Placing Things Where They Don’t Belong: The Reality of Dhulm

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

In The Name of Allaah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy.

Al-Allamah Salih Al-Fawzan, may Allah preserve him, said:

What is Dhulm -[injustice or oppression?] Dhulm is of three types according to the people of knowledge (i.e. the scholars):

Firstly: The greatest of them is shirk and why is shirk referred as Dhulm? This is because the basis of injustice is to place something in other than its rightful place. And the meaning of shirk is to direct acts of worship to other than its rightful place and this is the greatest injustice. Because when they (i.e. the people of shirk) direct acts of worship to other than its rightful place – to those who are not deserving of it, they equate the created (beings) to the Creator, a weak one (i.e. a created being) to Al-Qawee [The One Perfect in Strength (i.e. Allah)], who is not unable to do anything. Therefore, is there any greater injustice after this?

The second type of Dhulm is committed when a person oppresses himself by committing sins. A sinner oppresses himself because he exposes himself to punishment, even though it is incumbent upon him to save himself – place himself in an appropriate situation – and that is to obey Allah.

The third type of Dhulm is committed when a person oppresses others by taking their wealth (unlawfully), backbiting them, spreading tales about them, stealing their wealth, or violating their honour through backbiting, tale carrying, slander, or shedding their blood through unlawful killing, beating, inflicting injuries, degrading them without right.

Source: An Excerpt from I’aanah Al-Mustafeed Bi-Sharhi Kitab At-Tawheed’ page 55-56