Ma'at — Truth, Order & Justice

Egyptians held that the world runs on ma'at: truth, balance, and right order, set in place when the cosmos was made. The sun rising, the Nile flooding, a fair verdict, an honest word — all were ma'at, and its opposite was isfet, disorder. Maintaining ma'at was the duty of everyone, above all the king, and a person's heart was judged against it after death. Ma'at was also personified as a goddess (see the deity entry).