Praise be to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.
The word “Al-‘Adl” does not occur in the Qur’an as a name applied to Allah, nor has an authentic, explicit hadith been established that names Allah by this name.
The name “Al-‘Adl” does appear in the well-known hadith in which the Names of Allah are listed, narrated by at-Tirmidhi and others. However, hadith scholars discussed whether this enumeration was actually attributed to the Prophet ﷺ, and many of them considered the listing of the Names mentioned in the hadith to have been inserted by some narrators.
Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalani, may Allah have mercy on him, said in Fath al-Bari:
“Ibn al-‘Arabi said: It is possible that the names are part of the continuation of the marfu‘ hadith, and it is possible that they were compiled by some of the narrators. The latter is more apparent to me.”
As-San‘ani, may Allah have mercy on him, said in Subul as-Salam:
“The hadith scholars agreed that listing them—that is, enumerating the Names of Allah in the hadith—is an insertion by some of the narrators.”
Allah is established as being described by justice, but this description occurs in the revealed texts in particular contexts.
Among these is Allah’s saying:
“And the word of your Lord has been fulfilled in truth and justice.” [Al-An‘am: 115]
For this reason, scholars differed concerning whether “Al-‘Adl” should be counted among the Names of Allah.
A group of scholars considered “Al-‘Adl” to be one of the Names of Allah. Among them was Shaykh ‘Abd ar-Rahman as-Sa‘di, may Allah have mercy on him, who mentioned it at the end of his tafsir among the Names of Allah and explained its meaning as:
“The Just Judge, who judges between His servants in this world and the Hereafter with His justice and equity.”
Al-Bayhaqi, may Allah have mercy on him, said in Al-Asma’ was-Sifat:
“Among them is Al-‘Adl, and it is mentioned in the report concerning the Names.”
This position was also held by a number of scholars, including Al-Khattabi and Ibn Mandah, among others.
Another group of scholars held that “Al-‘Adl” is not one of the Names of Allah, because naming Allah by this name has not been established by an authentic, explicit text.
Among them was Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-‘Uthaymeen, may Allah have mercy on him. In his book Al-Qawa‘id al-Muthla, he mentioned ninety-nine established Names from the Qur’an and Sunnah but did not include “Al-‘Adl” among them.
Likewise, Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalani, may Allah have mercy on him, did not count it among the Names of Allah.
This is based on the principle that the Names of Allah are tawqifiyyah: Allah may only be named by what is established in the Qur’an or authentic Sunnah.
Despite the disagreement over whether “Al-‘Adl” should be considered one of Allah’s Names, the attribute of justice is established for Allah, as indicated by the revealed texts.
Among these is the hadith of ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud, may Allah be pleased with him, concerning the man who objected to the Prophet’s distribution. He said:
“Who will be just if Allah and His Messenger are not just?”
Narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim.
This establishes the description of Allah as just.
Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
“Justice is among His attributes in His actions,
His words, and judgment upon the scale.”
It is also narrated from Mu‘adh, may Allah be pleased with him, that whenever he sat in a gathering of remembrance, he would say:
“Allah is a Just Judge; those who doubt are ruined...”
Narrated by Abu Dawud as a statement attributed to Mu‘adh; al-Albani declared it authentic.
In ‘Awn al-Ma‘bud, explaining the expression “Hakam Qist”, it says:
“Meaning: a just judge.”
The Qur’an and authentic, explicit Sunnah do not establish “Al-‘Adl” as a Name of Allah.
“Al-‘Adl” occurs in the famous hadith listing the Names of Allah, but hadith scholars discussed the authenticity of that enumeration, and a number of hadith masters considered the listing to have been inserted by some narrators.
Scholars differed over whether “Al-‘Adl” should be counted among the Names of Allah: some considered it a Name, while others did not because its use as a divine name is not established by an authentic text.
Allah’s attribute of justice is firmly established by the Islamic texts, and there is no dispute regarding the establishment of this attribute for Him.
As a matter of caution concerning Allah’s Names, it is preferable to restrict oneself to names established by clear and authentic evidence.
And Allah knows best.