Social Justice in Nahj al-Balagha

Document Type : Research Paper

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Abstract

The present paper deals with justice in general, but with Social justice according to the words and deeds of ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib. The search for justice and truth is considered as the mother of all social values. After the Prophet Mohamed, Imam Ali was the best example to great morals and ethics, including justice. He lived for justice and was very firm in his belief that everyone should have a right to live in security. According to him, Justice is the proper placement of things in their places. Imam ‘Ali’s writings explicitly make the connection between Jus­tice and Truth in the sense of the proper ordering of things. Opposite of justice is oppression and oppressor one is the enemy of Allah. Justice is one of the four pillars of “faith”. Social justice is one of the most important aspects of justice. “Social justice means giving each individual what he/she deserves in the distribution of financial benefits in the society, and providing equally for basic needs. Social justice includes several elements that the most important of them are as follows: (1) The dignity of the human being and the importance of the community, (2) equality and equitable distribution of wealth, (3) standing against oppression and protection of the weak against the strong, (4) provision of social security and (5) observation of man's social rights.  All these elements have been dealt with in the words and deeds of Imam Ali and adopting moderation and justice is the guiding principle of his life.

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References

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Volume 49, Issue 1
April 2016
Pages 57-90

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