Islam & the Aims of Punishment (Edexcel GCSE Religious Studies B)

The Aims of Punishment

• There are four aims of punishment:

  • Protection

    • Punishment should protect society from criminals and criminal activity so that people feel safe

  • Deterrence

    • Punishment should put people off committing crimes because they can see the consequences

  • Reform

    • Punishment should try to change criminals so that they no longer re-offend

  • Retribution

    • Criminals should pay for their crimes and suffer just as their victims did

Muslim Attitudes Towards the Aims of Punishment

• For Muslims, the aim of punishments is to be seen positively, as something that can help humans

• The Qur’an teaches that as Allah is merciful towards humans, so they should be merciful in their punishments of each other

• Hadd punishments in Islam are based on three of the four aims of punishment: retribution, deterrence and reform

• There is support in the Qur’an for all four aims of punishment and so many Muslims support all of them 

Muslim attitudes towards retribution

• The Qur'an teaches that retribution is an appropriate punishment in response to a crime

• The benefits of retribution:

  • It ensures that people pay for their crimes

  • It makes sure that criminals suffer for what they have done wrong

  • It is proportionate to the crime committed

Muslim attitudes towards deterrence

• The Qur'an teaches that the use of the Hadd punishments as retribution is an appropriate punishment in response to crime

• The benefits of deterrence:

  • It should be so bad that it stops anyone else from daring to commit the same offence

    • If people know the punishment for theft is amputation of their hands, no one will steal, and if the punishment for murder is the death penalty, no one will kill

Muslim attitudes towards reform

• The Qur'an teaches that reform is an appropriate punishment in response to crime

• The benefits of reform:

  • It gives people hope that there is an opportunity for reform and change

  • It is the only way to stop further crimes because it enables criminals to become honest citizens by helping them to take steps to avoid committing further misdeeds

  • It allows people who were not brought up in a way that allowed them to learn morals to change their ways. They can get an education and learn that there are alternatives to crime

  • It reflects the idea that Allah is merciful if there is genuine repentance because the Qur’an teaches

Muslim attitudes towards protection

• Muslims believe that they are called to be the khalifahs of the earth for God and therefore everyone has a duty to make the world the best it can be

  • This involves trying to make a stable and safe society for everyone to live in

• The benefits of protection:

  • Punishments can protect the rest of society and keep it safe from criminals and their activities

  • Capital punishment protects people from murderers and terrorists because they can no longer pose any threat

  • Prison sentences protect people from violent criminals or thieves as it removes them from society

  • Community service gives people a positive way to spend their time and prevents them from harming others, and it can do good for the local community

Divergent Muslim Views on the Aims of Punishment

• Although Muslims recognise four aims of punishment, they have different views about which aim has the greatest importance

• Some Muslims think that retribution and deterrence are the most important aims. In some Muslim countries, criminals are publicly humiliated for crimes to make sure they suffer (retribution) and others are put off acting in a similar way (deterrence)

• Many Muslims believe that the Hadd punishments are no longer relevant and the aims of punishment are better achieved through punishments such as imprisonment

• Most Muslims believe that criminals should be treated fairly and that reform is important in preventing crime. Allah is a merciful God and therefore people should be merciful in their punishments