Parents – Al-Shia The al-Shia Scientific, Cultural, and Doctrinal Website Wed, 26 Nov 2025 13:37:49 +0000 en-US Parents – Al-Shia 32 32 The Problem of Evil and Divine Wisdom in Islam The problem of evil has been a central concern in philosophical and theological discourse across cultures and traditions. In Islam, the existence of evil presents a profound challenge to the understanding of God’s nature, particularly His attributes of omnipotence, omniscience, and perfect justice. This problem is further complicated by the notion of divine wisdom, which holds that all of God’s actions, including those that involve suffering or hardship, are inherently purposeful, even if humans cannot always comprehend their ultimate purpose. This article seeks to explore the Islamic perspectives on the problem of evil and divine wisdom behind it. In doing so, it will highlight how Islamic theology uniquely contributes to the broader Islamic discourse on theodicy, while offering insights into the ethical and spiritual dimensions of the problem of evil. Divine Justice and the Problem of Evil Divine justice and the problem of evil is a fundamental question and one of the most discussed topics among theologians and philosophers in the last two thousand years. The most important reason for this attention given to the subject is that human beings have always been faced with natural and moral tragedies. Consequently, some philosophers have doubted God’s justice; others have denied the existence of God or believed in duality, because they were not able to understand how God, the Benevolent, the Omnipotent, the Omniscient, can let these happen. In religious thought, discussions about God’s justice are often gathered under the term theodicy. In theological writing, theodicy refers to the attempt to explain or defend God’s justice in a world where evil and suffering undeniably exist. For this reason, both “divine justice” and “theodicy” are frequently used interchangeably. The presence of evil—even when its rationale remains unclear—does not invalidate the concept of theodicy. Rather, it urges us to t and powerful God allows suffering. Exploring this question naturally leads us into the broader doctrine of divine justice. The question of divine justice is deeply significant because it touches real and pressing human concerns—natural disasters, human wrongdoing, and the inequalities built into social life. A host of objections arise here. People wonder why some regions of the world face constant hardship while others enjoy abundance. Why do individuals differ so greatly—some born healthy, others with illness; some with beauty, others with deformity? These inequalities naturally raise a piercing question: If God is just, why do such differences exist? Engaging sincerely with both sides of this debate allows us to better understand the issue itself and appreciate why resolving it is essential. For a believer, grappling honestly with the problem of evil is not a threat to faith but an opportunity to deepen it. By confronting these questions openly, seeking clarity, and working toward thoughtful answers, one’s belief becomes more grounded and resilient [1]. Islamic Perspectives on the Problem of Evil Various explanations have been offered by both theologians and philosophers regarding the problem of evil. In this study, we will focus on the most important perspectives on the subject: Muslim philosophers argue that evil does not truly exist on its own. Instead, evil is understood as the absence of something good. Sometimes evil is simply total non-existence, and other times it is the lack of an ability or quality that should be present. Because evil is not a real, independent existence, it cannot be something created by God. Shahid Motahhari, while explaining the concept of non-existence of evil, writes, “the non-existence of evil does not mean that what is known as evil does not exist, so that some might say this is against necessity, because we obviously see that blindness, deafness, oppression, tyranny, ignorance, disability, death, earthquake, and other afflictions exist. We can deny neither their existence nor their evilness. Rather, the point is that all these matters are “non-existential” and “absent,” and their existence is of “faulty” and “empty” types, and they are evil because they are non-entity, non-existence, shortage, and emptiness per se [2]. Some philosophers believe it is obvious that evil has no real existence, but they still offer arguments to support this view. One argument is that existence itself is clearly good. If evil were something that truly exists, then not all existence would be good, and this would break the natural link between existence and goodness—something philosophers consider self-evident. Another argument is that God is the absolute source of all goodness, and only good can come from a completely good being. Therefore, evil cannot be something that truly exists [3]. The second solution offered by philosophers is that evil is a necessary part of the physical world. God has created different levels of existence, including some that are completely good, like the world of angels. In that world, the only limitation is that angels have a restricted level of existence, but there is no conflict or opposition. This shows that God can create a world without conflict or evil. However, in the material world, things naturally come with change, struggle, and opposite forces, and because of this, some degree of evil becomes unavoidable [4]. However, the criticisms against the philosophers’ views on the problem of evil are as follows: The philosophers’ explanations about evil do not fully match what the Qur’an and Islamic teachings say. Some scholars tried to use certain verses to support the idea that evil is only relative and not real [5]. However, these verses do not clearly say that evil has no real existence. In fact, they could even suggest that evil does exist in some form. Another problem is that the philosophers’ answers to the problem of evil do not address the emotional and real-life struggles people face. Simply saying that evil does not exist, or that it is necessary in the material world, does not comfort someone who is suffering. As Martyr Motahhari points out, a person who is dealing with hardship can still ask: “Why am I the one suffering? Why couldn’t things be the other way around?” Such questions cannot be solved by just arguing that evil is non-existent or necessary [6]. Shia theologians, especially Twelver Shia, take a different approach from the philosophers. Based on the teachings of the (AS), they believe that evil truly exists, but it is never without purpose. Every evil comes with a greater benefit that may not be clear to us [7]. Their reasoning to explain the problem of evil as follows: God is perfect and has no need or ignorance. A being only does something bad if it lacks knowledge or needs something. Since God has neither limitation, He cannot do anything ugly or purposeless. So, if something appears evil, it must contain hidden wisdom and benefit. This idea is supported by Qur’anic verses and many teachings of the (AS). Shia theologians use two main principles to explain this: intiṣāf (Justice and restoration): God will ensure that anyone who is wronged will eventually get their right back. Iwad (Compensation): When suffering happens without a person’s fault, God will compensate them in the Hereafter with a reward so great that the hardship becomes worthwhile. Based