What Guarantees Enforcement of Law in Islamic Society
Every law is implemented through some approaches, but neither imitation or fear and greed can be a completely correct method.
The best factor for implementing the law is to increase intellectual growth and understanding and to create affection and love for the legislator. This method is the most stable and solid path.
1) Intellectual growth: Islam is a unique school when it comes to emphasis on gaining knowledge and thinking. All these recommendations for science and talking with scholars are aimed at enhancing the level of our intellect. The history of previous nations and the causes of their downfall and the history of the prophets and the secret of their success have been mentioned in the Quran to enhance our thinking power.
Elaborating on the reasons behind laws can help guarantee their implementation.
2) Using emotions: Emotions are one of the factors that motivate people in their actions. The issue of encouraging believers has been raised a lot in the Quran, to the extent that God says to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH): “Collect religious tax (zakat) from them to purify and cleanse them and pray for them; your prayers give them comfort.” (Surah At-Tawbah, verse 103)
Meanwhile, verse 75 of Surah An-Nisa reads: “Why do you not fight for the cause of God or save the helpless men, women, and children who cry out, ‘Lord, set us free from this town of wrong doers and send us a guardian and a helper?’” The verse has tried to use the emotions of believers when it points to helpless children.
In this verse, God draws the faces of children who are caught in the grip of oppressors and appeals to the emotions of the people to motivate and mobilize the people.
In verses 14-16 of Sural Al-Balad, there is a recommendation to feed “an orphaned relative, and downtrodden destitute person,” in the day of famine. A closer look makes it clear that all these references are emotional.
3) The third guarantor, which is stronger than all other factors, is the issue of faith in God and resurrection; a strong belief that the command is from God and I am his servant and under his supervision, and that I will return to Him and I will have to answer in God's court; believing that He will reward my every good deed tenfold and forgive my sins; believing that every small amount of good and evil will be judged. Yes, such faith plays an important role in obedience.
4) Enjoining the good and forbidding the bad: If a society gets out of the state of indifference and becomes committed and active, all people will enjoin the good and forbid what is evil. Consider a car that is violating the law in a one-way street. Other cars blow the horn and remind it of the violation, and this action is repeated until the driver regrets and stops the violation. Yes, the people themselves can guarantee the implementation of the law.
5) Government and punishment: In the above example, if the driver does not pay attention to the warnings of the people continues to move, it will be the turn of the police and a fine.
Yes, the guarantor of the implementation of some Islamic rules is the Islamic government, which punishes the perpetrators of some sins so that God's law prevails.
This article was derived from a book written by Iranian Quran teacher and researcher Mohsen Qara’ati.
