Introduction
Those words were written by Ali Ibn Abu Talib, the cousin, and son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). He is regarded as the champion of the faith, someone who exemplified the struggle of man against their ego and made way to find a balance between selflessness and sacrifices. As Muslims, we are grateful for all the good deeds done by this man as well as his companions who struggled to save Islam from evil forces.
I will never forget his courageous stand which saved Islam in its early days. He shook the world with one noble act. Today we have many saviors like him lurking around us, doing amazing acts each day for people around them and the world at large. These acts may not be colossal but still, have a profound effect on others' lives.
Is there a situation in which an evil deed is permissible?
If you were given the opportunity to push a button and kill Hitler, would it be worth the cost of killing one innocent person? This is a hypothetical question, of course. If we had the chance to kill Hitler while he was still in his early years, we would do it in an instant. But if someone else was to press the button, would it be okay for you to choose to let Hitler live?
Some people say that no evil deed can ever be justified. Others say that some deeds are so heinous that they demand action, even if that action involves committing a sin. Let's look at both sides of this argument.
The war of the good and evil deeds
Is it true that good deeds go unrewarded and bad deeds go unpunished? There are many people who think that the world is unfair. They blame God, they curse the destiny or they are simply disappointed in human nature. But is it true?
Trying to answer this question I came to the conclusion that everything is much more complicated and depends on many factors. The first thing I want to mention is: if you do something bad you will not get away with it! In the majority of cases, your deeds will be rewarded with punishment or with bad consequences.
If you love someone, if you help others, if you feel compassion towards anybody then your deeds will be rewarded. Yes, sometimes it may not be immediate, but sooner or later you will get a reward for your good deeds. It may not happen in this life, but most likely it will happen in your next life or even in future lives.
Whatever religion you belong to or whatever philosophy of life suits you best, whatever moral principles guide you through your life, there is one truth: loving and helping others will create positive karma for yourself and there is no need for any reward in this life.
Evil deeds repel one another, just like good ones.
A person who is bad to someone else will meet with evil deeds, for one who does an evil deed give birth to negative results. So we can see that if a person does good deeds, he or she receives happiness and good things, and if a person does evil deeds, he or she receives unhappiness and evil things.
A Buddhist once came to the Buddha and asked him how people who do good can be protected from all forms of danger by others who are envious of their goodness. The Buddha replied that there are two ways in which this kind of protection can be given:
The first is that those who do good should live in places where such dangers are unlikely to arise. For example, the Buddha advised his followers to avoid people who were not virtuous.
The second way is that they must be careful in their behavior. They must always be mindful and aware of what they are doing so as to avoid actions that will bring them harm or suffering at the hands of others. This means refraining from doing any action that would harm others physically, emotionally or spiritually.
They should also avoid doing anything dishonest while under the influence of anger or hatred. They should never engage in sexual misconduct and make sure that they always speak respectfully to others.
The misfortunate consequences of evil deeds
The Islamic teachings tell us that the misfortune consequences of an evil deed is in fact an act of punishment from Allah.
Tafsir Ibn Kathir tells us that, "The Prophet said, 'If a person commits a sin, then he will be punished in this world by means of it, and if he repents, then Allah will turn away His Punishment from him.'" (Ibn Kathir 4:1)
Thus, the specific hardship or calamity which occurs to a believer for committing a sin is not only painful in its own right, but also serves as a punishment for his or her sin. This is why it is so important for us to avoid the prohibitions (haram) and adhere to the commandments (mandub). The more we avoid prohibitions and stick to the Sunnah of our beloved Prophet (peace be upon him), the less suffering we will experience in this life.
Conclusion
Now, this principle applies to us as well, not just for others, when we help somebody who is in some kind of difficulty. Like one was doing something bad to you and now you repel their evil with something better and then he realizes what a mistake he made by mistreating you. So that’s how we are supposed to deal with all these people who are doing evil deeds against us.
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