Distributive Justice: The Islamic Perspective

Abstract

The paper discusses the issue of distributive justice from social and Islamic perspectives. In the former, an attempt is made to examine research conducted in the social and organizational context, while in the latter the issue is deliberated in the light of Islamic concerns, values and practices. Distributive justice is concerned with the norms of resource allocation and perception of fairness by the recipients. The norms may be merit, need, or equality. Which norm is perceived as fair depends upon several factors, such as type of resource, purpose of allocation, and relationship characteristics between the allocator and the recipients. Islamic view on distributive justice emphasizes its humanistic concerns. It subsumes three principles, namely, ʿAdl, Insāf, and Ihsān. The religion accepts merit as the basis of resource distribution yet adopts measures to minimize inequalities. The paper discusses the concept of Zakah in this context.