A Moral Analysis of the Conflict between Justice and Goodness from the Standpoint of Imam Ali

There has been a long-lasting problem in ethics: how can one think of justice and goodness as consistent? Imam Ali also explores the connection between them. Whereas he defined justice as “putting things in their places” or “giving everyone his own right”, he referred to the common good as “what is achieved by justice” to show that the common good depends on justice. On the other hand, there are a variety of moral obstacles in the path of promoting social justice. Using a descriptive-analytic method, this study seeks to explore ways of connecting justice and the common good from Imam Ali's moral standpoint. As a result of the research, it was found that the Islamic lifestyle and ethics are constituted by justice, and that social life is impossible without it. Moreover, when conflict arises between them, justice overrides goodness.