The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was unique in enforcing uniform standards of justice and fair dealing. On one occasion a woman belonging to a highly respectable and well-connected Makhzoom family was found guilty of theft. For the prestige of the family, this caused great worry as, if the normal penalty were to be imposed upon the young woman, a leading family would be humiliated and disgraced. Many were anxious to plead with the Prophet on behalf of the offender but were afraid to do so. Eventually some prominent people including Usama Bin Zaid, a very beloved companion of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) undertook that mission to save her from punishment. When he put this matter before the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), he refused to disregard the crime and expressed displeasure saying:
Many a community ruined itself in the past as they only punished the poor and ignored the offences of the exalted. By Allah, if Muhammad’s own daughter Fatima would have committed theft, her hand would have been severed. (Sahih Bukhari)
The Jews of Medina were so impressed by his impartiality and sense of justice that they used to bring their cases to him, and he decided them according to Jewish law.
The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was very strict in implementing justice, even if it was against him. Once, while he was distributing the spoils of war, people flocked around him and one man almost fell upon him. He pushed the men with a stick causing a slight scratch. He was so sorry about this that he asked the man that he could have his retribution, but the man said’ “O Messenger of Allah, I forgive you.”
When the treaty of Hudaibiya was written down and accepted by both of the parties, Abu- Jandal, the son of Suhail the Meccan spokesperson, appeared before the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), bound, wounded and exhausted. He fell at the prophet’s feet and said, “O Prophet of God, I am a Muslim at heart, and because of my faith I have to suffer these troubles at the hands of my father. My father was here with you. So I escaped and managed to come to you. The Prophet had not spoken yet that Suhail intervened and said that the agreement had been signed so Abu-Jandal must go with him. On this occasion the Muslims were not ready to hand over Abu-Jandal to his father, for more tortures. Abu-Jandal was begging again and again not to hand him over to the enemies of Islam. He said, “O Prophet of God would you send me back to the tyrants from whose clutches I have managed to escape?” In that critical situation the prophet of Islam said, “I cannot violate the condition of the treaty that we have just signed. Trust in God and exercise patience God will certainly open the door of freedom for you and for others like you.”
The practice of observing justice was very common in the day-to-day life of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). On another occasion he was traveling on his camel over hilly terrain with a disciple, ‘Uqba Bin Aamir. After going some distance, he asked ‘Uqba to ride the camel, but ‘Uqba thought this would be showing disrespect to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). But the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) insisted and he had to comply. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) himself walked on foot, as he did not want to put too much load on the animal. (Nasa’i)