Are Islamic punishments just or harsh?

Just

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by Ahsan Iqbal

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One of the questions that the non-followers of Islam ask frequently from the followers of Islam is "Aren't the punishments suggested by Islam a bit too harsh and cruel? " This article may probably help people who ever asked such questions or have something like that in their mind.

First of all a person should know what in real terms an Islamic system is. And what a country following the true principles of Islam should look like. In a pure and true Islamic system there is no gap between rich and poor. There is no injustice. There is no difference between black and white people. Each and every single individual has his rights protected by the law. No one can do harm to any one without a justification. No one is above the law. The rich and the poor are treated the same. Each and every one is worth the same value in the eyes of a true Muslim ruler. Every single individual of a true Islamic state has right to earn money by whatever neat source he wants to. He has right to make legal property wherever in the state he wants to. He has the right to live his life by the way he wants to but without disturbing other people. The point is that whatever ideal thing a man can imagine is provided in a true Islamic system and true Islamic state.

Now if a person who has got every opportunity to earn his living, who has never been treated badly, who has never faced injustice, whose rights are never neglected goes the wrong way and, for example, he commits a theft then what should be his punishment. Shouldn't he be treated as an example for others? If a man commits a murder in heaven than shouldn't he be killed in reaction? If a man rapes a girl when he is allowed to have four wives then shouldn't he be treated as badly as one can. The point here is that if a fault is committed in such a place where you can find no reason to justify the fault then the accused should be treated as an example for others. But if a fault is committed in a place where nothing is right and everything looks disturbed and you find some justification to the fault then there should be some discount for the accused.

Islamic punishments can not be called harsh if the fault is committed in a true Islamic system but yes if the system is not correct and there is injustice every here and there and even basic rights are neglected then there should be some discount. Islamic punishments are just for a true Islamic system but for a system having all sorts of discrepancies in it the Islamic rules of punishments are not followed and the fact is that Islam itself first orders to correct the system before implementing the Islamic code of conduct. First the opportunities are provided and then high expectations are kept. So the fault is not in Islamic punishments but the fault is in people which do not provide the environment before making judgement.

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