[2] Contemplate: When Those Closest To You Want You To Hide The Truth

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Allah, the Most High, said:

يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ كُونُواْ قَوَّٲمِينَ بِٱلۡقِسۡطِ شُہَدَآءَ لِلَّهِ وَلَوۡ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِكُمۡ أَوِ ٱلۡوَٲلِدَيۡنِ وَٱلۡأَقۡرَبِينَ‌ۚ إِن يَكُنۡ غَنِيًّا أَوۡ فَقِيرً۬ا فَٱللَّهُ أَوۡلَىٰ بِہِمَا‌ۖ فَلَا تَتَّبِعُواْ ٱلۡهَوَىٰٓ أَن تَعۡدِلُواْ‌ۚ وَإِن تَلۡوُ ۥۤاْ أَوۡ تُعۡرِضُواْ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُونَ خَبِيرً۬ا

O you who believe! Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah; even though it be against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, be he rich or poor, Allah is a Better Protector to both (than you). So follow not the lusts (of your hearts), lest you may avoid justice, and if you distort your witness or refuse to give it, verily, Allah is Ever Well-Acquainted with what you do. [An-Nisāʾ: 135]

Imam As-Sa’di, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:

He (Allah), the Most High, commands His believing servants to “stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses for Allah.” The word Qawwām is Ṣīghah al-Mubālaghah (i.e. an intensive noun derived from a verb that indicates someone who performs the action frequently or is characterised by it to a great extent), meaning: stand out firmly for justice in all your circumstances- justice in fulfilling the rights of Allah and the rights of His slaves.

Justice regarding the rights of Allah means that His blessings should not be used to disobey Him; rather, they should be used in obedience to Him. Justice with regard to the rights of the children of Adam is to fulfil all the obligations that you owe them, just as you seek for your own rights to be fulfilled. Therefore, you should fulfil obligatory spending, repay debts, and treat people in the manner that you would love them to treat you, with good manners, fair reciprocation, and everything else besides that.

Among the greatest forms of justice is fairness when dealing with statements and those who utter them, so one should not judge in favour of one of them, or one of two disputing parties, because of his affiliation or his inclination toward one of them. Rather, one’s aim should be to judge between them with fairness.

And from justice is to give testimony regardless of the circumstances, even if it is against those you love; rather, even against yourself. Hence, Allah says: “As witnesses to Allah, even though it be against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, be he rich or poor, Allah is a Better Protector to both (than you).” Meaning: Neither show favouritism toward the wealthy because of his wealth, nor toward the poor out of what you claim to be mercy for them. Rather, testify based on truth, regardless of who the person is.

Upholding justice is one of the greatest matters and is one of the clearest indications of the religion of the person who upholds it, his cautious piety, and his standing in Islam. Therefore, it is imperative for the one who sincerely seeks his own well-being and desires his salvation to give this matter the utmost attention. He should keep it constantly before his eyes and as a goal of his intentions, and remove from himself every obstacle and barrier that prevents him from desiring justice or acting upon it.

And the greatest obstacle to this is following one’s desires. For this reason, Allah drew attention to the removal of this obstacle by saying: “So follow not the lusts (of your hearts), lest you may avoid justice…” Meaning: Do not follow the desires of your own soul that oppose the truth, for verily, if you follow these desires, you will turn away from what is correct and will not be guided to justice. This is because desire either blinds the insight of the person until he sees falsehood as truth and truth as falsehood, or he knows the truth but abandons it because of his own desires. So, whoever is safe from the desires of his own soul will be granted success in adhering to the truth and will be guided to the Straight Path.

And when He (Allah) clarified that it is obligatory to stand firmly for justice, He prohibited what contradicts it, which is the tongue’s diversion away from the truth in testimonies and other matters, and distorting speech away from the intended correctness—whether entirely or in some respects. Included in this is distorting testimony, failing to give it in its complete form, or interpreting the witness’s words to mean something else, for all of this falls under layy (twisting), because it is a deviation away from the truth.

“Or refuse to give it.” Meaning: Abandoning the justice that has been entrusted to you, such as a witness abandoning his testimony, or a judge abandoning the judgment that he is obligated to uphold. “Verily, Allah is Ever Well-Acquainted with what you do.” Meaning: He encompasses all that you do—He knows your actions, both what is hidden and what is apparent.

In this is a severe warning for the one who twists the truth or turns away. And even more so, and more deserving of this warning, is the one who judges with falsehood or gives false testimony, because his sin is greater. This is because the first two (i.e. the one who twists the truth or turns away) abandoned the truth, whereas this person (i.e. the one who judges with falsehood or gives false testimony) abandoned the truth and upholds falsehood.

An Excerpt from Tafsir As-Sadi