Justice as Divine Order: A Comparative Analysis of Ibn Miskawayh and Thomas Aquinas

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1 Assistant Professor, Department of Moral Philosophy, University of Qom

2 Ph.D. in the Philosophy of Ethics, University of Qom

10.22080/jepr.2025.30425.1304

Abstract

In an era where theories of justice are often confined to secular and contractualist frameworks, re-examining classical perspectives is crucial for a more comprehensive understanding of this foundational virtue. Using an analytical-comparative method and emphasizing Majid Fakhry’s interpretation, this paper addresses the central question of how Ibn Miskawayh and Thomas Aquinas, despite their historical and theological differences, formulate the concept of “justice” as a reflection of a divine and cosmic order.
This research demonstrates that both thinkers perceive justice not as a product of human convention but as a manifestation of a transcendent reality. While Ibn Miskawayh, in Tahdhib al-Akhlaq, presents justice as arising from the harmony of the soul’s faculties and a reflection of the universal order, Aquinas, in the Summa Theologica, finds it in humanity’s rational participation in God’s eternal law, discoverable through natural law. This notable convergence stems from a shared Platonic-Aristotelian philosophical heritage transmitted to the Christian West via Muslim scholars.
Alongside this structural similarity, fundamental theological differences are revealed, including Ibn Miskawayh’s Neoplatonic, monistic approach linking justice to an existential union with the divine source, contrasted with Aquinas’s emphasis on the Creator-creature distinction and the necessity of divine grace for salvation.
Ultimately, this study shows that a comparative approach to Islamic and Christian traditions enables a multi-faceted formulation of justice, addressing its metaphysical, legal, and socio-political dimensions, thereby fostering a foundation for philosophical dialogue between diverse intellectual traditions.

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