M6:1886 — روز عدل و عدل داد در خورست / کفش آن پا کلاه آن سرست

Translation: That world is the Day of Justice, and justice is that which is befitting; / The shoe belongs on that foot, the hat on that head. Meaning: This couplet asserts that the Day of Judgment will be a day of perfect divine justice, where everything and everyone receives exactly what is appropriate and deserved, mirroring the natural fit of a shoe to a foot or a hat to a head.

This couplet offers a pristine image of the essence of divine justice, an image that Mawlana skillfully extracts from the fabric of everyday life. I have often said that Mawlana is the unparalleled master of analogy, and here we see how he employs "shoe" and "hat" to explicate one of the deepest philosophical and theological concepts.

In Mawlana's understanding, justice ('adl) means "that which is befitting" (dād darkhor); that is, everything finds its proper and deserving place. The shoe belongs on the foot, and the hat's rightful place is upon the head. To place a shoe on the head or a hat on the foot is not only incongruous but an act of pure injustice and disorder. This is the profound meaning of "placing a thing in its proper place" (waḍʿ al-shayʾ fī mawḍiʿih) that defines justice. Mawlana attributes this "Day of Justice" to the hereafter. It is there that this justice is fully realized; a day when every seeker reaches their desired goal (har ṭālibī ba maṭlūb-i khōd rasad) and every setting entity returns to its west (har ghāribī ba gharb-i khōd rasad). This is a promise of perfect and astonishing congruence between desire and desert, between action and its precise recompense or retribution.

In contrast, this world, in Mawlana's own words, is the "House of Wrath of the Creator" (qahr-khāna-yi kirdigār). This realm is a domain of coercion and undue appropriation, not perfect justice. Here, all too often, shoes are placed on heads and hats on feet. In this world, our knowledge is limited, and intentions remain hidden, so even with our best efforts, justice is never fully established. The judge rules based on appearances, and our human relations are tainted by ignorance and oppression. This world can never become fully transparent, and therefore, the expectation of absolute justice within it is futile. Mawlana, through this distinction, emphasizes the temporary and imperfect nature of this world in contrast to the perfection and certainty of the other realm. Thus, this couplet is not merely a definition of justice, but an elucidation of Mawlana's worldview concerning two existential spheres and the profound distinction between the complete justice of that world and its minimal, imperfect counterpart in this world.

Key takeaways

• Justice, for Mawlana, means everything finding its proper and befitting place; nothing more, nothing less.
• The Day of Judgment is the manifestation of perfect divine justice, where an exact correspondence between deed and consequence is realized.
• This world, unlike the next, is a "House of Wrath" (qahr-khāna), where justice remains imperfect and opaque.
• Mawlana employs simple, relatable analogies (shoes and hats) to convey profound philosophical and theological concepts.
• The aspiration of "every seeker reaching their sought-after goal" is fulfilled only in the realm of pure justice.