Mankind! Fear Allah, and beware of oppression and wronging others. For how many times do we hear about the destruction of those who oppress people. They are destroyed, and became an example for those who deliberate.
Oppression is three types; the first type is the oppression between the slave and His Lord, and that is Shirk.
Allah says: “Surely Shirk is a great Wrong.”
Only Allah will forgive this oppression, and will do so only when the slave repents.
Allah said:
“Who ever associates partners with Allah, then Allah has forbidden for him Al-Jannah, and his dwelling is the Fire, and the wrong-doers will have no helper besides Allah.”
The second type is the slave’s oppression of himself. He does this by committing sins below those of disbelief (Kufr). This is oppression because he is putting himself in Allah’s anger. This oppression is wiped away by repentance before death. But if he doesn’t repent then it is up to Allah whether He forgives him or not. And Allah has said, roughly translated:
“Allah doesn’t forgive someone who has associated with Him, and forgives what is below that to whom He wishes.”
This means after death and before repentance.
The third type is the oppression between the slaves themselves. The one who has been oppressed, either in this life or the next life forgives this type. The Messenger, salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam said:
“All rights will be returned to their owners, even the wrong done to a hornless goat by a horned goat will be redressed.”
He also said:
“Whoever has wronged his brother in his honour, wealth or blood, then let him relieve himself of wrongdoing by returning it to its owner. Before there will a day with neither pound nor penny. If he has good deeds, it will be taken from them, and if he doesn’t he will be given his bad deeds to carry.”
Allah, said, in hadith qudsi:
‘O my servants I have made oppression forbidden on Me, and I have made it forbidden between you, so do not wrong one another.’
The Messenger said:
“Do you know who is the bankrupt amongst you?”
They said:
“He is the one who does not have wealth nor property.”
He said:
“The bankrupt is someone who will come on the Day of Judgment with salaah, charity and fasting. And he has cursed someone, and abused another. He has eaten the money of another falsely and spilled the blood of another or hit him. So it will be taken from his good deeds to undo the wrong, or he will take from the bad deeds, when his good deeds are finished, and so he will be thrown in the Fire.”
“And do not think that Allah is unaware of what the oppressors are doing. He is only deferring them to a day in which the sights will be fixed – staring in horror.”
Beware of oppressing others because it is a dangerous thing. It is dangerous because Allah can punish in this life or the next. Be careful of the du’a of one who is oppressed will go directly to Allah, as the Messenger advised Mu’adh:
“Beware of the du’a of the oppressed, because there is no veil between it and Allah.”
