Understanding Islam — Page 193
191 unethical acts. If a society of such individuals has not been created, then the above punishment can not, and must not, be meted out. At the same time, it would be extremely rare to find individuals deserving of such a harsh punishment in such a society. We see examples of this from the time of Prophet Muhammad sa. During his time, more often than not those people who received such harsh punishments themselves came forward and told him that they have committed such crimes and asked for the punishment in this world so as to absolve themselves in this world and to be forgiven in the Hereafter. 12 In this ideally reformed society, not only would it be next to impossible to find individuals who deserve these punishments, but crime itself would almost disappear from such society. Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad rh once remarked on the specific issue of cutting off of hands of those who steal by saying that the philosophy of law is to protect the innocent. If a law fails to protect the innocent for the sake of showing mercy to the criminal, it must be considered inadequate for the need of the society. In