Brief Comments on Riyaadh al-Saaliheen #96

The rule of "Equality" will destabilize the religion:

بسم الله والحمد لله والصلاة والسلام على رسول الله ، وبعد

Shaikh Muhammad Ibn Saaleh al-`Uthaymeen رحمه الله said:

I would like to warn you here about the thing which some people bring forth. Some may intend with it to bring good, whereas some intend with it to bring about the evil. And it is their saying: “The religion of Islaam is all about Equality”. This is indeed lying about the religion of Islaam because the religion of Islaam is not about Equality, it is about being Just. It is about giving every rightful person his rights. If two people are equally eligible (example: two scholars), then we treat them equally based upon their eligibility. But if there is a difference (example: one is righteous person while the other a sinner), then we cannot and we should not treat them equally. So we should never bring forth and say that the religion of Islaam teaches Equality, rather the religion of Islaam is all about being Just, because of the saying of Allaah تعالى:

﴿إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالإحْسَانِ وَإِيتَاءِ ذِي الْقُرْبَى﴾

{Verily, Allaah enjoins Al-`Adl (justice) and Al-Ihsaan (good conduct), and giving (help) to relatives…} [Surah al-Nahl (16): 90]

Some people propagate the statement: “The religion of Islaam is a religion of Equality”, and intend with it to introduce evil (in the society). Example, their saying: “There is no difference between a male and a female. The religion is Equal for everyone. Give the women the amount equal to the amount given to the men (from the inheritance) (i.e. distribute it equally between the males and the females) because the religion of Islaam is a religion of Equality.”

The socialists say: “The religion is a religion of Equality; it is not possible that one should be allowed to be extremely rich while the other is extremely poor. We must take from the wealth of the rich and give it to the poor because the religion of Islaam is that of Equality.” They intend evil with this statement of theirs (i.e. it is injustice to take away a thing from its rightful owner and give it to others). On the apparent it looks that they intend to do good, but in reality it is evil. The religion of Islaam is not portrayed as a religion of Equality, rather it is portrayed as a religion of Justice, as Allaah تعالى commanded:

﴿إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالإحْسَانِ﴾

{Verily, Allaah enjoins Al-`Adl (justice) and Al-Ihsaan (good conduct)…} [Surah al-Nahl (16): 90]

Allaah تعالى did not say: “Equality” and it is not possible (and it is unfair) to treat the two of them equally: the one who is blind and the other who has sight; the one who is a scholar and the other who is an ignorant; the one who is helpful to the creation and the other who is evil. We cannot treat them equally.

So the correct is to deal with Justice: {Verily, Allaah enjoins Al-`Adl (justice) and Al-Ihsaan (good conduct), and giving (help) to relatives…}. This is why I wanted to alert you, as there are many writers in this age of ours and other than them, who try to bring forth this notion (that the religion is a religion of Equality). But the reality is that they are not intelligent enough to understand the meaning (of what they are saying), nor are they intelligent enough to understand that it is not possible to treat everyone equally in every situation – with all the many variations (found in the people) (example: one is good while the other is a menace). Were Allaah to command the rule of Equality – while these variations and differences still exist between the people – then the religion would not have been stable. Therefore it is necessary for a Muslim to never equate between the two – those that are opposites (example: between good and evil, between pious and sinner, between males and females, between scholars and ignorant).

Anyways, it is upon the student of knowledge to understand this and to make the others understand this also – the things which some people try to bring forth, who themselves do not understand its meaning or what it implies.

[Sharh Riyaadh al-Saaliheen (5/344-345)]