Adl

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Arabic
عدل
Transliteration
Adl
Translation
justice

Adl is an Arabic term roughly meaning "Justice". It is used in the everyday sense of the word: for example, wizeer al-'adl translates to "The Minister of Justice." In Islamic theology, it refers to God's divine justice.

Adil, and Adeel are male names derived from adl & are common throughout the Arab world, Pakistan. India and in most other parts of the Muslim world.

Adeel is an Arabic word, though it has a Hebrew variant as well.

Meaning - Arabic: the one who serves justice to all.

Meaning - Hebrew: God is an ornament.

'adl, as used by early theorists of Islamic Jurisprudence, referred to an aspect of an individuals character.(1) This aspect is best translated as probity. Of course, like any other term referring to the character determinants of another culture in a completely different era than ones own, we must be wary of asserting a strict interpretation upon such adjectives. Although 'adl, as used by many religious scholars today, is loosely used as meaning solely justice, one must look more closely at how and why religious scholars choose to use this word.


(1) Abu al-Hassan al-Mawardi, transl. by Wafaa H. Wahba. The Ordiances of Government. Garnet Publishing Limited, 2000.

[edit] Pronunciation Guide

'Adl is another word for divine justice in Islam. The conception of this term varies between Shiites and Sunnis. Shiites tend to believe that God is rationally just, that men inherently know the difference between good and evil, and that we have complete free will. Sunnis, in contrast, believe that God is necessarily just, that revelation, the Qur'an, is the only way to know good and evil, and that men are afforded some volition within predestination.

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