The word “Justice” (Adl) and its derivatives have been
used in the Glorious Qur’an 49 times. Adil
is one of the 99 Names of Allah
called “Asma’a-ul-Husna” Man can only get information about the Divine
Being through His Names/Attributes. The
knowledge of the Divine Names has several grades. Some of them we can
comprehend. Others can be grasped only by the Noble Prophet (s.a.w.a.s.) and
his Pure Progeny (a.s.).
Purely on materialistic basis, taking the name of Allah
when starting any work invites a man to do the work correctly, sincerely, and
in upright manner and keeps away from breach of trust and evil. Otherwise, the
weak is in need of Allah in every moment of his life. By saying “Bismillah”, one
shows his humility and seeks help from All-Mighty possessing immense Powers. In
turn, the Merciful, and Powerful Allah put him in His special Grace, Favor, and
Attention.
When Adam and Hawwa were sent down on earth, Allah said
that His Guidance will be sent on earth and whoever follows the Guide will be
rewarded and disobedient will be punished. This is the Divine Justice that no
punishment is given before His guidance is provided. Moreover, we can witness
His justice in each and every Astronomical creation, animal and plant life and
the different systems in the human body.
Adil means the Being Who dispenses Justice. The extensive
meaning of Justice is “to put everything
in its place” or “in balance or
equilibrium”. This is manifested in all created things in the universe;
from atom to the universe including sun and earth etc. The other meaning of justice is related to “the individual rights”
which entails reward and punishment, equity and oppression towards His
creatures. He rewards His servants for good and virtuous deeds and punishes
the evil doers or sinners. Everyone is responsible for his deeds; no other
person is answerable for other’s deeds. Ash
‘rites say: “Even if Allah sends all of his prophets to Hell and all of the
criminals and sinners to Paradise, it is not oppression.” This proposition is
vain and baseless.
Justice is not
equality. For example, it is not justice to pay the same wages to a highly
skilled, efficient, and hard working person and also the same wages to a lazy,
dumb and unskilled person. This is
injustice.
A person commits
oppression for any or all of the following reasons:
(1 ) Ignorance (2)
Needs (3) Inability (4) Selfishness
None of the above shortcomings or deficiencies exists in
Allah. Allah is “The All-Knowing”, “The
Needless”, “The All-Powerful”, and “The Most Kind”. Allah punishes a sinner
because of his bad deeds. Surah Younus Ayah 52: “You receive, but the
recompense of what you have earned.” Surah al-Anbiya Ayah 47: “We shall
maintain proper justice on the Day of Judgment. No soul will be wronged the
least. For a deed even as small as mustard seed one will be duly recompensed.”
Surah al-Nisa Ayah 40: “Allah does not do even an atom’s weight of injustice.”
Surah an-Nahl Ayah 90: “Allah commands justice, the doing of good and kindness
to family members and He Forbids all shameful deeds and injustice.” Surah
al-Baqarah Ayah 279: “Deal not unjustly and you shall not be dealt with
unjustly.”
As far the natural calamities, we should not determine it
in a short range or partial picture, but look at the broader picture. For
example, in one part of the country there is too much rain and flooding while
other part desperately needs it. Events in the world are all linked together
like a chain. Hence, putting our finger on only a small part of an issue and
judging it is not to have used one’s intellect and logic properly. Human beings
are provided with a limited knowledge according to the Ayah 85 of Surah al-Isra: “Of knowledge, it is only a little that is
communicated to you.”
Similarly, undesirable events and warning is a sort of
ups and downs of life to awaken men from forgetfulness of Allah and return to Him
and perform individual duties and responsibilities. It refers to Surah al-Ana’am Ayah 43: “When the
sufferings reached them from Us, why then did they not learn humility.” It
has been witnessed that in certain individuals, the difficulties and
misfortunes have developed them into geniuses. When a nation is attacked by a
foreign power, it has emerged as a strong and united nation. A famous Arab
historian says: “The blossoming of
civilization has appeared throughout history in various parts of the world. It
followed a country being attacked by a powerful foreign country, being awakened
and mobilizing their forces.” To a
larger extent, the calamities and sufferings of the people have been brought
about by man himself by oppression and injustice. The Judicious Allah should
not be blamed for it.
In Shia Islam, the
Justice of Allah is so important that it has been considered as one of the
“Roots of Islam”.
Sources used:
Justice of God by
Ayatollah Nasir Makarem Shirazi
Discursive Theology by
Dr. Ali Rabbani Gulpaygani
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