No matter how we develop this concept and delete the...

No matter how we develop this concept and delete the characteristics of its instances we cannot ignore the properties of conveying a meaning to a person addressed. For example, gesticulation can also be considered a kind of speech, while it possesses none of the mentioned characteristics, and even creating a meaning in the mind of the person addressed can be considered a kind of speaking. But, if these properties are not considered, it will not agree with common parlance ( ‘urf ).

Even though philosophical and intellectual truths are not subordinate to language and common understanding, here the discussion is about the employment of concepts for divine attributes, which are defined by means of language. It may be concluded that the concept of speaking includes the existence of the person addressed and the speech which is communicated to him, and hence it should be considered an attribute of action.

However, one may interpret it as the power for speech, or as something else, so that it will also become an attribute of essence. Will Another of the most difficult problems of philosophical theology is that of God’s will, which has raised many differences of opinion among philosophers and sectarian differences among theologians and has brought about abundant debates and discussion, a complete review of which requires an independent book.

On the one hand, one group considers the divine will to be an attribute of essence additional to the essence, while on the other hand, another group considers it to be the same as the essence itself, reducing it to knowledge of the best. Some have imagined it to be an accident of essence, like human will, which appears in the soul of man. Others have considered it to be the first creature of God, by means of which other creatures are brought into existence.

Finally, some have considered it to be an attribute of action abstracted from the plane of action. There are other minor differences about such things as whether the divine will is one or many, created or pre-eternal, etc. In order to solve this problem, first, the meaning of will should be explained precisely, and then its proper place among the attributes of essence and action should be determined and its principles and implications should be discovered.

The Concept of Will As was explained in Lesson Thirty-Eight, the expression will ( irādah ) is employed in at least two senses: one is wishing or desiring and the other is deciding to perform an action.