TRANSLATION
O People of Faith, uphold justice and equity and bear witness for the sake of God, even if it means testifying against yourself, against your parents, and against your relatives—be they poor or rich. God has better claims than these people. Do not follow your vain desires, lest you deviate from truth. If you distort the truth and refuse to testify, then be aware that God knows the exact nature of all that you do.282
O People of Faith, believe in God, His Messenger, the Book He revealed to His Messenger, and the Books He revealed already. Whoever denies God, His Angels, His books, His Messengers, and the Last Day has certainly strayed too far [from the Straight Path]. God will never forgive those who come to faith and then go back, then come back, and then go back again, thereby increasing their persistent disbelief, nor guide them to the proper way. Inform the hypocrites that painful consequences await them.283
Those who take the deniers of truth [and these hypocrites] as friends in preference to those who are believers—do they seek to get honor from them? But all honors come from God! God has informed you in the Book that when you see people disbelieve in what has been revealed and mock it, move away from them until they engage in some other meaningful discourse; otherwise, you will become like them. God will certainly gather the disbelievers and the hypocrites into the hellfire. These people wait to see how the events unfold. If you get a victory from God, they say, “Were we not on your side?” But if the disbelievers are in luck, they say, “Have we not earned your confidence by defending you against the believers?” God will judge between you all on the Day of Resurrection. God will never allow those who deny the truth to find ways against the faithful [true believers]!284
INTERPRETATION
282. Establishment of justice and equity in society for all concerned, irrespective of their status, beliefs, gender, age, origin, race, and so on, is paramount in the eyes of God for the betterment of human societies and human development. God has sent humans as His representative on this planet and to fulfill our obligations by being true to the nature of our essence in which God has created us, which is also His essence. There is a serious crisis of justice and equity all over the world—employee-employer relationships in modern industrial and retail complexes, governance of nations and societies, widespread killing, abuse of human rights, social injustice between the haves and have-nots, the East and West, the rights of minorities in many countries, and the rise of religious extremists in all religions and ideologies. Unconditional adherence to God’s command, as stated in this verse and in other similar verses, has to drive our conversations and define our motives before we can effectively address such inequity and injustice.
283. Islam calls for a singular message and a common guidance based on One God; His agents who are angels bring His guidance to Messengers; His Messengers who professed the same set of guidance, starting from Adam to Abraham to Moses to Jesus to Mohammad, to name a few; and the Books that He revealed—the Torah, the Bible, the Qur’an, and other books inspired in the same way. This is the common agenda and the shared vision that God inspires us all to subscribe to, irrespective of what we call ourselves—Muslims, Jews, Christians, or people of other faiths. A common faith in One God and a shared vision to establish truth and justice for all are the goals that we should all aspire to and strive for.
284. Hypocrisy and deception are at the heart of all human ailments where we hide the truth, speak the lies, envy the goodness in people, and subscribe to evil ways of gaining wealth, advantage, and prominence. God condemns such a way of life in the strongest terms and warns people that such ways will not prevail against truth and the faithful, assuming that such a group of people exists and is committed to such truth and justice. This is the call to all of us—to prevail over falsehood and injustice by committing to truth and justice in the truest sense, know that God is on our side if we mean it, and do this in a way that keeps faith and goodness at the forefront of such endeavors.
REFLECTION
The simplicity and elegance with which God conveys the message of faith, truth, and justice are evident in the Qur’an and in other books of revelations, and we as people of faith (irrespective of our specific religious orientation) should reflect on the essence of such calls and commit to such a way of life.
ACTION
Unconditional commitment to truth and justice and strong commitment to God’s guidance and faith in Him are essential to change our condition and the world we live in. We need to come together, commit to oppose evil and unjust practices, and establish truth and justice in the most effective and efficient ways that we can devise collectively.