Qur’anic Verses Say About Corruption

Muhammad Bagus Irawan

In Indonesia, the issue of corruption becomes a common identity. Corruption is a problem of structural, cultural, and personal ones. The crime of corruption has happened previously until nowadays. In fact, corruption in this country is so serious in condition; moreover Bung Hatta states that corruption has been a culture.  Practice of corruption happened in the field of social life and government, was ingrained in the culture’s life, behavior, and the way of thinking. Networking of corruption entwine obviously in all sectors of life, since castles period until headman village up to neighborhood level.

The crime of corruption in this country has reached in the pathologic level—in a matter of frequency, scale, and magnitude—which are no longer could be tolerated. Obviously, this nation-state is undergoing a process of self-destruction in his own body, through a infatuated behavior of the corruptor systemic which goes on and from the cardiac's powers.  Corruption is categorized as an extraordinary crime.  Corruption infact bureaucracy from the top until bottom, representative institutions, military institutions, businesses, banking, election commission, community organizations, education, religious institutions, even an organization that they engages to eradicates of corruption; police, department of justice, and prosecution.  The condition of Indonesian corruption is on the particular spot. In fact, there is no day in Indonesia without corruption news. Because the quantities of corruption cases are uncover, even oversteped on commonly, it was known as hyper corruptus.

Thus, Indonesia as the largest Muslim country in the world has an acute corruption culture.  That is an irony, because Islam always taught an attitude of trust. Corruption is the act of sin which is contrary to the principles of justice, accountability, and responsibility.  Furthermore, the content of the Qur'an presents a variety of moral pressure that must be implemented by humans. Sometimes it is pressure on the rules of God, who that violate will receive a just punishment. The pressure is necessary in order the life going well. One of the moral pressure in the Qur’an is the prohibition of corruption.  Corruption is the practice of consuming someone else's treasure in a false way, and cooperation in the abuse of power or authority for personal benefits, families, and groups.  

Furthermore, it is undeniable that the dynamics of the regime give birth a variety interpretation style, including the interpretation of corruption. Because corruption is identical with the incumbent regime. Therefore, interpreting corruption absolutely means criticizing the policies and models of government. The differences in interpreting the verses that indicated corruption crime become genuineness. It can be seen as an variety answer from Indonesian exegetes tended to represent the dominant intelectual and sosio-cultural trends of their time.

A work of intepretation, when viewed from the episteme and trends, can not be separated from the social space where and by whom it was written. This social space, with the diversity of problems and dynamics, also represent the interests and ideologies. Eventually, there are variations in the pattern of thinking of the Indonesian exegetes within the context of the times, problems and interests behind the work of interpretation itself.

According to Hakim Muda Harahap in his book “Ayat-Ayat Korupsi” There are many verses that explain and indicate the elements of corruption. They are: the form of corruption which the researcher classified here include: taking others people’s property (Sariqah in Q.S. al-Ma̅idah [5]: 38 and al-Akl al-Ba̅ṭil in Q.S. al-Baqarah [2]: 188); betrayal on mandate and misuse of power (ad-Dallaw in Q.S. al-Baqarah [2]: 188, Khiya̅nat in Q.S. al-Anfa̅l [8]: 27 and al-Akl as-Suḥt in Q.S. al-Ma̅idah [5]: 42); embezzlement of state property (Gulu̅l in Q.S. ‘Ali ‘Imran [3]: 161); has a big impact (Ḥirabah and Fasad in Q.S. al-Ma̅idah [5]: 33 and 64).

In outline, penalty sanctions for the corruptor could be punishment in this world and the punishment in the hereafter. The variation of the punishment also varies according to the level of committed corruption. The concepts of the corruptor punishment were in assertive and hard contained in Q.S. al-Ma̅idah [5]: 33 and 38. The punishment starts from the lightest is expelled or exiled or imprisoned; cutting off hand as applied to Sariqah; cutting off hand and feet in crossed, set for Ḥirabah’s offender were seizing property repeatedly; death penalty for Ḥirabah’s offender which caused the victim death; death penalty and cross as set for Ḥirabah’s offender or the plunder as well causes loss of human life. The afterlife punishment, as described in Q.S. ‘Ali ‘Imran [3]: 161 and Q.S. al-Ma̅idah [5]: 33. The corruptor will be responsible for the property taken. In the judgment day, the proceeds of corruption will be a witness to his crimes. The corruptor will get the doom and torture in accordance with the proceeds of crimes.