Al-'Adl — Rawzat

The Quranic Foundation

“Indeed, Allah commands justice (‘adl*), goodness (ihsan), and giving to relatives, and He forbids immorality, wrongdoing, and transgression. He admonishes you that perhaps you will be reminded.”* (16:90)

This single verse — among the most comprehensive moral statements in the Quran — pairs ‘adl (justice/equity) with ihsan (goodness/excellence) and silat al-rahim (kinship bonds), opposing them to fahsha’ (immorality), munkar (wrongdoing), and baghy (transgression).

‘Adl as the baseline; ihsan as the elevation: Classical commentary notes that ‘adl is giving what is owed — exact equity. Ihsan is giving more than what is owed — generosity beyond the requirement. The verse commands both: do not merely be just (give only what is owed) but be generous (give more). The divine standard requires both levels.

“Allah is never unjust (la yazlimu) to His servants.” (8:51, 40:31 and other verses in similar form) — The direct statement of divine ‘adl: the divine does not wrong anyone.

“Whoever does an atom’s weight of good will see it, and whoever does an atom’s weight of evil will see it.” (99:7-8) — The precision of divine justice: nothing is lost, nothing is added unjustly.

“And We place the scales of justice for the Day of Resurrection, so no soul will be wronged at all.” (21:47) — The eschatological expression of ‘adl: the divine scales are set precisely.

‘Adl as One of the Five Principles

In the Ismaili and Twelver Shi’i traditions, the Usul al-Din (Foundations of the Religion) are five:

Tawhid — The unity of Allah; the divine is absolutely one, without partners, without division
‘Adl — Divine justice; the divine does not act unjustly
Nubuwwa — Prophethood; Allah sends messengers to guide humanity
Imamah — The Imamate; after the Prophet, guidance continues through the Imam
Ma’ad — The Return; resurrection, judgment, and the life to come

The inclusion of ‘adl as a distinct foundational principle separates these traditions from the Ash’ari theological position (dominant in Sunni kalam) which held that whatever Allah does is just by definition — because justice is defined by what Allah does, not a standard by which Allah is measured.

The Ismaili-Mu’tazili position: The divine is just in a meaningful sense — the divine genuinely does not do what is unjust. This means:

The divine never wrongs souls
The divine rewards good and punishes wrong in ways that are genuinely proportionate
The divine does not assign a burden to a soul beyond what that soul can bear (la yukallifu Llahu nafsan illa wus’aha — 2:286)
Divine action in the world is not arbitrary but has wisdom (hikma) that makes it genuinely good and just

’Adl and the Problem of Suffering

The theological problem that ‘adl must address: if Allah is just, why is there suffering in the world? Why do the righteous suffer and the wicked prosper?

The Ismaili Response

1. ‘Adl operates in the full frame, not only in this world: The Quran is clear that the full accounting is on the Day of Judgment. What appears unjust in this world — the righteous person who suffers, the oppressor who flourishes — is not the final picture. The divine ‘adl is comprehensive across the full span of existence, not just across one lifetime.

2. Suffering as test and elevation: “Do you think that you will enter Paradise while Allah has not yet seen from you those who strove [in His cause] and those who are patient?” (3:142) — The testing function of suffering: the soul is revealed, developed, and elevated through hardship in ways that prosperity cannot produce. This is not an injustice but a divine wisdom.

3. Human freedom and consequences: Much of human suffering is caused by human choices — individually and collectively. The divine ‘adl does not override human freedom; it holds freedom accountable. The suffering caused by human injustice is not divine injustice but the consequence of human freedom being real.

4. The comprehensiveness of divine knowledge vs. the limitation of human vision: “Perhaps you dislike something and it is good for you, and perhaps you love something and it is bad for you. Allah knows and you do not know.” (2:216) — The divine sees the complete picture; human beings see a fragment. What looks unjust from the fragment may be perfectly just in the whole.

‘Adl and the Divine Prohibition of Zulm

The Quran records a divine hadith (hadith qudsi) in which Allah explicitly says:

“O My servants, I have forbidden zulm (oppression/injustice) for Myself and made it forbidden among you — so do not oppress one another.” (Muslim) — Allah’s justice means: the divine has placed zulm outside the divine’s own actions. What is forbidden to humans (oppression) is first forbidden by the divine for Itself.

The implications:

The divine’s prohibition of human oppression is grounded in the divine’s own commitment to non-oppression
The divine does not use human beings merely as instruments for some other end without regard to their wellbeing
The divine’s decrees, including apparent hardships, are not exercises of arbitrary power but expressions of genuine wisdom and care

’Adl in Islamic Law — The Obligation of Human Justice

The theological principle of divine ‘adl generates the practical obligation of human ‘adl:

“O you who believe, be persistently standing firm for Allah, witnesses in justice (shuhada’ bil-qist), and do not let the hatred of a people prevent you from being just. Be just — that is nearer to taqwa.” (5:8)

“O you who believe, be persistently standing firm in justice (shuhada’ bil-qist), even if it be against yourselves or parents and relatives.” (4:135) — The demand for justice extends even to cases where it harms one’s own interests.

“Indeed, Allah commands you to render trusts to their owners and when you judge between people to judge with justice.” (4:58) — The command to judge with ‘adl (justice).

The connection: because the divine is just, the human being who serves the divine is called to be just. The quality of the worshipped is reflected in the quality of the worshipper’s obligations.

‘Adl and the Imam

In Ismaili theology, ‘adl has a specific application to the Imam’s role:

The Imam as the Imam of Justice: The Imam — as the inheritor of prophetic authority and the guardian of the ta’wil — is the living expression of divine ‘adl in the human world. The Imam’s guidance is just in the sense that it is genuinely for the benefit of those guided, not for the Imam’s self-interest. The Imam’s ‘ilm gives each soul what it genuinely needs for its return to the divine.

The eschatological ‘adl: In Islamic eschatology, the Mahdi — the expected restorer of justice at the end of times — will “fill the earth with justice and equity (‘adl wa qist) after it has been filled with oppression and injustice.” The Fatimid tradition identifies this justice-restoration with the Imam’s role.

The Imam’s judgment: The Imam is called the Imam al-‘Adl (the Imam of Justice) in some Ismaili texts — meaning: the guidance the Imam gives is the most perfect expression of divine justice available to human souls in each era.

‘Adl in the Individual — Nafsani ‘Adl

Classical Islamic ethics extended ‘adl from the sociopolitical to the psychological:

The just soul: Al-Ghazali and the broader Islamic ethical tradition (drawing on Plato through Arabic translation) described the virtuous soul as one in which the faculties are in proper order — neither faculty overwhelming the others, each fulfilling its proper function. This ‘adl al-nafs (justice of the soul) is the inner counterpart to social justice.

Justice toward the nafs: The Islamic tradition also speaks of being just to oneself — not oppressing oneself through excessive austerity that the soul cannot bear, but also not indulging the nafs beyond what is appropriate. The middle path between self-denial and self-indulgence is a form of ‘adl al-nafs.

Ta’wil of ‘Adl

The zahir of ‘adl is the principle that the divine is just — does not wrong anyone, renders full accounting on the Day of Judgment, and commands human beings to be just.

The batin of ‘adl is the recognition that divine justice is the framework within which the soul’s journey takes place. Nothing is arbitrary. Every moment is significant. Every good deed is seen; every wrong is noted. The divine justice is not merely punitive but ultimately ordered toward the soul’s flourishing: even the hardships that appear unjust are, in the divine’s comprehensive justice, ordered toward the soul’s elevation.

The ta’wil deepens this: the Imam’s ‘ilm is itself an expression of divine ‘adl — the divine’s justice includes ensuring that the soul is not left without a guide. The provision of the Imam in each era is ‘adl: the divine does not abandon the sincere soul but provides the guide it needs. The soul that receives the ta’wil and follows the Imam is receiving its just share of divine guidance; the soul that turns away is not wronged — it has turned away of its own freedom.

“And your Lord is not unjust to anyone.” (18:49) — The divine ‘adl is the ground of hope: whatever happens, the divine does not wrong. The soul that trusts in this can move through suffering and hardship with the confidence of ‘adl: this, too, is within the frame of divine justice.

Al-'Adl — Divine Justice