he did not deal justly with his own soul; on the contrary, he wronged it. The heart’s soundness lies in justice, and its ruin lies in wrongdoing. When a servant wrongs himself he is both the oppressor and the oppressed, and when he deals justly he is both the doer of justice and the one for whose sake justice is done. The deed issues from him, and the fruit of that deed—good or evil—returns to him. The Exalted says in al-Baqarah (2:286), “It will have whatever it has earned, and it will bear whatever it has brought upon itself.”
Every action leaves an imprint on the heart, bringing benefit or harm, before its outward effect ever appears. Thus the heart’s rectitude is an act of justice toward it, and its corruption an act of injustice toward it. The Most High says in Fuṣṣilat (41:46), “Whoever does good, it is for his own soul, and whoever does evil, it is against it,” and in al-Isrāʾ (17:7), “If you do good, you do good for your own souls; if you do evil, it is to its detriment.”
One of the salaf (early Muslims) said: “A good deed brings a light in the heart, strength in the body, radiance in the face, expansiveness in provision, and love in the hearts of people. A sin, on the other hand, brings darkness in the heart, gloom on the face, weakness in the body, constriction in provision, and hatred in the hearts of creation.”
The Exalted says in al-Ṭūr (52:21), “Every person is held in pledge for what he has earned,” and in al-Muddaththir (74:38), “Every soul is hostage to what it has earned.” He also says in al-Anʿām (6:70), “Warn by it lest a soul be delivered to ruin for what it has earned; it will have no protector and no intercessor apart from Allah, and even if it offered every kind of ransom it would not be accepted from it. Such are those who are delivered to ruin for what they have earned.” The term “delivered to ruin” (ubusilat) means to be held as collateral, detained, or taken captive.
Just as, when the body recovers from illness, people say, “Its temperament has returned to balance”—for illness is nothing but a deviation from that balance, even though absolute, perfect equilibrium, free from every foreign humor, is unattainable; one can only strive for the best attainable approximation—so too the heart’s health and soundness lie in justice, and its illness arises from deviation, wrongdoing, and imbalance. Perfect justice in every matter, whether in knowledge or in action, is impossible, yet one must always pursue the best possible degree; hence people say, “This is more balanced,” and the way of the early generations is called “the most balanced way.”
The Most High says in al-Nisāʾ (4:129), “You will never be able to deal equally between women, even though you strive to do so,” and in al-Anʿām (6:152), “Give full measure and weight with justice; We do not burden any soul beyond its capacity.” Allah sent the messengers and revealed the scriptures so that people might uphold justice. The greatest form of justice is to worship Allah alone with no partner; then comes justice toward people in their rights, and then justice toward one’s own self.
Wrongdoing is of three kinds, and every form of wrongdoing is a disease of the heart, whereas justice is its health and rectitude. Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal once said to someone, “Had you been sound, you would not fear anyone”—that is, the fear you feel springs from an inner sickness.