Islamic Intellectual Theology Lesson 12

1. Islamic Intellectual TheologyLesson 12 God is Just “AL-ADL”Lesson TwoJustice of God “ALA’DL ALELAHI” ELAHIYAAT [Summary] of Sh. Jaf’ar Subhani pg.163-169 Creed of Sh Nasir Makarim Sherazi Edited: Jan. 17, 2010 - BHD

2. Can Intellectual Concepts Convert? Argument: If decency (HOSN) and indecency (QOBH) were intellectual they could not be interchangeable. For example, if lying would save a life of a prophet from a tyrant and telling truth would cause his perish, a lie becomes decent and beautiful and truth becomes ugly and indecent. Does the intellect reflect these changes? Response: In this case the intellect perceives that saving a life is more decent than truth, and such does not require a religious approval to lie. A lie in general remains indecent and ugly, and truth remains decent and beautiful, but the intellect observes and comprehends the priority and the preference of the beauty of saving a life over the beauty of saying truth and commands to give up one beauty for the sake of more important beauty. In other words, there is an intellectual decision between the conflict in two decent acts, with the most decent prevailing.

3. Evidence of those who Support • If the decency were dependant on only on learning, then perceiving the truth of the Prophets (AS) would've been a difficult task, because who can tell that a prophet lied or not? If lying can be decent and good, the conclusion is that God supports a liar with miracle. Since that is not acceptable by intuition, then truth and falsehood must be distinguished not by learning, but by the innate intellect. • ROOZBAHAAN: A miracle did not support a liar not because lying is indecent intellectually and God never supports an intellectually indecent act, but He is not used to doing such.

4. The Question of the People of Adam and Nuh • How does one know what God usually does or does not usually do? • Knowing what God is used to requires history of God. Then what about the followers of the early Prophets (AS) Adam and Nuh? They never got an opportunity to learn what God’s usual traits are. How were they to infer whether their prophets spoke the truth?

5. Decent and indecent in the Quraan Justice and goodness exist before the command of God. اللّهَ يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالإِحْسَانِ وَإِيتَاء ذِي الْقُرْبَى وَيَنْهَى عَنِ الْفَحْشَاء وَالْمُنكَرِ وَالْبَغْيِ يَعِظُكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ [Shakir 16:90] Surely Allah enjoins the doing of justice and the doing of good (to others) and the giving to the kindred, and He forbids indecency and evil and rebellion; He admonishes you that you may be mindful. The indecent acts are known to be indecent before God. قُلْ إِنَّمَا حَرَّمَ رَبِّيَ الْفَوَاحِشَ مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا وَمَا بَطَنَ وَالإِثْمَ وَالْبَغْيَ بِغَيْرِ الْحَقِّ وَأَن تُشْرِكُواْ بِاللّهِ مَا لَمْ يُنَزِّلْ بِهِ سُلْطَانًا وَأَن تَقُولُواْ عَلَى اللّهِ مَا لاَ تَعْلَمُونَ • [Shakir 7:33] Say: My Lord has only prohibited indecencies, those of them that are apparent as well as those that are concealed, and sin and rebellion without justice, and that you associate with Allah that for which He has not sent down any authority, and that you say against Allah what you do not know

6. Command Towards Known Commands to what ever is known to be good (marouf) and prohibits from what ever is know to be denied by the intellectuals (munkar). الَّذِينَ يَتَّبِعُونَ الرَّسُولَ النَّبِيَّ الأُمِّيَّ الَّذِي يَجِدُونَهُ مَكْتُوبًا عِندَهُمْ فِي التَّوْرَاةِ وَالإِنْجِيلِ يَأْمُرُهُم بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَاهُمْ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ وَيُحِلُّ لَهُمُ الطَّيِّبَاتِ وَيُحَرِّمُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْخَبَآئِثَ وَيَضَعُ عَنْهُمْ إِصْرَهُمْ وَالأَغْلاَلَ الَّتِي كَانَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ فَالَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ بِهِ وَعَزَّرُوهُ وَنَصَرُوهُ وَاتَّبَعُواْ النُّورَ الَّذِيَ أُنزِلَ مَعَهُ أُوْلَـئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ [Shakir 7:157] Those who follow the Messenger-Prophet, the Ummi, whom they find written down with them in the Taurat and the Injeel (who) enjoins them good and forbids them evil, and makes lawful to them the good things and makes unlawful to them impure things, and removes from them their burden and the shackles which were upon them; so (as for) those who believe in him and honor him and help him, and follow the light which has been sent down with him, these it is that are the successful.

7. Meaning of Justice • Justice is intellectually perceived as an act of decency. The intellect commands towards it. It is also an indication of perfection, therefore, as concluded, God is just and does not oppress. • The best definition of adalah (justice) is as defined by Imam Ali (AS): Justice puts the things in their proper place or position. • Everything has its proper place and position. If it is kept in a place where it does not belong then this is unjust. Some of these places are prescribed by Allah SWT; for example, forbidden acts must be kept out of your life and if you take them out of place and bring them in your life then you are unjust. The same can be said about the obligations and the rights of others. • Another aspect of justice is balance: placing favor on one extreme of a range of possibilities is a disruption of balance and is unjust.

8. Types of God’s Justice • Natural justice (takweeni): Where God created every thing it a balanced form, and gave it what ever suits it to perform its function in life properly. The various types of animals, for example, have various instruments based on the type of lifestyle they lead. • Legislative justice: The justice of rules and laws. LAA YOKALLIFO NAFSAN ILLA WOS’AHA (He does not obligate a soul above its capacity). Laws are not more than the human can handle, and these laws secure the happiness of the human in both worlds. • Justice in recompense and punishment: God does not punish any one without warning. His punishments are either less than what is proportional to the crime or exactly equal, and he never extracts extra punishment. His mercy and kindness overcome His justice but do not go against it.

9. Types of God’s Justice in The Quran • Natural Justice: وَالأَرْضَ مَدَدْنَاهَا وَأَلْقَيْنَا فِيهَا رَوَاسِيَ وَأَنبَتْنَا فِيهَا مِن كُلِّ شَيْءٍ مَّوْزُونٍ [Shakir 15:19] And the earth-- We have spread it forth and made in it firm mountains and caused to grow in it of every suitable thing. • Legislative: وَلَا نُكَلِّفُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا وَلَدَيْنَا كِتَابٌ يَنطِقُ بِالْحَقِّ وَهُمْ لَا يُظْلَمُونَ [Shakir 23:62] And We do not lay on any soul a burden except to the extent of its ability, and with Us is a book which speaks the truth, and they shall not be dealt with unjustly. • Reward and punishment: لاَ يُكَلِّفُ اللّهُ نَفْسًا إِلاَّ وُسْعَهَا لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ وَعَلَيْهَا مَا اكْتَسَبَتْ [Shakir 2:286] Allah does not impose upon any soul a duty but to the extent of its ability; for it is (the benefit of) what it has earned and upon it (the evil of) what it has wrought.

10. Fine Justice فَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيْرًا يَرَهُ [Shakir 99:7] So. he who has done an atom's weight of good shall see it وَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ شَرًّا يَرَهُ [Shakir 99:8] And he who has done an atom's weight of evil shall see it. كُلُّ نَفْسٍ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ رَهِينَةٌ • [Shakir 74:38] Every soul is held in pledge for what it earns,

11. The three types in the words of Imam Ali (AS) • Nahjul Balagha, Khutba 185: • He is true in His promise. • He is too high to be unjust to His creatures. • He stands by equity among His creation, • And practices justice over them in His commands. 2, 4 include justice in legislation. 3 refers to justice in creation. • الَّذِيصَدَقَفِيمِيعَادِهِ، • وَارْتَفَعَعَنْظُلْمِعِبَادِه، • وَقَامَبِالْقِسطِفِيخَلْقِهِ، • وَعَدَلَعَلَيْهِمْفِيحُكْمِهِ،

12. Examples of Natural Justice • Stable circulation of the earth in its orbit. It is balanced (ADL) by two forces keeps the earth in its proper position in the solar system which allows the earth to have the factors of life on it: • The repelling centrifuge force existing from the circulation of the sun around its self which pushes the smaller objects like earth away from it • The force of gravity which pulls the earth towards the sun , because the sun is a huge object that pulls the smaller masses like earth towards it self. • Any disturbance in the average distance of the earth from the sun can cause the end of the life on earth. • Another example would be the law of equilibrium and osmotic pressure.

13. Example of Legislative Justice • Commanding us to keep the money in its proper place: charity, expenses on the family and the necessities of life, over and all in what ever pleases God. • Therefore not spending in what ever is obligated is forbidden. • Spending it in forbidden acts and wasting it is forbidden as well. The same can be said about all the acts of worship and the commands of God. مَا يُرِيدُ اللّهُ لِيَجْعَلَ عَلَيْكُم مِّنْ حَرَجٍ وَلَـكِن يُرِيدُ لِيُطَهَّرَكُمْ وَلِيُتِمَّ نِعْمَتَهُ عَلَيْكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ • [Shakir 5:6], Allah does not desire to put on you any difficulty, but He wishes to purify you and that He may complete His favor on you, so that you may be grateful. وَمَا جَعَلَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ مِنْ حَرَجٍ مِّلَّةَ أَبِيكُمْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ • [Shakir 22:78] He has chosen you and has not laid upon you an hardship in religion; the faith of your father Ibrahim.