Upkeep of unbiased justice is the hallmark of every civilized society and country. Justice is the foundation of trust, peace and moral order; when justice is compromised, resentment, oppression and disorder quickly take its place. It must be upheld even when it goes against our own interests, family, group or emotions, because selective justice is not justice at all. In Islam, justice is a duty before Allah, not merely a social convenience, and this is why the Qur’an repeatedly commands believers to remain fair even toward those they dislike. Justice must therefore stand above anger, loyalty, status and personal gain, because without it, neither individuals nor societies can remain truly righteous or secure.
This is very unfortunate that even after many centuries since revelation of this verse, we see injustice prevalent and true justice denied to the innocent merely because of old hatred or for political reasons. And while doing injustice, we forget that "Surely Allah is All-Aware of what you do" - and every wrong thing and injustice is duly recorded and will be presented as a proof of our injustice.
With this premise in view, we share and explain 8th verse of Surah Al-Mā’idah, the 5th Surah/Chapter of Al Qur'an - which is one of the Qur’an’s strongest commands about justice under emotional pressure:
The Verse
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُونُوا قَوَّامِينَ لِلَّهِ شُهَدَاءَ بِالْقِسْطِ ۖ وَلَا يَجْرِمَنَّكُمْ شَنَآنُ قَوْمٍ عَلَىٰ أَلَّا تَعْدِلُوا ۚ اعْدِلُوا هُوَ أَقْرَبُ لِلتَّقْوَىٰ ۖ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ
“O believers! Stand firm for Allah and bear true testimony with justice. Do not let the hatred of a people lead you to injustice. Be just! That is closer to righteousness. And be mindful of Allah. Surely Allah is All-Aware of what you do.”
Context
Surah Al-Mā’idah was revealed in the later Madinan period, when the Muslim community was no longer a weak minority but had political and social power. That context matters greatly: the Qur’an was teaching Muslims how to behave when they had the ability to retaliate.
The verse addresses situations in which hostility, conflict or past wrongs could tempt believers to abandon justice. The Qur’an does not say, “Be just only toward those who are fair to you.” It deliberately speaks about people toward whom one may feel shanā’ān — intense dislike, resentment or hostility. That makes the command much more demanding.
Why is this verse so important?
The moral test of justice is not how we treat people we love. It is how we treat people we dislike. Anyone can be fair to a friend. The Qur’an demands something much higher: Do not allow your hatred to corrupt your judgment.
The verse therefore separates moral principle from emotion. You may dislike someone. You may oppose them. You may even have suffered because of them. But you are still not permitted to:
- lie about them,
- deny them their rights,
- exaggerate their wrongdoing,
- punish the innocent among them,
- suppress evidence in their favour,
- or justify injustice merely because they belong to the “other side.”
Scholarly explanation
1. Ibn Kathīr
Ibn Kathīr explains that believers are commanded to uphold justice toward everyone, whether friend or enemy. Hatred must never lead a Muslim to abandon fairness.
His interpretation emphasizes that justice is not conditional upon another person’s conduct. Even when others behave unjustly toward you, their injustice does not grant you permission to become unjust yourself. This is a profound Qur’anic principle: Another person's sin does not legalize your sin.
2. Al-Ṭabarī
Al-Ṭabarī understands the verse as commanding believers to bear testimony truthfully and uphold equity for Allah’s sake.
The phrase: اعْدِلُوا هُوَ أَقْرَبُ لِلتَّقْوَىٰ “Be just; that is nearer to taqwā” means that justice is not merely a social virtue—it is part of God-consciousness. A person cannot claim deep piety while deliberately treating opponents unfairly.
3. Maududi
Maududi highlights the exceptional moral standard established here. Islam requires justice even toward those for whom one feels hatred. For him, this distinguishes Islamic justice from tribal morality, where people instinctively defend their own group and condemn the opposing side.
The Qur’an instead tells the believer: Truth comes before tribe, party, race, nation or personal loyalty.
4. Yusuf Ali
Yusuf Ali stresses that hatred is one of the strongest forces capable of distorting judgment. Therefore, the believer must consciously guard against allowing emotional hostility to interfere with moral responsibility. Justice must remain objective, even when emotions are intense.
5. Javed Ahmad Ghamdi
The implication is that not only should every Muslim adhere to truth and justice, but also if truth and justice require his testimony he should fulfil this demand even if this means endangering his life. He should speak the truth and submit to the truth. He should be just, bear witness to justice and not adopt anything in his beliefs and deeds except what is true and just. So much so, even his animosity to a nation should not induce him to swerve from truth and justice.
The relationship with Surah An Nisa verse 135
- Surah An-Nisā’ 4:135 gives the complementary principle: Stand firmly for justice even against yourselves, your parents and relatives.
- Together, 4:135 and 5:8 form an extraordinary ethical pair:
- 4:135: Do not let love make you unjust.
- 5:8: Do not let hatred make you unjust.
Why this verse is urgently relevant today
The violation of 5:8 is visible in many areas of modern life.
1. Politics
People frequently defend wrongdoing when committed by the political group they support, yet condemn the same act when committed by opponents. The Qur’anic standard is: The identity of the offender does not change the morality of the act.
2. War and international conflict
During conflict, entire populations are sometimes dehumanized because of the actions of governments, armies or militant groups. Verse 5:8 rejects collective hatred as a justification for collective injustice. The innocent remain innocent.
3. Sectarianism
Religious communities sometimes exaggerate the faults of rival sects while ignoring the faults within their own. The Qur’an does not permit truth to be manipulated for factional loyalty.
4. Social media
Online platforms reward outrage. People often share an accusation about someone they dislike without checking whether it is true.
A damaging story is eagerly forwarded because: “It confirms what I already believe about them.”
That is precisely where 5:8 should intervene. Before sharing something hostile about an opponent, we should ask: Would I accept this evidence if the same accusation were made against someone I support?
That is a powerful test of justice.
5. Personal relationships
This verse also applies within families. After a bitter divorce, business dispute or inheritance conflict, people can begin seeing everything the other person does negatively.
5:8 tells us: Your grievance may be genuine, but it does not give you permission to invent new grievances.
6. Workplace
Suppose an employee dislikes a colleague.
- When that colleague makes a mistake, it is exaggerated.
- When they perform well, it is ignored.
That is a small but very real violation of the Qur’anic principle. Justice does not mean neutrality between truth and falsehood.
An important qualification is needed. 5:8 does not tell us to become morally indifferent. Justice does not mean pretending that aggressor and victim are always equal, or that truth and falsehood are interchangeable.
- You may strongly condemn wrongdoing.
- You may oppose injustice.
- You may defend yourself.
- You may seek legal punishment where appropriate.
What the verse forbids is crossing from justice into vengeance.
There is a difference between: holding someone accountable - and dehumanizing them.
How can we practice 5:8 today?
Today, buying judges, presenting false witnesses and unleashing a propaganda campaign against the opponent, no matter how innocent he may be, is the norm today. Such heinous tactics not only taint the face of justice but also results into injustice in most of the cases.
Therefore, in order to uphold justice as commanded by Allah, following habits can make this verse practical.
- Before judging a dispute, hear both sides.
- Before forwarding damaging information, verify it.
- When criticizing an opponent, criticize the actual wrong rather than inventing motives.
- Do not punish an entire group for the actions of some members.
- If evidence favours someone you dislike, acknowledge it.
- If someone you support commits wrongdoing, admit it.
- And perhaps most importantly: apply the same moral standard to your allies that you apply to your enemies.
Although the last tip is extraordinarily difficult. But that is exactly why Allah says:
اعْدِلُوا هُوَ أَقْرَبُ لِلتَّقْوَىٰ “Be just; that is nearer to righteousness.”
The deepest lesson
The verse does not ask us to eliminate human emotions for hatred, anger and resentment may arise naturally. What it demands is that emotion must not become judge and jury.
A believer may say: “I strongly oppose what you have done, but I will not lie about you, deny your rights or treat you unjustly.” That is the moral strength of 5:8.
Its message for our polarized world can be reduced to one principle: Justice is only truly justice when we are willing to give it even to those we dislike. And that is precisely why Surah Al-Mā’idah 5:8 remains one of the Qur’an’s most demanding and urgently needed ethical commands.
May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door.
وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ
(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”
That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.
May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.
Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.
Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.
You may refer to more Selected Verses from Surah 5 Al Maidah (The Table [Spread with Food]) already published.
You may also refer to our exclusive reference pages:
- Selected verses from selected Surahs of Al-Qurʾān for compiled verses from other surahs.
- Selected Verses from Al Qur'an about a Specific Subject (Reference Page) to know more about what Qur'an says about specific subjects
- Selected Verses from the Qur'an.
You may also refer to our Reference Pages and Understanding Al Qur'an for knowing more about Islam and Qur'ān.
An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the surahs and selected verses of Al-Qurʾān from authentic sources and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. In that the exegesis of the chapters of the Quran is mainly based on the "Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an" by one of the most enlightened scholars of the Muslim World Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi.
In addition, other sources which have been explored and views of other scholars have been incorporated while explaining meaning of a verse. Those desirous of detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to these sites. For expansion of meaning and themes / contextual background help from ChatGPT is also taken.
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