The Qur’ān Calls on All against Injustice and Bloodshed
The very first Aayah (sentence) of the Qur’ān signifies that Allah is ‘Rahman-o-Raheem’ which means ‘Compassionate and Merciful’. The next Aayah calls Him ‘Rabbil Aalameen’ (رَبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ). It means He is the Rab of the all.
The Arabic word Rab is generally translated as ‘Lord’ in English which indicates ‘authority’ or ‘master-ship’. It is good to remember Allah as ‘The Lord’ so far as it combines meanings of ‘love’ and ‘concern’ with the ‘lordship’. His being ‘Compassionate and Merciful’, as mentioned in the opening of His Divine message, clearly indicates His abundant ‘Love’ and ‘Care’ for his creatures.
When the Qur’ān calls Him the ‘Rab of Aalameen’ or ‘Rab of all worlds’, it suggests that His ‘love, concern and lordship’ also encompasses all human beings irrespective of their being believers or non-believers. This demands that His message, full of His Love and Concern, should also benefit the whole humanity and not for ‘His believers’ alone.
This again infers that His messages, based upon His ‘concern’ and ‘care’, are in general addressed to the whole of mankind. On many occasions, the Qur’ān specifically mentions His call with ‘يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ’, ‘O the People!’ In surah Al-Baqarah, He says:
“O the people! Worship your Lord, Who created you and those before you, so that you may become mindful of Him.” (2:21)
Here the Arabic word, ‘ٱعْبُدُوا۟’ is translated as ‘worship’ which is in the limited sense of the word and is generally used to perform some rituals to show respect or to praise the worshipped to please him. Here Allah is not directing to perform some rituals, but using the word in a wider sense. That is, to fully submit to Him and become His Ibad, (faithful and true servants); and lead the life of ‘taqwa’ i.e. become a pious seeker of His pleasure, by unreservedly following His directives.
It is not difficult to understand and follow His Will for His Ibad. Allah has provided an in-built instinct in human nature to distinguish between wickedness and righteousness. (Surah Shams 91:8) By his spirit and inbuilt instinct, everybody can distinguish between the good and the bad. We know fasad or corruption is bad for society while justice and care for the needy is good, irrespective his caste, colour, place of birth, and belief.
THE CORRUPTION
When Allah told the angels about His planning of appointing the men on earth as His Khalifa (successor) with authority (Al-Baqarah: 30), the angels expressed their concern if men would spread corruption and shed blood there. (Al-Baqarah: 31)
Allah mentioned this concern of the angels in the Qur’ān just to warn the people against corrupt practices and bloodshed. It is significant to note that the Divine Book explicitly counsels humans against the then most prevalent form of corruption: the short measuring. The Holy Book warns:
“Weigh with justice, and do not give short measure.” (Ar-Rahman 55:9)
Short measuring goods or anything else, like value of services, etc., is a form of deliberate injustice. In one stroke, the edict (55-9) hints against all forms of injustice either in public life or in private matters. We observe that the bane of short measuring i.e. injustice, even if trivial, creates mistrust and displeasure which may culminate into hate, hostility or enmity, while to give little more ushers in trustworthiness and becomes the bedrock of mutual respect and trust, which eventually leads to the pleasant and peaceful relationship.
THE BLOODSHED
The other concern is regarding the bloodshed, an aggravated form of violence. In fact, it is the tendency of injustice that makes people lean toward cruelty that sprouts violence. The violent bent of nature ultimately culminates in blood-soaked hands. The Qur’ān’s message in this regard is quite explicit.
“We decreed to the Children of Israel that whoever kills a soul unless for a soul or for corruption [done] in the land – it is as if he had slain mankind entirely.” (5:32)
The Holy Qur’ān uses the word, ‘نَفْسٍ’ i.e. ‘a person that is being translated as ‘soul’, which covers even a foetus. The cruelty of killing your own unborn child and depriving the soul of coming into the world and blooming fully is a most heinous, hateful and cruel act of injustice to the unborn. Nobody can predict the talent and usefulness of the unborn for the family and humanity. The Qur’ān raised this issue even when the community of Muslims was quite limited to be counted on fingertips and was fully safe from misdeed. The Qur’ān virtually called upon non-believers of the Arab:
“Do not kill your children for fear of poverty. We provide for them and for you. Surely killing them is a heinous sin.” (17:31)
At another place, the Qur’ān raises the issue of killing the girl child in a heart-touching manner:
“And when baby girls, buried alive, are asked, for what crime they were put to death?” (81:8-9)
KILLING GIRL CHILD
The brutality of discriminating against and even killing the girls is an age-old curse. Now they are killed even in the womb after sex determination. The Qur’ān asks, for what crime a little girl was done to death. The justification is feeble and one cannot save himself on the Day of the Judgment. Can those who believe in some other god hope for salvation or ‘nirvana’ even after the killing of innocent souls shamelessly?
THE MTP: MISPLACED JUSTICE
Existing laws of Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) allow abortion even when the foetus is up to 24 weeks. This is the stage when the child in the womb is a live person, and can catch the voices. His body is developing fast. At this stage, termination may be logical only if the continuance of the pregnancy involves a serious risk to the mother’s life. However, allowing at the will of the pregnant woman, whatever the cause is cited, is not justifiable.
In a recent case in India, an unmarried woman, who was in a sinful relationship, argued that she wished to terminate her pregnancy as ‘her partner had refused to marry her at the last stage’ and she is feeling ‘risk of grave and immense injury to her mental health.’ Is it just to punish the unborn with death, for the misdeed of the mother? Consider the cruelty and judge the mental health!
Unfortunately, the killing of the unborn child has become a norm in modern societies, especially with the rising vulgarity of pre-marital sex. In India too, the rules are being moulded to make the killing of the unborn permissible. But how will one face on the Day of Judgment when Allah will ask for what crime the unborn was killed?
The message of the Qur’ān against cruelty and injustice is universal, for all and for the benefit of humankind at large.