40 Preface وَجَزاءُ سَيِّئَةٍ سَيِّئَةٌ مِثلُها ۖ فَمَن عَفا وَأَصلَحَ فَأَجرُهُ عَلَى اللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّهُ لا يُحِبُّ الظّالِمينَYusuf AliThe recompense for an injury is an injury equal thereto1 (in degree): but if a person forgives and makes reconciliation, his reward is due2 from God. for (God) loveth not those who do wrong.3See last note. When you stand up for rights, either on private or public grounds, it may be through processes of law, or by way of private defence insofar as the law permits private action, but in all cases you must not seek a compensation greater than the injury suffered. The most you can do is to demand equal redress. i.e. a harm equivalent to the harm done to you. Even this may serve to curb your unregenerate soul, or a community bent on revenge. But the ideal mode is not to slake your thirst for vengeance, but to follow better ways leading to the reform of the offender or his reconciliation. See 41:34, and 23:96. You can take steps to prevent repetition, by physical or moral means; the best moral means would be to turn hatred into friendship by forgiveness and love. In that case the compensation or reward (if we must use such terms) is infinitely greater, for it wins the good pleasure of God. But this active righting of wrongs, whether by physical or by moral or spiritual means, which are commended as better, is an antithesis to the monkish doctrine, when you are smitten on one cheek, to turn the other also. This would not suppress, but encourage wrongdoing. It is practised by none but poltroons, and is preached only by hypocrites, or men who want to make slaves or others by depriving them of the power of self-defence. It occurs in two of the four canonical Gospels (Matt. 5:39, and Luke 6:29), but we need not therefore assume that it was preached by Jesus.To love God is the highest motive of our conduct, for it leads to the love of God’s creatures; to win the approbation and love of God, is the highest reward, far transcending any compensation or satisfaction we can obtain in this life.God does not love those who do wrong. If, therefore, we tolerate wrong, or encourage wrong by allowing it to run rampant when we can prevent it, we fail in our duty to God.