The Moral Foundation: How Small Injustices Lead to Societal Collapse
We wage wars. We oppress people. And we justify it all as necessary measures to fight injustice. But here's what we miss: injustice isn't the disease. It's the symptom. The real disease is moral decay
The Easy Targets
It’s comfortable to point fingers at the obvious villains. The corrupt politician. The brutal dictator. The greedy corporation. The evil regime. They make perfect scapegoats for the world’s problems.
And yes, throughout human history, there have always been massive injustices. Wars fought in the name of peace. Innocent people imprisoned or killed. Genocide committed in service of some twisted idea of justice.
We look back decades later and wonder: How did we get here? How could humanity stoop so low?
But here’s the uncomfortable truth: in the moment, it all felt right. It felt justified. The people committing these acts believed they were doing the right thing, or at least convinced themselves they were.
The Divine Purpose of Justice
Allah tells us clearly why He sent messengers and revelation: “We have sent Our messengers with clear proofs and sent down with them the Scripture and the Balance that people may maintain justice” (Quran 57:25).
Establishing justice isn’t just one purpose among many. It’s a fundamental purpose of divine revelation itself.
Think about that. The Creator of the universe, in His infinite wisdom, chose to send prophets and scriptures primarily so that humanity could establish justice. That’s how crucial it is.
Yet here we are, surrounded by injustice on massive scales.
How did we get here?
The Path to Great Injustice Starts Small
The big injustices we see in society didn’t appear overnight. They didn’t start with wars or genocides or systematic oppression. They started much closer to home, in much quieter ways.
It begins when people start acting solely in their self-interest, with no regard for their fellow human beings.
“Why should I help poor people in my country? They deserve what they have.”
“Why should I help this neighbor whose car broke down? I have my own problems.”
“Why should I help my relatives who are struggling financially? They should have planned better.”
Then these justifications creep even closer. They apply to immediate family. Disputes over wealth. Arguments over inheritance. The breakdown of basic family bonds.
When we become comfortable with these small injustices, when we justify our selfishness in minor matters, we lay the foundation for much larger evils.
Justice Even in the Smallest Matters
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) didn’t just talk about justice in grand terms. He brought it down to the most practical, everyday level.
When a father came to him asking him to witness a gift given to only one of his children, the Prophet asked: “Have you done the same with every son of yours?” The man said no. The Prophet responded: “Fear Allah, and observe equity in case of your children” (Sahih Muslim 1623, Sahih Bukhari 2587).
Read that again. Even in family gifts, even in how parents treat their children, justice must be maintained. The Prophet refused to be a witness to inequality, calling it what it was: injustice.
This wasn’t a suggestion. This was a command rooted in the fear of Allah.
Justice as Worship
The Prophet elevated justice to something even more profound. He said that administering justice between two people is sadaqah, charity (Sahih Muslim 1009).
Let that sink in. Mediating a dispute fairly. Ensuring both parties get their due. Standing for what’s right even when it’s inconvenient. All of this counts as an act of worship, deserving of divine reward.
Justice isn’t just about courts and laws. It’s about how you treat your spouse. How you split bills with friends. How you handle disagreements with colleagues. Whether you give credit where it’s due or claim it all for yourself.
Every small act of fairness is an act of worship. Every small injustice is a step toward societal decay.
When Society Loses Its Moral Compass
What happens when we neglect these small duties? When we become immune to these seemingly minor injustices?
Society falls into moral decay.
And moral decay happens when everything becomes about you. Your comfort. Your profit. Your convenience. Your tribe. Your side.
When morality dies, when people stop caring about justice in their personal lives, the big injustices become normalized. They become the standard. What was once unthinkable becomes policy. What was once condemned becomes justified.
This is how genocides happen. This is how oppression gets institutionalized. This is how entire societies can participate in or tolerate evil.
It doesn’t start with evil people doing evil things. It starts with ordinary people neglecting small acts of justice and kindness.
Martin Luther King Jr. understood this interconnectedness when he wrote: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
That injustice you ignore because it doesn’t affect you directly? It weakens the entire fabric of justice. That unfairness you tolerate because speaking up is uncomfortable? It makes the next, bigger injustice easier to accept.
Justice is indivisible. You can’t have it selectively. You can’t demand it for yourself while denying it to others. When justice dies in one place, it becomes endangered everywhere.
The Four Cardinal Virtues
The ancient Stoics identified four cardinal virtues that form the foundation of a good life:
Wisdom
Justice
Courage
Temperance
Notice that justice stands among them. It’s not separate from wisdom or courage. They’re interconnected.
Marcus Aurelius wrote: “What is not good for the swarm is not good for the bee.”
In other words, individual good and collective good are inseparable. When you harm society, you ultimately harm yourself. When you neglect justice for others, you undermine the very foundations that protect you.
The Subjective Morality Problem
Here’s where people push back: “But morality is subjective. What’s just changes over time. One person’s hero is another’s villain. Whose moral code should we follow?”
This is precisely why we need divine guidance.
Our logic is flawed. Our biases are deep. Our self-interest clouds our judgment. We rationalize injustice when it benefits us. We condemn it when we’re the victims.
Without an objective standard rooted in divine revelation, morality becomes nothing more than majority opinion or the will of the powerful.
The Prophet’s Declaration
In his final sermon, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) made a declaration that still echoes through history:
“All mankind is from Adam and Eve. An Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab, nor does a non-Arab have any superiority over an Arab. A white has no superiority over a black, nor does a black have any superiority over a white, except by piety and good action.”
This was revolutionary then. It remains revolutionary now.
True equality. True justice. Not based on race, ethnicity, wealth, or power. Only based on character and righteousness.
What better definition of justice could exist?
The Connection Between Courage and Morality
Here’s something crucial: justice requires courage. You can’t have one without the other.
It takes courage to stand up for what’s right when everyone around you is doing wrong. It takes courage to speak truth to power. It takes courage to admit when you’re wrong and make amends. It takes courage to prioritize fairness over personal gain.
And courage requires morality to guide it. Without moral grounding, courage becomes recklessness or even violence. With it, courage becomes a force for justice.
The two are inseparable.
But here’s what often happens: people stay silent. They see injustice. They know it’s wrong. But speaking up has a cost, so they remain quiet.
Martin Luther King Jr. delivered a sobering truth: “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”
The greatest enabler of injustice isn’t the oppressor. It’s the silence of good people who know better but say nothing. The worst betrayal isn’t from those who commit wrong, it’s from those who witness it and turn away.
Your silence is a choice. And that choice has consequences that echo far beyond what you imagine.
What You Can Do Today
This might all feel overwhelming. Global injustice. Societal decay. Moral collapse. What can one person do?
Here’s what: Pay attention to the small matters.
Start with yourself. Improve yourself. Be honest in your dealings. Pay people what you owe them. Give credit where it’s due. Treat your family members fairly. Stand up for those who can’t stand up for themselves, even when it costs you something.
Be of service to others, not for recognition, not for reward, not even for gratitude, but for the sake of Allah alone.
Allah has promised rewards for believers, for those who are patient, for those who do good. So do good. Show courage. Be patient. Then leave the rest to Allah.
Because Al-Adl, The Just, is one of Allah’s Beautiful Names. And He is watching.
The Ultimate Accountability
Remember this verse: “Indeed, Allah does not wrong people in the least, but it is people who wrong themselves” (Quran 10:44).
When injustice happens, it’s not because Allah is unjust. It’s because people choose injustice. We choose selfishness over sacrifice. We choose comfort over courage. We choose convenience over what’s right.
The injustices in the world, big and small, exist because enough people tolerated them, participated in them, or turned a blind eye to them.
And the path back to justice starts the same way it fell apart: with individuals making different choices.
A Final Reflection
The next time you’re tempted to overlook a small injustice, think about where that road leads. The next time you’re about to prioritize yourself at someone else’s expense, remember that societies crumble one selfish act at a time.
Justice isn’t just about grand gestures and noble causes. It’s about the everyday choices you make. How you treat the waiter. Whether you cut in line. If you return what you borrowed. Whether you gossip about someone. If you stand up when you see wrong.
These small acts matter. They’re the building blocks of either a just society or a corrupt one.
You might not be able to solve global problems. You might not be able to topple oppressive regimes. You might not be able to end wars.
But you can be just in your corner of the world. You can treat your children fairly. You can be honest in your business. You can stand up for your neighbor. You can refuse to participate in injustice, even when it’s popular.
And when enough people do that, when enough individuals commit to justice in the small things, society begins to heal.
The revolution starts in your heart. The change begins with your choices.
Be just. Be courageous. Be patient.
And trust that Al-Adl, The Just, sees everything and will make all things right in the end.
May Allah grant us the wisdom to recognize justice, the courage to stand for it, and the patience to endure when doing so costs us something.
Ameen.