The second basic belief in Islam is Adl which means Divine Justice. To believe in adl means to believe that all actions of Allah are in accordance with perfect justice and reason. Allah is just - beyond all injustices. Allah does not like oppression, cruelty and any kind of injustice among His servants.

One sect of Sunni Muslims (Ash’arites) completely denied Allah’s justice. They believe that Allah has full power to act as He likes. So by His power and authority He can throw a gooddoer into hell fire and an evil-doer into paradise and no one can protest against His order.

But another group of Sunni Muslim and Shia Muslims believe that it is true that Allah is the Supreme power and Supreme authority and no one can challenge His action or decision, but He is perfect, and therefore all His actions and decisions are always based on justice.

What is the meaning of Justice

It is important to know the meaning of justice because sometimes it is confused with equality. For example, a person who does not know the correct meaning of justice may ask many wrong questions, such as, If Allah is Just and all His actions are based on justice then:

• Why there are some rich and some poor people in the world ?

• Why men are physically strong and women weak and frail ?

• Why there are black and white people ?

• Why some people have long life and some die at a very young age ?

All these facts and many other realities in the world can confuse a person if he believes in Divine justice but does not know the right meaning of justice.

It is important to know that the meaning of justice is not equality as these two words have entirely different meanings.

Hazrat Ali has given an accurate definition of justice. He said justice means, to put a thing in its right place. In contrast, injustice means putting a thing not in its due place.
For example, if we sit on the table and put our books on the chair then it is injustice as they are not in their right places. Similarly, if we pay equal wages to a highly qualified professor and an ordinary teacher or we give equal marks both to a hardworking and lazy student, then it is not justice.

Justice is that everyone should get what he deserves for. Justice is this that a professor should get more salary than an ordinary teacher as he has done more work to acquire knowledge and has better abilities to do work. Justice is that each student should be graded according to the quality of his work. i.e., equal treatment, or equal distribution is not justice, rather it is injustice.