We tackled the issue of justice that is considered amoral and spiritual obligation. Then we spoke of God’s justice that applies to His love, mercy, graciousness and judgment and began narrating the story of Count Philippe’s daughter who was so merciful that she let a funeral processions pass before her wedding parade. She also put a rose out of her rose crown on the coffin that touched the brother of the dead woman and made him weep bitterly.
20 years passed and the French revolution, a bloody one according to history, broke out and overthrew all the princes and put them to death sentence. Willing to wreak vengeance on the nobles, the new governors put them to death. They seized a noble family consisting of a mother, a son and a daughter. The son defended his family and said they did not commit any crime. But it was all futile as they were already sentenced to death at 9 pm. At 8 pm the warden, who had known the noble family since the mother was the girl who had put a rose on his sister’s coffin, came and gave a letter to her and he asked her not read before 9 pm. The woman was amazed as she knew that she will be executed then.
Her astonishment grew when the warden accompanied them to harbor where ships were sailing to England. In 9 pm, she was at sea with her family. She opened the letter and read the following: 20 years ago, you put a pretty rose on the coffin of my sister. I cannot forget this incident nor its deep indelible impact as long as I live. Therefore, I had to save you and your family, it is my duty.
Had the warden never forgotten this act of love, God would never forget yours. He will reward each person according to his deeds as God is All-Just and He ordered people to be just. As per Qur’an at Surat AL Nesa’a, verse no.58 “Surely Allah commands you to pay deposits back to their qualified family (i.e. the owners) and, when you judge among mankind, that you judge with justice. How favorable is that to which Allah surely admonishes you; surely Allah has been Ever-Hearing, Ever-Beholding.” As per the Hadith “O My servants, I have forbidden oppression for Myself and have made it forbidden amongst you, so do not oppress one another.” As per the Bible 2 Chroniclers19:7 “Now therefore, let the fear of the Lord be upon you; take care and do it, for there is no iniquity with the Lord our God, no partiality, nor taking of bribes” and Deurtronomy1:16-17 “Then I commanded your judges at that time, saying, ‘Hear the cases between your brethren, and judge righteously between a man and his brother or the stranger who is with him. 17 You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small as well as the great; you shall not be afraid in any man’s presence, for the judgment is God’s. The case that is too hard for you, bring to me, and I will hear it.’”
Avoid partiality; if you are disagreeing with someone or you have a feeling of hostility toward someone and you cannot get rid of, at least do not let your negative feeling control you and drive you to wrong him as the Bible says in Romans 12:20 “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”.If you should do good to your enemy, then what you should do to the people you are just disagreeing with. At Surat AL-Ma’idah, verse no.8, it is said “O you who have believed, be constantly upright for Allah, witnesses with equity, and let not antagonism of a people provoke you to not do justice. Do justice; that (Literally: it) is nearer to piety. And be pious to Allah, surely Allah is Ever-Cognizant of whatever you do.”
Man should be real just and not pretends he is so. As per the poem that my dear friend, professor Dr. Mahmoud Azab, Al-Azhar counselor has said quoting Gibran Khalil Gibran:
Jinn would laugh, if they heard of man’s justice
The dead would laugh if they saw it too
Prison and death penalty is only for the minor criminals
Glory and pride for the major ones
The flowers’ thief is vilified and loathed
The field’s thief is valiant and gallant
The killer is put to death
Yet morale killer remains unknown
To be continued …
General Bishop
Head of the Coptic Orthodox Cultural Center
