The 99 Names · Name 28 of 99 · Act
الْحَكَمُThe Judge whose decision is final and fair
Recited as it sounds in the Qur'an, 6:114.
Heard together with: al-Ḥakam / al-ʿAdl
Then take away everything it needs. What is left is not a bigger version of us. It is the Name.
Episode 1Human judges are affected by fatigue and timing: a 2011 PNAS study of Israeli parole boards reported favourable rulings falling before breaks (Danziger et al.), a finding later disputed
But: Bias, fatigue, partial evidence, hidden motives
Episode 2Capuchin monkeys refused cucumber when a partner got grapes for the same task (Brosnan and de Waal, Nature 2003): a sense of fairness, unequal to judging
Episode 3Measurement standards: since 2019 the kilogram is defined by fixing the Planck constant at exactly 6.626 070 15 × 10^-34 J s (BIPM); no longer a metal cylinder
But: A standard settles weights, not motives
Episode 4Take away fatigue, partial evidence, bias, appeal, delay.
Not a fairer judge, but judgement with nothing hidden from it and no one to appeal to.
From the tradition: Classical: al-Ḥakam's judgement is final and none can overturn it. Genesis 18:25 Abraham (peace be upon him): 'Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?'
On screen
In the film, twelve people almost get it wrong. al-Ḥakam does not need a jury room.
bipm.org/en/si-base-units/kilogram; api.quran.com; sefaria.org Gen 18:25