punishment once in fifty years is more effective than your imprisoning numerous people every day. Your penalties affect only your imaginations, for when one of you decides to steal something, suffering a penalty on account the country and nation and its benefits seems imaginary; or he thinks others will condemn him if they know about it; or it occurs to him that if it turns out unfavourably the government will send him to prison. So only his power of imagination feels minor discomfort. And the powerful desire issuing from his instinctual soul and emotions particularly if he is needy as well will overpower him. Then the penalty will be ineffective in making him refrain from committing the bad deed. Anyway, because they are not a Divine command, the penalties are not justice. They are vain and futile like performing the prayers without taking ablutions and not facing the qibla. That is to say, true justice and effective penalties are those which are in accordance with the Divine command and executed in its name. Others can have only a minimal effect.

Other universal and allembracing Divine injunctions may be compared with this small question of theft, so that it may be understood that man’s happiness and wellbeing in this world are possible only through justice. As for justice, it can be achieved only through direct application of the way shown by the Qur’an.

(This marks the end of the summary of the story)

It was imparted to my heart that if mankind does not come swiftly to its senses and open courts in the name of Divine justice and in accordance with the truths