All praise is due to Allah, and may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
The scholars differed over whether “Al-Muqsit” should be counted among the Beautiful Names of Allah. A group of scholars included it among His Names and cited evidence from the Qur’an and Sunnah, while others refrained from definitively counting it as a Name because the relevant texts do not explicitly use this Name for Allah Almighty.
A number of scholars held that “Al-Muqsit” is one of the Beautiful Names of Allah, including al-Khattabi, Ibn Mandah, al-Halimi, al-Bayhaqi, al-Isfahani, Ibn al-Arabi, al-Qurtubi, Ibn al-Qayyim, and others.
Among their evidence is the statement of Allah Almighty:
“We shall set up the scales of justice for the Day of Resurrection, so no soul will be wronged in the least.” [Al-Anbiya 21:47]
They also cited the hadith of Abu Musa al-Ashari, may Allah be pleased with him, in which the Prophet ﷺ said:
“Indeed, Allah does not sleep, nor is it fitting for Him to sleep. He raises the balance of justice and lowers it...”
Narrated by Muslim.
Some of them also cited the statement of Allah Almighty:
“And act justly. Indeed, Allah loves those who act justly.” [Al-Hujurat 49:9]
The word Al-Muqsit means the one who acts justly and fairly. On this basis, they said that Allah Almighty is Al-Muqsit, meaning the One who is perfect in His justice and equity.
It is important to distinguish between these two words because they differ in meaning.
Al-Muqsit comes from the verb aqsata, meaning to act justly and fairly.
Allah says:
“Indeed, Allah loves those who act justly.” [Al-Ma’idah 5:42]
As for al-qasit, it comes from qasata, and can mean to act unjustly, oppress, and deviate from the truth.
Allah says:
“As for the unjust, they will be firewood for Hell.” [Al-Jinn 72:15]
Therefore, Al-Muqsit and al-qasit are not synonymous; rather, they differ in meaning.
According to the view that the Name is established, Al-Muqsit is the One characterized by perfect justice: He does not act unfairly or unjustly, gives everyone their rightful due, and judges among His servants with justice and equity.
Shaykh Salih Al al-Shaykh mentioned that Al-Muqsit indicates justice, and that its meaning is even more specific and stronger than the general term “the Just,” because iqsat includes both justice and ensuring that each person receives what is rightfully due to him.
Some researchers held that Al-Muqsit should not definitively be counted among the Beautiful Names of Allah, because the Names of Allah are tawqifi, meaning that they are established only through revelation.
A Name cannot be established merely by deriving it from a verb or verbal noun mentioned in revelation; rather, there must be evidence indicating that the Name itself is applied to Allah Almighty.
This is the basis for their hesitation. Allah’s statement:
“And act justly. Indeed, Allah loves those who act justly.”
indicates praise for those who act justly and establishes the meaning of justice and equity, but it does not explicitly state: “Indeed, Allah is Al-Muqsit.”
For this reason, some scholars preferred not to definitively affirm it as a Name, while still affirming the attribute of perfect justice and equity for Allah Almighty.
“Al-Muqsit” is among the Names that a group of scholars affirmed for Allah Almighty, citing evidence from the Qur’an and Sunnah. Its meaning is: the One who is perfect in justice and equity.
However, the scholars differed over whether it is definitively established as a Name, because the Names of Allah are tawqifi, and the relevant texts establish the meaning of justice and equity but do not explicitly state in the Qur’an that “Al-Muqsit” is one of Allah’s Names.
Accordingly, the safer approach regarding the Divine Names is to restrict oneself to what is established by explicit evidence, while believing that Allah Almighty is characterized by perfect justice and equity and that He wrongs no one.
And Allah knows best.