Islam and Christianity along with
Judaism are three living Divine religions of the world. Because of their
Divine nature, they share a number of belief although differs on some
subjects. Our paper focuses on the similarities and differences of the views
of the two on the issue of justice.
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Justice
in Christianity
According to the Christian belief, man is the image of God. Because of this
characteristic he is considered to be above all other living beings. He has
been given a rational soul and been enabled to make personal and moral
choices. He holds high moral and personal values and can differentiate
between right and wrong. Justice is thus considered as being of prime
importance to man. Justice relates to the idea that man is a moral creature,
made in the image of God and ought to be treated justly. The Holy Bible
calls for the importance of Justice in several of its verses. Every believer
is called to serve "the least of these," to "hunger and thirst for justice,"
to be a "peacemaker." (Matthew 25:31-46, Matthew 5:1-10)
God calls for the Christians to protect human life, promote human dignity,
defend the poor and seek the common good. This belief serves as the base of
the Christian religion. Justice is a must in a society as a whole as well as
inside the family. Since the family is the primary unit, therefore, the
administration of justice should be started from the family. Justice inside
a family calls for a fair treatment to the parents by the children, love and
loyalty towards spouses and affection towards children. To earn and spend
money through proper and just means is also justice on one’s part. Spending
money in charitable causes and for the welfare of the poor and needy is
justice.
The ethics at work place can make important contributions to an ethic of
justice. Honesty and commitment to work by the workers and a just
distribution and payment of wages by the employers contributes to a peaceful
working environment. As according to Pope John Paul II, “Love for others,
and in the first place love for the poor, in whom the Church sees Christ
himself, is made concrete in the promotion of justice. (Pope John Paul II)
Justice in Islam
Islam is the last of all religions. The Prophet of Islam Mohammad (Peace Be
Up on Him) has laid great emphasis on Justice and regarded it as one of the
key beliefs of the religion. In Islam, “Justice is the quality of
being right and fair and to have just conduct. In the name of justice, all
human beings should be equal: righteousness, goodness, probity, right,
uprightness, fairness, justness, equity, honor, truth, honesty, and virtue.
In Islam, justice (al-Adl, al-Qistt) is to give everyone (Allah and all his
creatures on earth) the rights and what is deserved and to create an
atmosphere of peace and harmony.” (angelfire.com)
In the Holy Koran, Allah has clearly ordered the people to stick to justice.
It is only through exercising justice that peace; harmony and prosperity can
be maintained. It is the commandment of Allah that has to be obeyed, as He
says in Koran:
"God commands justice, the doing of good, and liberality to kith and kin,
and He forbids all shameful deeds, and injustice and rebellion: He instructs
you that you may receive admonition." (angelfire.com)
Islam calls for universal peace and considers justice as the primary means
to establish peace. Justice and peace are reciprocal and cannot go along
without each other. “In fact the Quran considers persecution worse than
killing ‘But if they cease let there be no hostility except to those who
practice oppression’.” (Siddiqui, No Peace in Islam without Justice)
According to the Koran, justice is a prerequisite for peace inside family
and the society. Without justice between men and women and between classes
and nations, there can be no peace in the world. The Koran regards it as
duty as well as duty of every human being who follows the path of Allah or
God to seek justice. Justice calls for equality among the people, to help
the poor and needy and that every man should be treated as a human being and
no discrimination should be made on the basis or cast, color, creed, race
and religion. The protection of fundamental rights of men is also justice as
the religion guarantees these rights to every one. "The Qur'an gives to
responsible dissent the status of a fundamental right." (Ishaque, "Islamic
Law -- Its Ideals and Principles,")
Comparison
In the light of the above discussion and arguments I conclude that there is
no obvious difference between the two religions on the issue on justice
rather they share almost same views on the issue. In fact, all the existing
Divine religions and worldly ideologies have almost similar concepts
pertaining to ethical issues. The differences are found on other beliefs
like the concept of God and the beliefs on life after death etc.
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