10.4.6 Punishment as the Last Resort
It must be noted that the punishments administered by the Islamic State are the last resort in the process of curbing and preventing crime. Islam comes as a deen (way of life) where all the systems work in harmony, making an integrated and perfectly complementary whole.
Thus, the Economic System will ensure that all the citizens of the State will have their needs adequately fulfilled such that no-one need resort to crime to sustain themselves. As well, the Education System will teach the people the mentality of rejecting any kind of crime, all of which are forbidden in Islam, in favour of obedience to Allah (swt). And the Social System will inculcate within the people the mentality of respect and dignity towards the opposite sex, and the segregation between men and women in their daily life will minimise the possibility of crimes in this area.
In the Islamic State the prevention of crime works on three levels :
1) The Taqwa of the believer
The Muslim has conviction in the rational creed of Islam, which is built upon the study of reality and use of the mind. This gives them the definite foundation for their belief in Islam and motivates them to be subservient to the One and Only True God, Allah (swt).
Crime is a disobedience to Allah (swt). The Muslim’s longing for the Paradise and their fear of the punishment of Hellfire will prevent them from committing crime.