WHEN we reflect on our society, there is much to be thankful for. We live in the birthplace of Islam and as such should have set an example for others to follow in all aspects of life. Yet when we look around, we often see a different picture.

What we find is that a major part of our society has deviated from its Islamic ideals in pursuit of selfish ends, even if it means betrayal of trust, destruction of the lives of the innocent and helpless, and usurping the rights of the vulnerable and gullible.

Such is the greed of these self-righteous people that they would harm even their closest family members or relatives. In their twisted thinking, they believe that all they need to do to redeem themselves in the eyes of society is to perform some grand charitable act with all its pomp and glory. They think this would create the impression that they are God-fearing Muslims. But will they be redeemed in the judgment of Almighty God who has warned us to be wary of such hypocrites whose impure hearts remain hidden under a facade of piousness?

A case in point is the present circumstances of Hadeel B., a schoolteacher in Jeddah who narrated the following: “My mother was deprived of her lawful inheritance by her own sister and brother-in-law while she was still alive. They claimed that they were singled out for a sizeable legacy, a wasiyyat (a will) in my grandparents’ estate. After her death, the legacy dwindled even further and her offspring received just a fraction of what was due to them from her assets, with total disregard of the laws of inheritance as laid out in the Shariah.

“So, she was swindled not by an unknown outsider but by her close relatives whose greed had deadened their conscience and by denying her what was lawfully hers, they left my mother devastated, betrayed and too ill to bear living any longer.

“What is disgusting is how these people throw dust in the eyes of others with the pretensions of being honorable Muslims. These Robin Hoods stole from a poor woman and used some of the money to build mosques. They assume they can fool society and themselves by such acts of benevolence. How can they believe that they could comfort their souls and conceal from Almighty Allah the devious darkness festering in the depths of their hearts? No, they cannot, for on Judgment Day they will be exposed.

“Contrary to their thinking, there is always something called divine justice that protects the innocent and helps them thrive. Another good thing is that our society can still distinguish between the honest and the crooked and honor those innocent victims of hypocrisy irrespective of their material status. And most importantly, a pure heart is the most precious possession one can have. Those who have it can surely go to sleep with a clean conscience and without the burden of injustice toward others.”

Is Hadeel’s situation unique? Not to my knowledge. Most of us are aware of similar situations involving family members usurping the legitimate rights of their relatives. Victimized by their kith and kin, and unwilling to cast public shame on their deceitful family, many had chosen to forgo legal action in pursuit of their rights, while they silently prayed to God for redemption.

The Holy Qur’an states, “Let those (disposing of an estate) have the same fear in their minds as they would have for their own if they had left a helpless family behind: Let them fear Allah, and speak words of appropriate (comfort). Those who unjustly eat up the property of orphans, eat up a Fire into their own bodies: They will soon be enduring a Blazing Fire!”

And in Verse 2:188: “And eat up not one another’s property unjustly (in any illegal way, e.g. stealing, robbing, deceiving), nor give bribery to the rulers (judges before presenting your cases) that you may knowingly eat up a part of the property of others sinfully.”

In Islam, a will is not made with the aim of giving whoever one wishes according to one’s whims. In other words, giving less or giving more to whoever one wishes is not permitted. It is narrated in a Hadith: “Allah has given every rightful person his right, so there is no wasiyyat for him.”

And yet these people continue to manipulate, steal and plunder what is rightfully the property of their family members.

No number of mosques built or the Qur’an memorized will absolve them of their wicked deeds on Judgment Day. There will be no time for repentance. There will be no escape from the wrath of the Almighty.