The Forbiddance of Oppression
Hadith 24
On the authority of Abu Dharr Al-Ghafari, of the Prophet (peace be upon him) is that among the sayings he relates from his Lord is that He said:
"O My servants! I have forbidden oppression for Myself, and I have made it forbidden amongst you, so do not oppress one another. O My servants, all of you are astray except those whom I have guided, so seek guidance from Me and I shall guide you. O My servants, all of you are hungry except those whom I have fed, so seek food from Me and I shall feed you. O My servants, all of you are naked except those whom I have clothed, so seek clothing from Me and I shall clothe you. O My servants, you sommit sins by day and by night, and I forgive all sins, so seek forgiveness from Me and I shall forgive you. O My servants, you will not attain harming Me so as to harm Me, and you will not attain benefitting Me so as to benefit Me. O My servants, if the first of you and the last of you, and the humans of you and the jinn of you, were all as pious as the most pious heart of any individual amongst you, then this would not increase My Kingdom an iota. O My servants, if the first of you and the last of you, and the humans of you and the jinn of you, were all as wicked as the most wicked heart of any individual amongst you, then this would not decrease My Kingdom an iota. O My servants, if the first of you and the last of you, and the humans of you and the jinn of you, were all to stand together in one place and ask of Me, and I were to give everyone what he requested, then that would not decrease what I Possess, except what is decreased of the ocean when a needle is dipped into it. O My servants, it is but your deeds that I account for you, and then recompense you for. So he who finds good, let him praise Allah, and he who finds other than that, let him blame no one but himself."
[Muslim]
عَنْ أَبِي ذَرٍّ الْغِفَارِيِّ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ عَنْ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه و سلم فِيمَا يَرْوِيهِ عَنْ رَبِّهِ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى، أَنَّهُ قَالَ:
"يَا عِبَادِي: إنِّي حَرَّمْت الظُّلْمَ عَلَى نَفْسِي، وَجَعَلْته بَيْنَكُمْ مُحَرَّمًا؛ فَلَا تَظَالَمُوا. يَا عِبَادِي! كُلُّكُمْ ضَالٌّ إلَّا مَنْ هَدَيْته، فَاسْتَهْدُونِي أَهْدِكُمْ. يَا عِبَادِي! كُلُّكُمْ جَائِعٌ إلَّا مَنْ أَطْعَمْته، فَاسْتَطْعِمُونِي أُطْعِمْكُمْ. يَا عِبَادِي! كُلُّكُمْ عَارٍ إلَّا مَنْ كَسَوْته، فَاسْتَكْسُونِي أَكْسُكُمْ. يَا عِبَادِي! إنَّكُمْ تُخْطِئُونَ بِاللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ، وَأَنَا أَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا؛ فَاسْتَغْفِرُونِي أَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ. يَا عِبَادِي! إنَّكُمْ لَنْ تَبْلُغُوا ضُرِّي فَتَضُرُّونِي، وَلَنْ تَبْلُغُوا نَفْعِي فَتَنْفَعُونِي. يَا عِبَادِي! لَوْ أَنَّ أَوَّلَكُمْ وَآخِرَكُمْ وَإِنْسَكُمْ وَجِنَّكُمْ كَانُوا عَلَى أَتْقَى قَلْبِ رَجُلٍ وَاحِدٍ مِنْكُمْ، مَا زَادَ ذَلِكَ فِي مُلْكِي شَيْئًا. يَا عِبَادِي! لَوْ أَنَّ أَوَّلَكُمْ وَآخِرَكُمْ وَإِنْسَكُمْ وَجِنَّكُمْ كَانُوا عَلَى أَفْجَرِ قَلْبِ رَجُلٍ وَاحِدٍ مِنْكُمْ، مَا نَقَصَ ذَلِكَ مِنْ مُلْكِي شَيْئًا. يَا عِبَادِي! لَوْ أَنَّ أَوَّلَكُمْ وَآخِرَكُمْ وَإِنْسَكُمْ وَجِنَّكُمْ قَامُوا فِي صَعِيدٍ وَاحِدٍ، فَسَأَلُونِي، فَأَعْطَيْت كُلَّ وَاحِدٍ مَسْأَلَته، مَا نَقَصَ ذَلِكَ مِمَّا عِنْدِي إلَّا كَمَا يَنْقُصُ الْمِخْيَطُ إذَا أُدْخِلَ الْبَحْرَ. يَا عِبَادِي! إنَّمَا هِيَ أَعْمَالُكُمْ أُحْصِيهَا لَكُمْ، ثُمَّ أُوَفِّيكُمْ إيَّاهَا؛ فَمَنْ وَجَدَ خَيْرًا فَلْيَحْمَدْ اللَّهَ، وَمَنْ وَجَدَ غَيْرَ ذَلِكَ فَلَا يَلُومَن إلَّا نَفْسَهُ".
[رَوَاهُ مُسْلِمٌ].
Commentary Summary
This hadith is a 'Hadith Qudsee', a Hadith where the Prophet (sas) narrated Allah’s (swt) words. This hadith stresses on the prohibition of all forms of injustice and oppression in Islam. It also encourages Muslims to seek guidance from Allah by means of supplication (du'a) and to rely solely on Allah, while highlighting Allah’s Glory and His inexhaustible treasures and bounties.
Unlawful Oppression
When Allah (swt) said, “I have made oppression unlawful for Me”, one might think of all the suffering, evil, and oppression that exists in the world. One might think, if Allah (swt) is Merciful, then why do these evil things occur? These things happen because Allah (swt) gave us free will and a choice to act according to what we think is right. We can deduce that it is human beings who choose to oppress one another, exercising their own free will.
The forbidden injustices can occur in many forms. The most extreme form of injustice is al-shirk, or associating partners with Allah. The second form is injustice towards one own self, by committing sins. The third form is injustice towards others, human beings, and other creations alike. Muslims should strive to avoid injustice, as it displeases Allah (swt) and warrants His severe punishment.
Allah is the Source of Guidance
Allah (swt) is the source of all guidance. None of us can give guidance. We may attempt to show people the right path, but the true guidance comes from Allah (swt) alone. Guidance is a great mercy and blessingfrom Allah (swt). This guidance, in the form of the Qur'an, was revealed to us by Allah (swt) through His Messenger, Muhammad (sas). Allah (swt) showed us the right path to follow and warned us against Shaitan, who is our greatest enemy. Reciting Surah al-Fatihah every raka’ah reminds us of our extreme need for our Lord and His Guidance and Support.
Allah is the Provider
When it comes to material goods, Allah (swt) is the One who provides us with what we need: food, clothing, etc. The hadith shows the generosity of Allah (swt). The more we ask Him, the more He gives us. He wants us to come closer to Him by expressing our needs with humility. Allah (swt) said: "Do not seek sustenance from anyone other than Me, for verily all those others from whom you might seek sustenance have themselves been provided for by Myself. So seek sustenance from me and I will provide for you".
Allah is always willing to forgive us
Although we are constantly committing sins, Allah is constant in His Mercy and forgiveness. The door of repentance is always open for all. Allah (swt) acknowledges our weaknesses. People are always subject to wrongdoings. They may neglect or delay performing obligations or indulge in sins, but Allah (swt) is Oft-Forgiving and His door is open to all wrongdoers. If we do something wrong at night, we should come back to Him in the morning and vice versa.
Allah’s Treasures and Bounties are Endless
Allah’s treasures are inexhaustible, so do not let anyone think that what is with Allah will diminish by His giving. The Prophet (sas) has explained in another Hadith: "Allah's Hand is Full; it is not diminished by His giving all of the day and the night. Have you not seen that your Lord has been giving ever since He created the Heavens and the Earth, and all that has not diminished what is in His Hand by the least” (Bukhari).
Accountability
At the end of the hadith, it is mentioned and stressed that everyone will be accountable for their deeds. Whoever finds a good record, he should be thankful to Allah and praise Him for that. Anyone who finds other than that, should not blame anyone except himself. This is a clear statement that shows the personal responsibility we have for our actions.
Conclusion
In many verses of the Qur'an and in the Hadiths of the Prophet (sas), the importance of expressing our need with humility to Allah (swt) is very clear. We should also constantly repent to him. Allah (swt) is The All Hearing, He will listen to us and accept our supplication and repentance. We seek of Him; His mercy, blessings and pleasure. The pleasure of Allah (swt) is our ultimate goal, without which we will indeed be among the unfortunate of creations. We ask Allah (swt) to count us among the winners, the ones who have earned His pleasure (Amin).