The Crime... No Heart, No Mind, No Conscience!
Crime is not tied to nationality, gender, or identity, nor to any specific age group, and it has no fixed date. Rather, as the heavenly scriptures recount, it has existed since the dawn of humanity. The story of Cain killing Abel, mentioned in the Holy Quran, serves only to underscore the antiquity of the crime and its relationship with humankind. The classification of crime does not stop at intentional homicide; it extends to theft of public funds, forgery of official documents, and even “felonies” or crimes of treason, all of which fall under the concept of “betrayal” and are adjudicated by the courts in accordance with the provisions of the Penal Code.
No society, regardless of its levels of living standards and civilization, is free from crime, although its nature may vary from one society to another. Crime has numerous motives: greed for money, settling scores, or even financial motives. And here lies the scourge: drugs, along with other prohibited substances that strip humans of their humanity, reason, and sound judgment. We must not forget the evil inclinations that Satan instills in humans, enticing them to commit such acts.
Whatever the causes, the concept of crime remains the same, and its repercussions on society are severe, and above all, on the family of the victim and the family of the accused. Since our society, like other societies, exhibits diverse behaviors among individuals, both male and female, crime cannot be ruled out. This is especially true in a country that hosts most of the world’s nationalities. Perhaps what is peculiar about this matter lies in the type of crime, its perpetrator, and the instruments used. What the country witnessed in recent days—an assault on two children by their mother—is indeed a repugnant and unusual crime, alien to our sensibilities. No rational mind can accept it, as it transcends the bounds of humanity and sound reason, entering the realm of evil inclinations and Satanic motives, far removed from any other concept. Unless, God forbid, the mind is polluted by prohibited substances that corrupt the human psyche and plunge it into the domain of “bestiality.” May God protect you. One can only emerge from this state through the return of awareness and remorse, though it may be too late.
The home, along with its inhabitants of goodness or evil, determines human behavior and ethics—whether upright conduct and noble morals, or the path of loss, with all its evil, crime, social rejection, and irreparable damage to reputation. As the saying goes, “Once the moment has passed, no voice can help.”
At the entrance of the mosque, a cat sits daily, seeking the coolness of the mosque’s air conditioning, and receives care from worshippers in the form of water and food. This is for a small animal; how much more so for a human being who kills another without right. One of the sages said, “When the heart dies, mercy is lost; when the mind dies, wisdom is lost; and when conscience dies, everything is lost.” This is the condition of every criminal: one without a heart, mind, or conscience. Long may you live.
Yousef Al-Shahab
