Justice from the perspective of Al-Farabi and Ibn Khaldun

Justice is a fundamental concept in Islam. Numerous thinkers have reflected upon it. The present article aims to study the meaning of justice from the perspective of Al-Farabi and Ibn Khaldun by a qualitative content analysis-based literature review, and in the end, assess their strategies of confronting injustice. It is worth noting that Al-Farabi and Ibn Khaldun belong to different historical periods, and have different views of society, class society, and humans. The goal of comparing their viewpoints is briefly focusing on their general similarities and differences. In general, these two great Islamic scholars have expressed specific philosophical points regarding justice. Considering the fact that the perspectives of these two Muslims are not limited to this world, their discourse belongs to the domain of Islamic discourse and, at times, has a divine quality. For instance, these scholars introduce justice as influenced by religion and jurisprudence, a fixed habitues of the soul; in addition, they consider absolute justice achievable only with Prophet Hood and Imam. Same as other classical philosophers, they view justice based on merits and worthiness. Al-Farabi considers justice to bear security, provided by Law. His Theory of Justice is completed with conformation of rights and the necessity of their sanction by the government. Ibn Khaldun believes social justice to mean securing the general interest, and considers it to be the basis for provision of construction and security. Therefore, the goal of this article is reviewing the meaning of justice from the viewpoints of these two Muslim scholars.