… if someone oppresses, injures, and wrongs another,
and the wronged man retaliates, this is vengeance,
and is censurable. … If ‘Amr dishonours Zaid, the latter
has not the right to dishonour ‘Amr; if he does so, this is
vengeance, and is very reprehensible. No, rather he must
return good for evil, and not only forgive, but also, if possible,
be of service to his oppressor. This conduct is worthy
of man; for what advantage does he gain by vengeance?
The two actions are equivalent; if one action is reprehensible,
both are reprehensible. The only difference is that one
was committed first, the other later.
But the community has the right of defense and of self-protection;
moreover, the community has no hatred nor
animosity for the murderer: it imprisons or punishes him
merely for the protection and security of others. …
Thus when Christ said: “Whosoever shall smite thee on
the right cheek, turn to him the left one also,” it was for
the purpose of teaching men not to take personal revenge.
He did not mean that if a wolf should fall upon a flock of
sheep and wish to destroy it, that the wolf should be encouraged
to do so. No, if Christ had known that a wolf
had entered the fold and was about to destroy the sheep,
most certainly he would have prevented it. …
… the constitution of the communities depends
upon justice. … Then what Christ meant by forgiveness
and pardon is not that, when nations attack you, burn
your homes, plunder your goods, assault your wives,
children, and relatives, and violate your honour, you
should be submissive in the presence of these tyrannical
foes, and allow them to perform all their cruelties and oppressions.
No, the words of Christ refer to the conduct of
two individuals towards each other: if one person assaults
another, the injured one should forgive him. But the
communities must protect the rights of man. …
One thing remains to be said: it is that the communities
are day and night occupied in making penal
laws, and in preparing and organizing instruments and
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means of punishment. They build prisons, make chains
and fetters, arrange places of exile and banishment, and
different kinds of hardships and tortures, and think by
these means to discipline criminals; whereas, in reality,
they are causing destruction of morals and perversion of
characters. The community, on the contrary, ought day
and night to strive and endeavour with the utmost zeal
and effort to accomplish the education of men, to cause
them day by day to progress and to increase in science
and knowledge, to acquire virtues, to gain good morals
and to avoid vices, so that crimes may not occur.—Some
Answered Questions, pp. 307–311.
