“ But if you repeat [the crime] we shall repeat [the...

“ But if you repeat [the crime] we shall repeat [the punishment] ” shows that the Qur’an is addressing all the people of the tribe and not an individual. It also implies that all the societies are governed by a universal law.

Determinism or Freedom One of the fundamental problems discussed by philosophers, particularly in the last century, is the problem of determinism and freedom of individual as against society, or, in other words, deter­minism and freedom of the individual spirit vis-à-vis the social spirit.

If we accept the first theory regarding the nature of society, and consider social structure to be merely a hypostatized notion, and believe in the absolute independence of the individual, then there will be no place for the idea of social determinism. Because, there will be no power or force except that of the individuals, and no social force that may rule over the individual. Hence, in…