Surah 41:34

By

Dr. Zohurul Hoque & Husain Nuri

 

41:34 And neither good nor evil can become parallel. Repel with that whichever is the best; when lo! even when between you and between him were enmity as if he were a warm friend.

41:34 Evil must be repelled through appropriate effective steps based upon the circumstance, severity and impact of the evil act (10:27; 23:96; 28:54; 42:40). Since the range of evil is not defined here, but left to the judgment of the people witnessing it, the redress is also left to the best judgment of the witness or other appropriate intermediaries. The appropriate redress could be to counsel the sinner, forgive if warranted or punish as deemed best. Turning the other cheek is not a healthy moral response; crime must be, as Islam teaches, responded proportionate to its severity. The best redress must be done, not with a view of revenge, and certainly not disproportionate to the evil, but with a keen sense of fair judgment. This is implied since the verse states the perpetrator should be dealt as if he were a warm friend, even though there is enmity between the two. The underlying message is: instead of getting exasperated in delivering excellent speech (v. 33) or repelling evil, one should persevere and follow good steps to win over the adversaries in the matter of religion.

 

Source: http://www.qurancommentary.com/comm41_34.html

 

 

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