would be the most consummate of men and the most qualified for the tasks assigned to them. Their policies and deeds would flow along the channels of justice and soundness, avoiding every form of oppression and corruption; as a result, the community would advance and its affairs would prosper. The matter is completed by the other verse in which Allah commands obedience to the leaders of authority: “O you who believe, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you” (An-Nisāʾ 4:59). Can there be any principle of governance more perfect and richer in benefit than this wise and judicious policy whose outcomes are the most praiseworthy?

Among the verses that lay down the foundations of sound governance are all those in which Allah has prescribed the ḥudūd—punishments for crimes—namely, the penalties imposed on those who transgress His rights and the rights of His servants. These penalties are the epitome of justice and excellence: they deter criminals, exact retribution, strike fear into the hearts of evildoers and corrupters, and cleanse society of their crimes, thereby safeguarding people’s lives, wealth, and honor.

Also relevant are the verses that command enjoining what is right, forbidding what is wrong, and speaking the truth to whomever it may concern, under all circumstances.

Likewise, the Qurʾānic prohibition of injustice directs us to grant people beneficial freedom—that is, the freedom to speak the truth, to call for what serves the welfare of the ummah, and to act in matters where no prohibition exists. At the same time, the prescribed penalties, punishments, and the bans on vile speech and deeds all serve to repel the counterfeit, deceptive notion of freedom that the foolish and frivolous vaunt, blind and deaf to the devastation it has wrought upon Western nations—a bitter harvest of licentious, ruinous freedom. The true standard for sound, beneficial freedom is what the Qurʾān and the Prophet ﷺ have indicated.

As for unleashing ignorance, oppression, and harmful words that corrode morals, this is among the greatest causes of evil and corruption, leading to utter chaos and the disintegration of the very ethics upon which every nation stands.

The fruits of genuine, wholesome freedom are the finest of fruits, whereas the fruits of corrupt freedom are the most repugnant. The Lawgiver has opened the door to the former and closed it to the latter, in order to secure benefits and ward off harms and evils. Allah knows best.