesses in justice, and do not let the hatred of a people prevent you from being just. Be just; that is nearer to righteousness. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is acquainted with what you do”. (Q5: Vs 8).

Justice is a prerequisite of piety. No one can be truly God- fearing without being just. No believer can be said to have true Faith until he or she aims to be just in every aspect of his or her life:  that may include just in relationship with Allah humanity and in every human transactions.

Someone who does not aim to be just can never be ranked among the pious. Allah says:  “O you who believe!  Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah, even if it be against yourselves, your parents, and your relatives, or whether it is against the rich or the poor…” (Quran 4:135). And a Hadith: says: “O My slaves, I have forbidden injustice for Myself and forbade it also for you.  So avoid being unjust to one another.” (Saheeh Muslim)

All people regardless of their religious beliefs and cultural background love and revere justice. Even people who engage in injustice in their lives are enamored of the concept and respond positively in their hearts whenever they hear the word “justice” being mentioned. Some people strive to be just, but unfortunately they either do not understand some aspects of what it means to act justly or they allow their judgment to be influenced by their sentiments and base desires. This makes them see their deeds as proper when in reality they are behaving unjustly.

They may appear fair in their dealings with colleagues, customers, superiors and subordinates; but at home, they are something else. When one x-rays their conducts within their families, the picture is strikingly different. Without knowing that their unjust conducts will put them at dangers of being resurrected in the Hereafter in twisted and unbalanced state, they kept going round in circle.

Nothing can be more unjust than being unfair between our children in even mundane things like gifts, we give them or in the kindness that we show and in the support that we give them. Consider the following account related in Sahih al-Bukhari (2456) and Sahih Muslim (3056): Bashir b. Sa’d once approached the propher (PBUH) to have him act as a witness to a substantial gift he was to  give his son al-Nu’man. The Prophet asked him: “Are you giving likewise to all of your children?”I do not act as a witness to injustice.” Upon hearing this, Bashir revoked his gift.

Henceforth, the pious companions and Sahbah were very careful about this matter. Some of them would  even be careful when it come to kissing their children to make sure  they are just in kissing  them, so as not to allow jealousy or envy to creep into their children’s hearts. Therefore, for this reason, they were able to maintain harmony in their homes and consequently bring lived in a community life where love and affection were widespread.

Among siblings there is also need to ensure justice. This is especially the case with older siblings towards younger ones especially when an older sibling becomes the primary source of funding or caregiver as a result of the death of their parents. It is important to mention that justice does not always mean absolute equality in spending. The needs of each child must be taken into careful consideration. For instance, a student in University obviously needs more financial support for his or her education than a child attending elementary school or Kindergarten. The toy that we buy for a two year old will usually not be as expensive as the toy we buy for a ten year old.

Similarly, if we buy gold jewelry for our daughters, we will have to buy something different for our sons who are not allowed by Islam to wear gold. In short we must provide each child according to his or her needs at the time without any unfairness. In the event that their needs are the same, then it should be given equally.