التَّحذيرُ مِنَ الظُّلمِ Caution against Wrongdoing

The Arabic Zulm comes from the root a-la-ma meaning to do wrong, to act wrongfully, injuriously, unjustly or tyrannically in its intransitive usage, and to wrong (others or oneself), to treat someone wrongfully, unjustly, injuriously or tyrannically when transitive. The title has been translated quite generally as ‘wrongdoing’, though each tradition has been translated to best denote the meaning of Zulm in that particular context

 

1ـ رسولُ اللهِ‏ِ (صَلَّيَ اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ): إيّاكُم والظُّلمَ؛ فإنّهُ يُخرِبُ قُلوبَكُم.

1– The Prophet (SAWA) said, ‘Beware of wrongdoing for verily it corrupts your hearts.’[Kanz al-`Ummal, no. 7639]
 

2ـ رسولُ اللهِ (صَلَّيَ اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ): إنّه لَيَأتِيَ العَبدُ يَومَ القِيامَةِ وقد سَرَّتهُ حَسَناتُهُ، فَيَجِيءُ الرجُلُ فيقولُ: يا ربِّ ظَلَمَني هَذا، فَيُؤخَذُ مِن حَسَناتِهِ فَيُجعَلُ في حَسَناتِ الذي سَألَهُ، فما يَزالُ كذلكَ حتّى ما يَبقى لَهُ حَسَنةٌ، فإذا جاءَ مَن يَسألُهُ نَظَرَ إلى سَيِّئاتِهِ فَجُعِلَت مَع سيّئاتِ الرَّجُلِ، فلا يَزالُ يُستَوفى مِنهُ حتّى يَدخُلَ النارَ.

2– The Prophet (SAWA) said, ‘Verily the servant will come on the Day of Resurrection having performed many good deeds which please him, when a man will come, complaining [to Allah], ‘O Lord, this man has wronged me’, whereupon some of his good deeds will be taken and transferred to the good deeds of the plaintiff. The situation will continue thus until finally he will be left with no good deeds, and then the plaintiff’s evil deeds will start being transferred to his own evil deeds, and he will continue to pay for them thus until he will enter the Fire.’[Nihayat al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya, v. 2, p. 55]
 

3ـ رسولُ اللهِ (صَلَّيَ اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ): اتَّقُوا الظُّلمَ؛ فإنّهُ ظُلُماتٌ يَومَ القِيامَةِ .

3– The Prophet (SAWA) said, ‘Fear wrongdoing, for verily it is a source of darkness on the Day of Resurrection.’[al-Kafi, v. 2, p. 332, no. 11]
 

4ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): الظُّلمُ ألأمُ الرَّذائلِ .

4– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘Wrongdoing is the most painful of all vices.’[Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 804]
 

5ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): الظُّلمُ يُزِلُّ القَدَمَ، ويَسلُبُ النِّعَمَ ويُهلِكُ الاُمَمَ .

5– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘Wrongdoing causes feet to slip, snatches away bounties and destroys nations.’[Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 1734]
 

6ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ) ـ في خُطبَةٍ لَهُ يَتَبَرَّأُ مِن الظُّلمِ ـ: واللّه‏ِ لأََن أبِيتَ عَلى حَسَكِ السَّعدانِ مُسَهَّداً، أو اُجَرَّ في الأغلالِ مُصَفَّداً، أحَبُّ إلَيَّ مِن أن ألقَى اللّه‏َ ورسولَهُ يَومَ القِيامَةِ ظالِماً لِبَعضِ العِبادِ، وغاصِباً لِشَيءٍ مِن الحُطامِ، وكيفَ أظلِمُ أحَداً لِنَفسٍ يُسرِعُ إلى البِلى قُفُولُها، ويَطُولُ في الثَّرى حُلُولُها ؟!

6– Imam Ali (AS) said, seeking immunity from wrongdoing, ‘By Allah, I would rather spend a sleepless night on the thorns of the Sa`adan tree [a type of prickly tree], or be driven as a prisoner in shackles, than meet Allah and His Messenger on the Day of Resurrection having wronged any servant or having usurped any kind of worldly wealth. How can I wrong anyone for the sake of this soul that is rapidly hastening towards destruction and is to remain under the earth for a long time?’[Nahj al-Balagha, Sermon 224]
 

7ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ) ـ أيضا ـ: واللّه‏ِ لو اُعطِيتُ الأقاليمَ السَّبعَةَ بما تَحتَ أفلاكِها، على أن أعصِيَ اللّه‏َ في نَملَةٍ أسلُبُها جُلْبَ‏ شَعِيرَةٍ ما فَعَلتُهُ.

7– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘By Allah, if I was given all the seven domains with all that exists under its celestial spheres in order that I may disobey Allah to the extent of snatching a single grain of barley from an ant, I would not do it.’[Nahj al-Balagha, Sermon 224]
 

8ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): إيّاكَ والظُّلمَ؛ فَمَن ظَلَمَ كَرُهَت أيّامُهُ.

8– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘Beware of wrongdoing, for the living days of one who wrongs others become odious.’[Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 2638]
 

9ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): لَيسَ شَيءٌ أدعى إلى تَغييرِ نِعمَةِ اللّه‏ِ وتَعجِيلِ نِقْمَتِهِ مِن إقامَةٍ على ظُلمٍ؛ فإنّ اللّه‏َ سَميعُ دَعوَةِ المُضطَهَدِينَ (المَظلومِينَ)، وهُو للظالِمينَ بِالمِرصادِ.

9– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘Nothing induces the reversal of Allah’s bounty or the hastening of His retribution than continuous injustice [to others]; for verily Allah hears the call of the oppressed and lies in wait for the oppressors.’[Nahj al-Balagha, Letter 53]
 

10ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): مَن ظَلَمَ قُصِمَ عُمرُهُ .

10– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘The life of one who wrongs others is shattered.’[Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 7940]
 

11ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): راكِبُ الظُّلمِ يَكبُو بِهِ مَركَبُهُ .

11– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘The one who takes wrongdoing as a mount is thrown off by it.’[Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 5391]
 

12ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): مَن جارَ أهلَكَهُ جَورُهُ .

12– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘The one who tyrannises others is ruined by his own tyranny.’[Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 7835]
 

13ـ الإمامُ الصّادقُ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): نهى رسولُ اللّه‏ِ (صَلَّيَ اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ) أن يُؤكَلَ ماتَحمِلُ النَّملَةُ بِفِيها وقَوائمِها .

13– Imam al-Sadiq (AS) narrated, ‘The Prophet (SAWA) forbade anyone from eating anything that an ant carries in its mouth or holds in its grip.’[al-Kafi, v. 5, p. 305, no. 11]