Dr. Ramadan: If we seek justice for ourselves, we must be just towards others!

We seek justice for ourselves, but the path to it is justice towards others, stated Dr. Tarik Ramadan in the fifth installment of his Ramadan Chronicles, reports the BiH news agency Patria (NAP).

In his video message, Dr. Ramadan speaks about justice and fairness, and recalls an event from the life of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), which he informed his friends and followers about.

- Today we will recall an event from before the revelation itself, which also had significance when Muhammad (pbuh) became a Prophet. One day, he attended a very important meeting at the house of Abdullah ibn Jud'an, a prominent Meccan. They discussed the case of a merchant who came to Mecca, and it holds a great lesson for us – he stated.

Dr. Ramadan mentioned a well-known event from Muhammad (pbuh)'s childhood, in pre-Islamic Mecca, when a merchant who came from Yemen was wronged. He handed over his goods to a wealthy Meccan, but the latter refused to pay, calculating that this stranger would not be able to assert his rights. However, it was not so.

- There was no one to advocate for that man's case, there was no one, as we would say today, to lobby for him. But Abdullah ibn Jud'an convened all the tribal leaders and proposed that they do something about it. It was then decided that everyone who came to Mecca would be treated justly. The League of the Just was formed. It was decided that justice and fair conduct should be upheld regardless of affiliation to a specific tribe – says Dr. Ramadan.

According to him, when later, after his prophethood, Muhammad (pbuh) was asked about that event, he said that he would not change anything in that decision and that he would have responded to the League of the Just even then.   

- Thus, he sent us all Muslims three important messages. The first is that justice means testifying that we belong to the monotheistic tradition of Abraham (pbuh). The second is that we affirm and accept all the good things that were before us. We do not have to build everything from scratch, as the Quran also says: "And [We have sent you] O Muhammad, as a messenger to the people. And sufficient is Allah as a witness." The third message relates to the fact that, no matter how much we strive to be fair and just towards ourselves, we should also be just towards others. That is the message of Islam. While fasting, you should give and be just towards others, because that is the way to be just towards yourself as well – says Dr. Ramadan, concluding his Ramadan Chronicle with the words: And do not forget to tell those you love that you love them!