Adl ( ar, عدل, ) is an
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...
word meaning '
justice
Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...
', and is also one of the
names of God in Islam. It is equal to the concept of ''Insaf'' انصاف (lit. sense of justice) in the
Baháʼí Faith
The Baháʼí Faith is a religion founded in the 19th century that teaches the essential worth of all religions and the unity of all people. Established by Baháʼu'lláh in the 19th century, it initially developed in Iran and parts of the ...
.
Adil ( ar, عادل, ), and
Adeel ( ar, عديل, ) are male names derived from ʻadl and are common throughout the
Muslim world.
In Islamic jurisprudence
Adl, as used by early theorists of Islamic jurisprudence, referred to an aspect of an individual's character.
[Abu al-Hassan al-Mawardi, transl. by Wafaa H. Wahba. ''The Ordinances of Government''. Garnet Publishing Limited, 2000.] This aspect is best translated as probity.
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.
In a hadith, Islamic prophet
Muhammad
Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the mo ...
said that, the meaning of ''
wasat'' (moderation) is adl (justice).
In Islamic theology
Adl is another word for divine justice in Islam. The conception of this term varies between Shias and Sunnis. For Shias, divine justice is one of the Usul ad-Din. Shias 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.
Family name
The origin of the modern Persian family name
Adl is from the titles of nobility given to Iranian jurists at the end of the 19th century, that were related by family ties. Notably, these jurists included
Mirza Husain Noori Tabarsi
Mirza Husain Noori Tabarsi ( fa, میرزا حسین نوری طبرسی, ar, الميرزا حسين النوري الطبرسي) (1838 - 1902) popularly known as Muhaddis Noori / Al-Mohaddith Al-Noori, was a Shi'a Islamic Scholar and Shi'a Re ...
, also known as "Hossein Shah", whose title was ''ʻAdl al-Mulk'' "Justice of the Kingdom", Sayyid Mirza Ebrahim Khalil, whose title was ''Rukn al-Idalah'' "Pillar of Justice", and Mirza Mostafa Khan Adl, whose title was ''Mansur al-Saltanah'' "Victorious of the Empire".
References
{{Reflist
External links
How to Pronounce ʻAdl
Arabic words and phrases
Islamic terminology
Names of God in Islam
