APRIL 22

Just Balance

It is the Merciful who has taught the Quran. He created man and taught him articulate speech. The sun and the moon pursue their ordered course. The plants and the trees bow down in adoration. He raised the heaven on high and set the balance of all things, that you might not transgress that balance. Give just weight and full measure (55:1-9).

Both the creation of man and the revelation of divine guidance are expressions of Allah’s justice. By creating man, and in bestowing upon him the unique gift of speech—possessed by no other object in the universe—Allah has given him the opportunity to attain a high position on earth and in the heavens, so that he may find for himself an eternal state of happiness.

After the creation of man, the divine blessings culminated in the sending of the Prophet and the revelation of the divine Book. Man, in being provided with right guidance, has been given a supreme opportunity to set his feet on the straight path, and to continue upon it without deviating, so that he may reach his final destination in the knowledge that his life has been a testament to the greater Glory of the Almighty.

It is necessary for the Lord’s servants to weigh their words and deeds in the divine scales of justice, for the entire world around man is established on this principle of justice by which he is required by his Creator to regulate his life. No man in the process of giving or receiving must ever fall into unjust ways. Each of his actions must conform to the standards of truth and justice. And his deeds must be in consonance with what he professes. While the Quran gives this verbal expression, the events of the universe are a practical demonstration of it. In this way, man can never be in doubt as to which principles to adopt in his life.