Justice, Excellence, and Those Near of Kin

What must be remembered is why this is of such importance. The ʿadl spoken of there — inna Allāha yaʾmuru bi-l-ʿadl, the ʿadl and the justice spoken of there — refers to everything. Whether it be in matters of aḥkām: you must be just in the way you give a ruling, just in your dealings, just in everything. You must be just also in the way you observe your obligations. That a thing is an obligation does not permit you to abuse another in it. In all your wājibāt: with your children, with your friends, and even with your enemies. ʿAdl matters. That a man is an enemy does not make everything permissible; there are boundaries within that also. Likewise with strangers and with your own; with your staff, with your spouse, and with everyone else.

The second is iḥsān. What does iḥsān mean? Since this is so prominent a verse, it is important to understand. Iḥsān means the beautifying of your dealing, of what you do. Iḥsān means beautification; ḥusn means goodness and beauty, or excellence. So it is goodwill and excellence towards people. And that means with Allah: in your relationship with Allah, that you do things well for Him. And with other people outside, and with your own people. And even with the animals. And even with the environment. Iḥsān. You treat everything well, from your neighbours to the environment, to your cars, to everything, to your clothing and everything else. That is why you do not abuse things. A man may say: it is mine, I may abuse it. No; there is a reason why he may not, and it is that this is a matter of iḥsān.

The third is a particular regard for your relatives, who have need of help. If there is something they need, you must provide for them. A man is rewarded for doing this for anyone at all; but where it is his relatives, it weighs more heavily, for that is how the nuclear family is strengthened, and the larger family, and then the community.