Allah is Just ('adl)

2.  Divine Justice ('adl)

Anyone who believes in Islamic monotheism must believe in the Almighty's justice.  Because Allah is just, He never wrongs His creatures, for injustice is an evil deed while He is far from doing evil.  Because He is omniscient, He does not neglect anything, and because He is self-sufficient, He has no cause to wrong others.  Since He owns everything, He does not need the actions of anyone.  His wisdom also transcends the universe.  Thus, unlike some human beings, He has no cause for injustice:

            "He is always standing firm on justice.  There is no God but Him, the Mighty, the

Wise."  (3:18)

"And your Lord does not deal unjustly with anyone."  (18:49)

           

"We did not wrong them, but they wronged themselves."  (16:118)

Just as Allah encourages human beings to emulate some of His attributes, such as being patient and forgiving, He also tells us to follow the way of justice.  "Say:  'My Lord has enjoined upon me justice.'"  (7:29)  Although common people may falter in this area, none of the prophets of God or their successors ever committed any act of injustice.

Allah's justice embraces the entire universe.  Whoever ponders over the existence of the universe and the order therein will not only observe the spread of Allah's justice over His entire creation but also each of its signs apparent in all aspects of nature -- from the physical world to the biological world, and from the microcosmos to the macrocosmos.  The justice of God is particularly visible in the fate and destiny of human beings, and in their freedom of choice.

Although Allah's justice encompasses everything, people should pray to Allah to treat them not with His justice but rather with His mercy, for if He treated people solely with His justice and punished them immediately for all of their sins, humanity would have perished a long time ago.

Predestination or Free Will?

The question of man's predestination or freedom of choice has preoccupied mankind throughout the ages and continues to be discussed by Islamic philosophers and scholars.  Ultimately, two schools of thought regarding this question have emerged.  One, called the Compulsionists, holds that human beings have no freedom of choice whatsoever in life.  Every decision people make, every word people say has been predestined since the time of creation.  If someone is faithful, it is not he who decides to embrace the faith; if someone is unfaithful, it is not he who rejects the faith.  All has been written.

The second school of thought, the Free Will school, declares that human beings are masters of their own acts.  This notion is in concordance with the Qur'an, which states:  "None will be wronged in anything, nor will you be requited anything except that which you used to do,"  (36:54) as well as:  "The truth is from your Lord.  So whomever wills, let him believe, and whoever wills, let him disbelieve."  (18:29) From these two verses, it is clear that human beings have the freedom to act but must bear the moral responsibilities for their own actions. Furthermore, the acknowledgement of divine justice itself forces people to accept that their every action is not predestined.

The beginning of guidance is always from Allah, but the beginning of man's destruction is in his own erroneous opinions.  "Whatever good reaches you is from Allah, but whatever evil befalls you is from yourself."  (4:79)