“As the ancient Egyptians believed in the principle that as it is in heaven so was it and so should it be on earth, Maat as natural law and order was developed into moral law and order. It is in this context that Amen says to Amenhotep that he ‘will rule it (the land) as king as if I were king of Upper and Lower Egypt’ (Urk IV, 1676.1) Virtue or moral law was given the same immanent status and function in the social world as physical law in the cosmic and natural order. In fact, the very distinction between the moral and the natural, the cosmic and the social, was never sharp and very often non-existent. For Maat was an inclusive cosmic order, in a word, the very orderedness of being.

Within the concept of the orderedness of being is the concept of balance in the world; a balance that is constantly challenged by the negative (isfet) and reaffirmed in the righteous acts (Maat) of humans. Khunanpu explains this in one of his descriptions of the essentiality of Maat. Thus he says, ‘ꜥḳꜣyt nt tꜣirt mꜣꜥt—The balance of the world lies in doing Maat’ (Bl, 158-159). He goes on to describe the just leader as the embodiment of Maat who is the balance and norm. And to indicate further how essential order as justice and rightness is, he says, ‘you are one with the balance. If it tilts, you will tilt also’ (Bl, 161-163). Thus, the upholding of Maat as order, rightness, and justice, as noted above, has ontological and ethical implications. And one is obligated to act accordingly for the benefit of society and the cosmos.”

-Maulana Karenga, Maat: The Moral Ideal in Ancient Egypt