Explanation Of The Justice Of The General And Literary Meaning Of Justice (Adalah)

The literary meaning of Adalah was to keep a thing at its proper place, and opposed to it is Dhulm or transgression, which meant to replace a thing with an improper substitute. In its general application, Justice stood for proper reward or an equal punishment for a virtue or a vice respectively. Therefore, the meanings of the term – ‘Just’, as applied to God was that He never abandoned those tasks that were logical and laudable and did not carry out things that were immoral and dissipated.

Hazrat Imam Ja’far As-Sadiq (‘a) was questioned, “O, Son of the Prophet, what is the meaning of the phrase Justice of God?” Imam replied that one should not appropriate things for God that He has reproved for you.

Concept Of Adalah (Justice) Is One Of The Key Requirements Of Shi’a Faith

To believe that God was Just and not immoral (unjust) was the same to say that He neither abandoned the essential nor committed an unfair act, or put excessive pressure in His commandments, or exercised intensity in His destiny and predetermination. He did not test people beyond their capabilities nor left them completely free to have a life style without bounds.

God rewarded the deserving ones and warned the wrongdoers of the chastisement of hell. It was now up to Him to punish them or to forgive them. He did not compel His servants to do good or bad. This concept was one of the most important principles of Shi’ism. The one who denied was excommunicated from the religion, because this idea was for the realization of Tawhid and other notions like Prophethood, Imamate and Resurrection etc.

If God was not considered Just, a probability would remain that all those who claimed Prophethood might not be truthful in their claims, and God by an illicit act had prompted miracles on their hands to prove their status. In this way, a doubt would always hang over the claim of Prophethood. Evidently, if Prophethood becomes uncertain then the status of their legatees could never be proved. This would also reflect on God’s promises of Heaven and Hell etc. This will then put the entire religious doctrine on a slippery track.

God’s Actions Are Based On Compassion

It can be concluded from several Qur’anic Verses and narrations of the Prophet that God was so compassionate that He not only treated His subjects with justice but excelled in kindness, since justice was achieved when a person was rewarded or punished according to his acts, but compassion was the name of an act when compensation is more than what one is worthy of, but the punishment was less than what he deserved.

Those who had an eye on the Qur’an and Ahadith of the Prophet knew that God’s acts were based on compassion. Therefore, Imam Zayn Al-’Abidin (‘a) said in the supplication bidding farewell to the month of Ramadan, “O, God you have rooted your actions on compassion and the basis of your strength is on forgiveness and mercy.”

We can quote dozens of Qur’anic Verses to prove this thesis. One Verse was already in the Shaykh Abu Ja’far’s text. The second Verse stated:

مَّثَلُ الَّذِينَ يُنفِقُونَ أَمْوَالَهُمْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ كَمَثَلِ حَبَّةٍ أَنبَتَتْ سَبْعَ سَنَابِلَ فِي كُلِّ سُنبُلَةٍ مِّائَةُ حَبَّةٍ وَاللَّهُ يُضَاعِفُ لِمَن يَشَاءُ وَاللَّهُ وَاسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ

“Those who spend their wealth for the pleasure of God are like a grain that gives rise to seven spikes and each spike contains one hundred grains. God is able to double the reward for which He wishes. God is infinite and has the knowledge of all things” (2:261).

At another place it was said,

مَّن ذَا الَّذِي يُقْرِضُ اللَّهَ قَرْضًا حَسَنًا فَيُضَاعِفَهُ لَهُ أَضْعَافًا كَثِيرَةً وَاللَّهُ يَقْبِضُ وَيَبْسُطُ وَإِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ

“Who is it that will offer of Allah a goodly gift, so He will multiply it to him manifold, and Allah straitens and amplifies, and you shall be returned to Him” (2:245).

It was mentioned in Surah Yunus:

لِّلَّذِينَ أَحْسَنُوا الْحُسْنَىٰ وَزِيَادَةٌ

“For those who do good is good (reward) and more (than this)” (10:26).

The same subject was repeated in the statements of the Prophet. It was said that if someone committed a sin then reprieve was given to him for seven hours for repentance. If he failed to do so then only one sin was recorded in his personal file, and even that could be forgiven if he decided to repent at a later date, or it could be pardoned by the grand intercession on the Day of Judgement.

Salvation Is Not Possible Without God’s Compassion

We have indicated in the chapter on intercession that salvation was not possible without God’s compassion and intercession of the Prophets and Imams. A person, however pious he might be, when his acts were compared to God’s favours and returns then the scales would always tilt in favour of God. Allah says:

وَإِن تَعُدُّوا نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ لَا تُحْصُوهَا إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَغَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

“And if you would count Allah's favours, you will not be able to number them; most surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful” (16:18).

When His favours could not be counted then how could one can pay his tribute to God. As a matter of fact, the tendency to pay tribute to God for His gifts was itself a blessing awarded by God. It was reported that when Prophet Ayub (Job) was squeezed by the loss of his property and the insults of his fellow beings, he requested God,

“O, God I was the only grateful servant of yours (among the whole lot) and you have put me through this misfortune and distress.”

God replied,

“Who gave you this capacity to thank Me?”

Job replied; it is You, O! my God.

The answer came, why this boasting of gratitude then?

God said in the Qur’an:

يَمُنُّونَ عَلَيْكَ أَنْ أَسْلَمُوا قُل لَّا تَمُنُّوا عَلَيَّ إِسْلَامَكُم بَلِ اللَّهُ يَمُنُّ عَلَيْكُمْ أَنْ هَدَاكُمْ لِلْإِيمَانِ إِن كُنتُمْ صَادِقِينَ

“They think that they lay you under an obligation by becoming Muslims. Say: Lay me not under obligation by your Islam: rather Allah lays you under an obligation by guiding you to the faith if you are truthful” (49:17).

Imam Zayn Al-’Abidin (‘a) supplicated to his Lord in the subsequent manner.

“O, God this is my neck that is shackled with transgressions. Please shower your blessings on Muhammad (S) and his progeny and release me from the burden of these sins with your forgiveness and compassion. My back is burdened with misdeeds, O! God lighten its weight by pouring your approvals on Muhammad (S) and his progeny.

O, God if I cry so much before you that my eyes drop out, or stay so long before you that my feet are swollen, and bow so much in front of you that my backbone is dislocated, and prostrate so long that my eyes are pushed inwards, wander all my life and drink polluted water for the rest of my days, and praise you so much that my speech is dissolved, or fail to raise my head towards the Heavens due to indignity and shame, even then I do not enjoy the right for a single sin of mine to be forgiven. And, if you forgive me in accordance with your standards of clemency and concern, then it would not be due to my right, because when I disobeyed you initially, the punishment of hell was laid out for me. Thus, if you punish me for my sins, it would not be out of place any way.

O, my Lord, when you have veiled my actions and did not humiliate me, and did not hasten to punish me and exercised kindness and tolerance towards me and did not invalidate your approvals nor tarnished your favours then pay attention to my crying and help me in my need, despite the weakness of my plea.”

This shows that if God forgave the sins of His subjects and rewarded them on their gratitude, it was then His grace and compassion only, otherwise no one on the strength of his action was worthy of his place in the Paradise.