Three Positions on Divine Justice
The question of whether God must be just — and what “just” means — divided classical Islamic theologians:
Mutazili: Justice (‘adl) is an objective rational principle. God conforms to it because God is perfectly rational and just by nature. God cannot punish the innocent or reward the evil — reason can independently identify why this would be unjust. This position is sometimes called “divine obligation” — God is, in a sense, obligated to justice.
Ashari: Justice is defined by what God does. There is no external standard above God that defines justice and which God must conform to. God’s will creates justice, not the other way around. The objection to the Mutazili position: it posits something (a rational standard of justice) above God, which compromises divine sovereignty.
Ismaili Ta’wil: The cosmic hierarchy is justice. The Universal Intellect, Universal Soul, Imam, and believer each occupy their proper cosmic position in the divine order. This structural harmony is what al-‘adl names at the cosmic level.
Justice as Cosmic Position
The Ismaili ta’wil reframes justice from a procedural principle (treating equals equally, giving each their due) to a cosmological one (each element of the creation occupying its proper place in the divine hierarchy).
The Imam is just precisely because the Imam occupies the Imam’s proper position in the cosmic order — the position of the earthly manifestation of divine guidance. The believer who maintains walayah is just because they occupy their proper cosmic position (oriented toward the Imam). The soul that has abandoned walayah is in a form of cosmic injustice — not because it has wronged another, but because it has displaced itself from its proper position.
4:58 in Ta’wil
“God commands you to give trusts to their rightful owners, and when you judge between people, judge with justice.”
The amanat (trusts) in ta’wil: the Quran’s ta’wil, entrusted by God to the Imam and through the Imam to the believer. Giving trusts to their rightful owners = ensuring the ta’wil reaches the properly prepared soul, not broadcast indiscriminately. Judging with justice = the Imam’s role in each age of distinguishing those ready for the batin from those who are not yet.
See also: Ismaili Cosmology Hudud Al Din, Ismaili Tawil Of Al Qada Wal Qadar, Bayah And Walayah, Ismaili Tawil Of Al Iman, Tawil Esoteric Interpretation