The Limits and Boundaries of Punishment

سزا کی حدودو قیود

Abstract

Allah created humans and made them the noblest of His creation. Along with their creation, He instilled in them two forces: the forces of good and evil. With this in mind, He established a law such that if a person does good under the influence of the good force, they receive reward, and if they commit evil under the influence of the evil force, the concept of punishment applies. ALLAH says:

"That Allah may recompense every soul for what it has earned. Indeed, Allah is swift in account." [Qur'an 14:51]

 These two forces within a person are always in conflict, and this struggle continues to grow. Islam always promotes the forces of goodness and righteousness within a person and urges avoidance of evil, providing teachings to refrain from all kinds of sins. This is why:

"Islam hates sin and error, but it does not hate the sinner."

It expresses abhorrence of oppression but encourages sympathy for the oppressed. It urges the prevention of oppression and injustice. To curb oppression, Allah has established a law of justice that gives assurance to the innocent, while the punishments prescribed for serious crimes serve to deter criminals, bring them to justice, and act as a lesson for others. In Islam, there are two concepts of reward and punishment: worldly and hereafter. If a person does good deeds in this world, they will receive good reward; if they commit evil, they will face punishment, which leads to disgrace both in this world and the Hereafter. Therefore, Allah has established the concept of punishment in Islamic objectives.  Because it is also rationally accepted that if multiple crimes go unpunished, corruption will spread in society and the sanctity of punishment will be lost. For example, if parents discipline young children in such a way that they never consider repeating the act, the habit can be eliminated permanently; otherwise, the opposite will happen. That’s why Islam has prescribed punishments for major crimes such as adultery, alcohol consumption, and unlawful killing. If these punishments are implemented, crimes not only decrease but can be reduced to nearly zero. For instance, before the punishment for theft was enforced in Saudi Arabia, many crimes occurred, but once the law was applied, they dropped to almost zero. Accountability –every soul will be recompensed for what it has earned; ALLAH is swift in account, Law of justice-assurance and protection for the innocent, Reward-good results for doing right, Disgrace-loss of respect, shame, Hereafter-life after death.