A summary of the concepts held by the Ahl al-Sunnah.
The types of injustice.
Injustice is divided into three primary categories.
The first is the greatest form of injustice.
This is associating partners with Allah the Exalted (shirk).
As Allah the Almighty has said:
“And (remember) when Luqman said unto his son, when he was exhorting him: O my dear son! Ascribe no partners unto Allah. Lo! to ascribe partners (unto Him) is a tremendous wrong -” (31:13)
And the Almighty has said:
"And the disbelievers—it is they who are the wrongdoers."
Shirk is considered injustice only because
it is the placing of worship in a place other than its rightful one.
This occurs by worshipping someone other than Allah the Exalted,
or by associating others with Him in worship.
This type of injustice
is never forgiven by Allah
unless a person repents from it,
and returns to the monotheism (tawhid) of Allah the Almighty.
Second:
Injustice toward people and the violation of their rights.
The Almighty has said:
“The way (of blame) is only against those who oppress mankind, and wrongfully rebel in the earth. For such there is a painful doom.” (42:42)
“The way (of blame) is only against those who oppress mankind, and wrongfully rebel in the earth. For such there is a painful doom.” (42:42)
"For them is a painful punishment."
It has been narrated in a hadith qudsi:
"O My servants,
I have forbidden injustice for Myself,
and have made it forbidden among you,
so do not wrong one another."
Narrated by Muslim.
This type of injustice is not forgiven by Allah
until retribution is taken for some servants from others,
or the oppressed person pardons the one who wronged them.
Injustice toward people varies, including wronging them
in their religion by turning them away from the path of Allah,
or against their persons through killing, torture, or imprisonment,
or against their minds through doubts,
or through narcotics and intoxicants,
or against their wealth by plundering it,
or by depriving them of their rights,
or against their honor through illicit desires and violation of chastity,
or through slander, insults, and humiliation.
Third:
Injustice toward one's own self.
Whether this is by committing sins
that are between the individual and Allah the Almighty,
or by wronging others,
or by falling into shirk against Allah the Almighty.
Because all of this,
just as it is the placing of matters in a place other than that
which Allah the Almighty approves of,
is also a harm to the self,
by leading it toward blame and punishment
instead of praise and reward.
Allah the Almighty has said:
"They did not wrong Us, but they were wronging themselves."
And the Almighty has said:
“Lo! Allah wrongeth not mankind in aught; but mankind wrong themselves.” (10:44)
“Lo! Allah wrongeth not mankind in aught; but mankind wrong themselves.” (10:44)
The verses regarding injustice toward the self, beyond what has been mentioned, are numerous.
A summary of the concepts held by the Ahl al-Sunnah.