By: M Asif Shammas

When you read the statement “Identifying The Real Problem”, a couple of thoughts will pop up in your mind. You might think it is something we all need to know but we are not aware of it or it is something in front of us but we can not see it.

The actual tragedy is the “Imbalance”. Every single problem around us is an imbalance of something. If we see the mental health problem, it is the imbalance of thoughts that causes the balance of human hormonal chemistry, if we see the economic problems, it is the imbalance of money between different classes. It is the imbalance that we call A Problem in reality.

When we look around in society, we see there are thousands of problems that exist around us. Have you ever pondered on those problems? What if I say almost every problem around us has the same Source? You heard it right. Almost every problem with us or around us is the result of the same phenomenon that happens to us, groups, societies, and states.

Whether it is a mental health problem, social problem, financial; economic problem, Racism, etc, it represents an imbalance.

To identify the real problem, we must dig down our thoughts to understand the source that causes such imbalances. It is the Lack of Justice that causes every imbalance. When we are in bad mental health, there is a reason for that, and the reason is that we didn’t practice justice to the conditions we were in. When the state is going through high instability or economic crisis, it represents that there is a presence of high corruption which tells us that there exists some injustice.

The lack of justice is Injustice.

 ْد َ لَنا َ ق ْر َسْ َأ َأ َنا َبِّيَن ُر ُسل ا ِت َ الْ ِ ب َنا ْن َزلْ ِكَت َمَع ُه ا َب ُم َوَأ ال ِمي َزا َن ْ لَِيق الَّنا ُس قِ ْس ِط ُو َم َوالْ الْ ِ ب 

“We sent aforetime our messengers with clear signs and sent down with them the Book and the Balance, that people may stand forth in justice.” 

Surah Al-Hadid 57:25 

When we go through the Quran we see the prayers of different Prophets.

 ْمَن َرَّب ا َنا َسَنا َظلَ نفُ َأ ن َأ ْم َوِإ لَنا َنا ل فِ ْر َّ ل ِم َن ي َن ََن ُكوَن َو َّن َت ْر َح ْم َتْغ َ الْ َخا ِسرِ 

“Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves, and if You do not forgive us and have mercy upon us, we will surely be among the losers.” 

Surah Al-Araaf (7:23) Prophet Adam

 َه اَل ٰ لَ ِإ ْن َت ِإاَّل ِإ َأ ُسْب َحاَن َك ِّني َأ ال َّظ ِإ ُكْن ُت ِم َن الِ ِمي َن ِإ

 “There is no deity except You; exalted are You. Indeed, I have been of the wrongdoers.” 

Surah Al-Anmbiya (21:87) Prophet Younus

 ِّن َر ِّب ي ِإ ْم ُت ِإ ِس َظ ي لَ ا ْغفِ ْر َنفْ ف لِي َ 

“My Lord, indeed I have wronged myself, so forgive me.”

 Surah Al Qasas (28:16) Prophet Musa

 َّن ُم اَلهَّللاَ ِإ الَّن َشْيًئا ِك َّن َي ا َس ْظلِ ٰ َس ُه ْم الَّن َول ا َس َ ْنفُ َي ْظ َأ لِ ُمو َن َأ 

“Indeed, Allah does not wrong the people at all, but it is the people who wrong themselves.” Surah Younus (10:44) 

Understanding Justice

(The Only Source of Harmony) 

Four weary travelers, starving after a long journey, discovered four loaves of bread in a village—just enough for each to have one. However, one traveler, larger and stronger than the rest, seized two loaves for himself, quickly ate one, and handed the remaining loaves to the others with an air of superiority. The weakest traveler, frail and hopeless, was left with nothing. 

This act of unfairness wasn’t just about bread—it symbolized an imbalance of power. The stronger traveler ignored fairness, denying the weaker his rightful share. Injustice, as simple as withholding bread, stirred deep frustration and a call for equity. 

The story reveals how imbalance and injustice sow discontent and rebellion. Justice, like the fair sharing of bread, is essential for harmony. Without it, even small acts of unfairness can escalate, leading to larger conflicts that disrupt society’s balance. 

At its core, justice is the art of maintaining balance by recognizing and assigning the rightful value to everything. It is achieved by ensuring that actions, resources, and relationships are aligned with fairness. Just as the natural world operates in harmony when its elements are in balance, human life thrives when justice is upheld. This principle applies to every sphere of existence, demanding that individuals, societies, and states acknowledge the true worth of things, actions, and beings, ensuring neither excess nor deficiency. 

When we go through the Quran, we see that Allah calls the Sin as Zulm as also written in the above quoted Ayahs. Every problem around us is a type of imbalance or injustice that should be sorted out. The imbalance will spread and become the reason for Instability thus disharmonizing the systems of its related nature and ultimately becoming a source of “ Shar”.