I would like to express my welcome to the esteemed audience. I also wish to express my gratitude to all those who are doing their utmost to dispense justice and establish the rule of law in society, especially the venerable head of the Judiciary who is a prominent scholar, an Islamic jurisprudent and an intellectual.
I intend to mention a couple of points with regard to the Judiciary. The first point that I would like to stress is that the Judiciary should carry out its duties with self-confidence and strong will and determination. Almighty Allah will bestow success on those who have strong faith in their ideals, and who follow their objectives with great perseverance.
The Almighty subjected His most beloved one, Holy Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him and his infallible household), to a difficult trial, the one that is narrated in the 33rd chapter of the holy Qur'an:
"And when you said to him to whom Allah had shown favor and to whom you had shown favor: Keep your wife to yourself and be careful of (your duty to) Allah; and you concealed in your soul what Allah would bring to light;" (33:37)
Following the revelation of this holy verse, it was likely that public opinion might be turned against the Holy Prophet. However, Almighty Allah tells His Prophet:
"And you feared men, and Allah had a greater right that you should fear Him." (33:37)
Consequently, the Holy Prophet put his trust in the Almighty and passed this difficult trial successfully. At this stage the following verse was revealed to Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him and his infallible household):
"Those who deliver the messages of Allah and fear Him, and do not fear anyone but Allah;" (33:39)
Therefore, we come to the conclusion that we should always see what is acceptable by Almighty Allah and act in line with divine criteria. The continuation of the above verse makes this point even more clear: "and Allah is sufficient to take account." (33:39)
However, it should be noted that proper information dissemination is also of great significance, and the Judiciary should keep the public well informed and remove the ambiguities that may exist in the people's minds.
Even in the case related to the Holy Prophet that was mentioned earlier, the Almighty informed the public of the facts of the matter through divine verses and made it clear that a wrong tradition that until then had existed in society had to be abolished.
"There is no harm in the Prophet doing that which Allah has ordained for him." (33:38)
The second point I would like to underline is that the Judiciary should be both strong and trustworthy, since both of these features are indispensable to any efficient judicial system. The Judiciary is the strong arm of the system that has been tasked with enforcing the law as well as dealing firmly with transgressors and violators of the law and meting out punishment on them, so that the people may live comfortable lives enjoying security and peace of mind.
Nevertheless, it is also worthy of mention that I have often told the Judiciary officials that they should not disregard even a single judicial violation on the part of the courts across the country. The reason is that these courts are in direct contact with the people, and any violation on their part will badly affect public attitude toward the Judiciary as a whole.
I pray to Almighty Allah to assist you in performing your duties and guide all of us on the right path. I hope we will witness increasing progress in the fulfillment of the sensitive tasks entrusted to the Judiciary.
Greetings be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings