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There is an important principle here that deserves careful attention: for sins that harm others in their religion and worldly affairs, the punishment we impose in this world is more severe. As for sins through which a person harms himself, his punishment in the Hereafter may be more severe, even though we do not punish him in this world.
Harming a person in his religion and worldly affairs constitutes wrongdoing against others. Anyone who wrongs another necessarily deserves punishment in this world, to prevent people from wronging one another. Such wrongdoing is of two kinds:
First: withholding the rights due to others, which is neglect.
Second: doing what harms another, which is aggression. Thus, neglect of people’s rights . . . (1)
(1) A lacuna in the original manuscript.
وَهُنَا قَاعِدَةٌ شَرِيفَةٌ يَنْبَغِي التَّفَطُّنُ لَهَا:
وَهُوَ أَنَّ مَا عَادَ مِنْ الذُّنُوبِ بِإِضْرَارِ الْغَيْرِ فِي دِينِهِ وَدُنْيَاهُ فَعُقُوبَتُنَا لَهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا أَكْبَرُ وَأَمَّا مَا عَادَ مِنْ الذُّنُوبِ بِمَضَرَّةِ الْإِنْسَانِ فِي نَفْسِهِ فَقَدْ تَكُونُ عُقُوبَتُهُ فِي الْآخِرَةِ أَشَدَّ وَإِنْ كُنَّا نَحْنُ لَا نُعَاقِبُهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا.
وَإِضْرَارُ الْعَبْدِ فِي دِينِهِ وَدُنْيَاهُ هُوَ ظُلْمُ النَّاسِ؛
فَالظُّلْمُ لِلْغَيْرِ يَسْتَحِقُّ صَاحِبُهُ الْعُقُوبَةَ فِي الدُّنْيَا لَا مَحَالَةَ لِكَفِّ ظُلْمِ النَّاسِ بَعْضِهِمْ عَنْ بَعْضٍ ثُمَّ هُوَ نَوْعَانِ:
أَحَدُهُمَا:
مَنْعُ مَا يَجِبُ لَهُمْ مِنْ الْحُقُوقِ وَهُوَ التَّفْرِيطُ.
والثَّانِي:
فِعْلُ مَا يَضُرُّ بِهِ وَهُوَ الْعُدْوَانُ. فَالتَّفْرِيطُ فِي حُقُوقِ الْعِبَادِ. . .
(١)
(١) خرم في الأصل