Impossible to Achieve Social Justice with Non-Divine Foundations
Establishing social justice is one of the characteristics of the future government of Hazrat Mahdi (may God hasten his advent). Mahdi is the one who will establish the rule of justice at the end of times. Other governments have a lot of claims for social justice and have presented many ideas, but justice cannot be implemented based on human principles, and if it is implemented, it is superficial because its basis is unrealistic.
Social justice will be created only in the government of Hazrat Mahdi and such a government can relatively move towards justice. The goal of the government is the rule of divine values, and one of the important results of this rule is social justice.
Security is the most basic need for any society and other needs depending on its provision. A society will not be formed without communication between people and we choose the society to meet our needs because the society has the capacity to realize human powers. Therefore, in some cases, a person should give orders and in some cases, he should receive orders. This basis is called culture, and culture is the law of forming mutual relations to achieve common goals.
Values are the prominent elements of culture and other elements are directly or indirectly affected by them. Values are deep-rooted beliefs and guiding lights of behavior that are either rooted in religion or other sources. When beliefs are formed and the general public likes them, social values are created that are either rooted in emotions or in reason and traditions.
The values that are rooted in reason and traditions are the same religious values. Reason includes epistemological and empirical evidence, and traditions include actions, sayings, and writings of the prophet and religious leaders.
According to the late Ayatollah Safi Golpaygani, social justice is rooted in divine values, not the taste and sense of the general public. Security and justice also have religious roots.
Divine values are sacred, but social values are rooted in the taste of individuals. God has not set such values based on his own needs, but rather, based on human needs. This is while humans involve their opinions and tastes and those of their supporters while establishing laws. They accompany people as long as their interests are not harmed, and they will leave if their interests are endangered.
Also, social values differ from one country to another and even from one city to another, but this is not the case with divine values.
Ayatollah Safi Golpaygani (1919-2022) was a Marja (source of emulation) based in Qom. He wrote some 80 works in Persian and Arabic.
