Is treating people equally unfairly justice?
Question

                There is a saying that treating people equally unfairly is justice; some people attribute this to the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and some regard it as if it is a basic principle that cannot be changed. What is the Islamic ruling or how sound is this saying?.
Praise be to Allah.
    The saying that 
    some people say, “treating people equally unfairly is justice” is false and 
    is as far removed from the laws and religion of Allah as the East is from 
    the West. Allah forbid that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of 
    Allah be upon him) should utter such words. Rather what the Prophet 
    (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, in the hadeeth qudsi, was 
    that Allah, may He be blessed and exalted, said: “O My slaves, I have 
    forbidden zulm (injustice, wrongdoing, unfairness) to Myself and I have made 
    it haraam among you, so do not wrong one another.” Narrated by Muslim, 2577 

    The mutawaatir 
    texts that warn against injustice and highlight its negative consequences 
    are too many to quote here.

     If this false and 
    unjust saying refers to those who have power and authority over people, it 
    could be said to them: If you wrong anyone who is under your authority, and 
    you take his wealth or beat him or imprison him, then do not limit it to 
    this person only; rather make your injustice reach all the people under your 
    authority, so that you will be being fair in distributing your injustice 
    among them! Such a thing is not fit to be said by anyone but tyrants and 
    those who transgress against people’s rights! 

    What justice can 
    there be in that, when Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the 
    meaning): “Verily, Allah enjoins Al-Adl (i.e. justice and worshipping 
    none but Allah Alone - Islamic Monotheism) and Al-Ihsan (i.e. to be patient 
    in performing your duties to Allah, totally for Allahs sake and in 
    accordance with the Sunnah (legal ways) of the Prophet SAW in a perfect 
    manner), and giving (help) to kith and kin (i.e. all that Allah has ordered 
    you to give them e.g., wealth, visiting, looking after them, or any other 
    kind of help, etc.): and forbids Al-Fahsha (i.e all evil deeds, e.g. illegal 
    sexual acts, disobedience of parents, polytheism, to tell lies, to give 
    false witness, to kill a life without right, etc.), and Al-Munkar (i.e all 
    that is prohibited by Islamic law: polytheism of every kind, disbelief and 
    every kind of evil deeds, etc.), and Al-Baghy (i.e. all kinds of 
    oppression), He admonishes you, that you may take heed” [an-Nahl 16:90]. 

    Treating people 
    equally unjustly is injustice upon injustice! 

    Instead of meeting 
    his Lord having wronged just one man or transgressed against him, such a 
    person will be meeting Him having wronged everyone he could, for the sake of 
    treating them equally in that regard. 

    Is this not more 
    like what the mushrikeen do, when they want to commit wrong actions and 
    immoral deeds, then they claim that this is from Allah and that He has 
    enjoined it and prescribed it? Allah, may He be exalted, says 
    (interpretation of the meaning):

    “And when they 
    commit a Fahisha (evil deed, going round the Kabah in naked state, every 
    kind of unlawful sexual intercourse, etc.), they say: "We found our fathers 
    doing it, and Allah has commanded us of it." Say: "Nay, Allah never commands 
    of Fahisha. Do you say of Allah what you know not?

    Say (O Muhammad 
    SAW): My Lord has commanded justice and (said) that you should face Him only 
    (i.e. worship none but Allah and face the Qiblah, i.e. the Kabah at Makkah 
    during prayers) in each and every place of worship, in prayers (and not to 
    face other false deities and idols), and invoke Him only making your 
    religion sincere to Him by not joining in worship any partner to Him and 
    with the intention that you are doing your deeds for Allahs sake only. As He 
    brought you (into being) in the beginning, so shall you be brought into 
    being (on the Day of Resurrection) (in two groups, one as a blessed one 
    (believers), and the other as a wretched one (disbelievers)).

    A group He has 
    guided, and a group deserved to be in error; (because) surely they took the 
    Shayatin (devils) as Auliya (protectors and helpers) instead of Allah, and 
    consider that they are guided.”

    [al-A‘raaf 
    7:28-30]. 

    Justice means 
    giving each person who has rights his rights and putting everything in its 
    proper place; what has this to do with injustice or treating people equally 
    in that regard? 

    And Allah knows 
    best.