Exploring the Lived Meaning of Justice, Forgiveness, and Moral Restoration in Islamic Criminal Law Contexts
Keywords:
Islamic Criminal Law, Phenomenology, Divine Justice, Forgiveness, Moral Experience, Interpretative AnalysisAbstract
Justice within Islamic criminal law represents a profound intersection between divine command and human morality, reflecting both legal and spiritual dimensions of human experience. Despite the growing body of literature on qisas (retributive justice), diyat (monetary compensation), and ta’zir (discretionary punishment), little is known about how individuals personally experience and internalize these concepts in their lived realities. This study addresses this gap by asking: How is justice experienced and given meaning by victims, offenders, and judges within the framework of Islamic criminal law? Using an interpretative phenomenological approach (IPA), this research explores the moral and emotional meanings individuals ascribe to punishment, forgiveness, and divine justice. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews with twelve participants and analyzed using a systematic IPA procedure, including idiographic coding, experiential theme development, and cross-case synthesis, to ensure methodological rigor. The analysis yielded three core experiential themes: (1) justice as a negotiated moral responsibility shaped through personal suffering and accountability; (2) forgiveness as a spiritually motivated act enabling emotional release and relational repair; and (3) judicial decision-making as a process of balancing divine justice with human compassion. These themes demonstrate that justice in Islamic contexts is not merely retributive but embedded in a restorative moral horizon. Judges articulated their role as interpreters of divine intent, balancing al-‘adl (justice) and al-ihsan (compassion) in decision-making. Overall, the study highlights justice as a lived moral phenomenon grounded in spiritual consciousness and relational healing, offering clearer pathways for integrating experiential insights into contemporary interpretations of Islamic criminal law.
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