Islam's Sense of Justice and Forgiveness

One of the things about Islam that helps me understand and accept how the world adds up is how Islam explains God's Justice between people, and all creatures.

What Counts?
In Islam, actions are measured by intentions, our choices. So if the intention/ choice was to do a good action, that is what the action counts as. If the intention/ choice was to do a good thing, and the result caused harm, the intention is what counts. We are accountable for our actions, but our intentions is what determines how they count. God is closer to a human being than their veins, and every intention is completely transparent to God. In addition, all the information is recorded by God, no matter how small, the Quran repeatedly uses the words that translate to "Weight of the Atom" to describe how small things count. The Quran describes on Judgement day, the recordings will be played back to us as evidence, additionally, our body will be a witness against us speaking out the truth. With such a system in place, there is no room for missed or wronged evidence as a basis for Justice.

Islam teaches that God is the most compassionate, and that God is the most Just. During our lifetime, before we get to judgment day, God is patient with us, allowing us to make mistakes and learn from them. We are expected to make them, many of them, to learn. As we learn from our mistakes, acknowledge them, and ask for forgiveness, God always grants forgiveness. That is the general rule. However, and this is one of my favorite and challenging teachings in Islam. God forgives us when we wrong God, and our own selves, but God doesn't forgive when we have wronged another person, it's up to that person to forgive us for wronging them. Those who forgive others are highly rewarded by God to encourage us to forgive each other, but we also have the choice not to forgive if we want, it's our choice. So depends on what we do wrong, if there is another person involved, their forgiveness in addition to God's is necessary. 

What do we forgive?
What constitutes harming another person in Islam's point of view? The teachings of Islam start with hurting someone physically, then taking away by force something that they own, like a property for example, then goes to harming them in their honor and what makes them live a free proud life. The legal system institutes punishments to cover those levels.

However, daily relationships between individuals also count. The Quran speaks of hurting a person's feelings as a terrible sin. For example, the Quran describes how speaking ill of someone behind their back, is like eating their flesh after they're dead. Like everything in Islam, there is a path for personal growth to help achieve what Islam calls good manners and good character. 

Forgiveness as a growth path for Justice.
Islam offers a path for growth to lead to forgive, it comes in three levels. The first level is establishing justice, where an eye for an eye applies. Islam considers that fairness, and explains that without establishing this as a baseline the earth would be corrupt. So for example, if someone commits murder or steals, a punishment equal to the size of the crime is necessary. If the punishment didn't apply in our life, God will apply it in the afterlife, and it will be much stronger when delayed till then.

Islam also describes a path to higher levels for individuals. The second level, the level of the believers, where people forgive rather than get back at others, and for those the reward from God will feel far better than getting back their revenge. Then comes the third level, that of those who are compassionate, those that respond to those who wrong them with forgiveness, and giving back the same people their love and help with generosity and no judgment. Those who can achieve that level get the highest rewards from God. Throughout those levels, Islam teaches that we should never put ourselves in harm's way, or accept being harmed in any way.

So how do we balance all those things? That is why God gave us brains and hearts, and is patient to let us try and learn to find our way. We are expected to work hard on this, using the best of our abilities. And that is the topic of another post!!!

Why I choose to be Muslim

It's hard to be a Muslim in today's world. You can choose to live in Muslim countries and struggle to live knowing life can be much better, or choose to live in Non-Muslim countries and struggle with being openly hated out of ignorance. I happen to live in the later situation. If I can read people's minds, I would hear weekly: why would you believe in something like Islam. In a way I do hear it, when it's written all over people's faces it's hard to miss. I am a Muslim, and I choose it every day, every minute. When I learn about Islam my soul sings. When I listen to the quran my heart softens, and when I read it everything around me and inside me adds up in my mind. Being a Muslim, I am true to myself, regardless of what a whole world around me is.

So what is it in Islam that speaks loudly to me? A lot of things. But it does take some thinking to put them in brief specific points:

Firstly, the ultimate omnipotent nature of God, that is all present, and all close, and all in control. Islam doesn't simplify God to bring him closer to simpleton's understanding. Within our realm Islam explains God in sophisticated terms, and beyond our realm Islam doesn't apologize that God is beyond our understanding there. I'm the kind of person who would not worship a God that is anything less.

Secondly, the deeply personal relationship with God that Islam requires. Islam prohibits religious structures, and requires a direct relationship between a rational human and God. The Quran describes how a human being should use their mind and heart to get to know God, and that God will get to know them too by sending trials their way. Islam teaches, if you need to ask for something, ask only God directly. In fact, it's considered a major sin, and outright blasphemy, to expect anyone, or any creature, or anything, to be between you and God.

The personal relationship also means, you make your personal choices. You learn as you live, from experience and from different religious scholars, and you continue to apply what you learn to make your choices to be a better person, while God is keeping track of your progress, closer to you than your veins and can see everything in your intentions. In that personal space you share with God, you acknowledge your weakness, and find the comfort and support from the ultimate power that accepts you, God.

This personal relationship also means we are ALL equal under God. Islam teaches that only ONE thing makes one person better than another and that is their good heart, with their good intentions and good actions.

Thirdly, Islam helps me add up what I see around me in the world. Islam teaches that nothing can harm or benefit us if it wasn't what God wanted, and that God is all in control of everything. What God has given us to control is our choices. We have our free will to choose. The Quran speaks of how corruption of the earth and the sea has become obvious due to the bad choices of humans, and that God doesn't stop that corruption so we may learn what our choices can lead to. The Quran pushes us to use our brains and hearts to learn from everything that surrounds us. Observing the world around us, and contemplating about it is one of the important forms of worship in Islam.

There is more to say, but I'll save it for another post,