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Published: 14 January 2026

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• Human Knowledge
• Human Creation
• Occurrence of Evil
• Nature of Evil

1-The Limited Scope of Human Knowledge

Considering the narrow boundaries of human knowledge and the unfathomable vastness of all that we do not know about the world, it would seem rash and unwise to categorically label certain phenomena as evil and harmful to our well-being. It is possible that the real advantages and benefits of these so-called evils are so great that the perceived evil in them would appear as minuscule in comparison with their real but unbeknownst good. Thai human knowledge has so far been unable to shed light on these advantages and benefits does not mean that they are nonexistent. Therefore, we must be more careful in how we speak about the phenomena that arc generally seen as evil. The advancement of science may someday prove empirically their prevailing good.

We usually view death as an evil thing. But imagine if human life was unlimited and we lived forever. The earth would be incapable of hosting the incalculable human population, and we would have been unable to pursue a normal course of life on such an over populated planet. Or consider the example of volcanoes, what would the earth be like if volcanoes did not exist? In spite of the death toll and destruction they wreak on human society, the benefits that volcanoes provide to human society often outweigh their evils. There are great energy sources, which are created by volcanoes: many natural ecosystems and islands - such as Hawaii-originated from volcanic eruptions. This is one example of the benefits and advantages, which we normally term as natural disasters, but in reality, form an integral part of the intricate order in nature designed by God. The same truth also holds for calamines caused by man. The incidents and events that we often perceive as distasteful carry numerous benefits that we tend to overlook. Of course, there are numerous other factors involved in the wisdom that necessitates the evil in the world.

2-The Final End of Human Creation 

The second point that deserves to be mentioned in connection with the concept of evil concerns the final purpose in the creation of the human being, which can play a determining role in how we perceive the phenomena of ‘evil’. In light of a religious worldview, the purpose of human being’s existence is to attain true felicity as opposed to indulging in sensual pleasures and enjoying the material
comforts of the world. True happiness is achieved by drawing nearer to God, which is achieved by exclusive worship and devotion to Him, As such, it is wrong to label certain phenomena as evil only because they cause pain and diminish the degree and extent of material pleasure. Il is very likely that enduring pain and suffering adversities arc actually conducive to achieving true human felicity. So our conception of the purpose of human life is of paramount importance in assessing what is evil and what is good.

Another important point to consider in regards to our perception of evil is to understand that evil is contrary to Divine Wisdom and Justice if the harm that it causes remains uncompensated, which is not the case because what we lose as a result of encountering evils in this world is recompensed equally, if not many times over in the afterlife. In fact, one of the main lines of reasoning for the necessity of there being an afterlife is that people who experience trials and tribulations, and remain steadfast in their faith despite the hardships they endure must be recompensed by God.

“Oh you who have faith, have recourse to patience and prayer, for indeed God is with the patient.” (Qur'an2:153)

“And We shall test you with fear and hunger and loss of property and life and dearth of harvest, and give good tidings to those who have patience, those who when an affliction befalls them say, ‘Indeed we are for God and indeed we return to Him.” (Qur'an 2:155-156)  “Say, ‘O My slaves who have faith, beware of your Lord: for those who do good in this world there is good, and God’s earth is wide. Verily those who practice patience shall be given their recompense beyond any measure.” (Qur’an 39:10)

Imam Sadiq says, “How wonderful is the state of the believer, as God decrees for him only that which is to his advantage: should he be cut into pieces, it is to his advantage and should he rule over the East and the West, it is to his advantage.” (al-Kafi, vol. 2, p. 62) 

3-The Human Factor in the Occurrence of Evil

When speaking of the problem of evil, we should be careful not to neglect the human factor in the occurrence of many an evil. Exercising his free will, the human being often produces circumstances harmful to himself and his fellow human beings. But as he may be unaware of the connection between his actions and the adverse circumstances, he assumes that the consequent evils are part and parcel of the order of existence and as such construes them as evidence for the absence of Divine Wisdom and Justice.

The use of chemical weapons for instance, can have dire consequences for the people of the region where they are used for many generations to come in addition to the indirect harms that it might cause for the people of other regions. The disposal of harmful chemical refuse into the rivers and seas is another instance of harmful human behavior whose evil implications can affect the people of the entire world. Such evils are perpetrated by the human being in his unscrupulous exercise of free will.

4-The Relative Nature of Evil

    What evil exists in the world is relative, and there is no instance of evil that may be characterized as absolute evil. Evil belongs to the class of relative descriptions (as opposed to absolute descriptions). That is, certain phenomena (and in fact most phenomena in the material world) engender negative as well as positive effects. In so far as they cause positive effects, they are good, and in respect of their negative effects, they are viewed as evil. As such, evil is a relative characterization that describes the detrimental effects of a phenomenon on other phenomena.

The negative and undesirable effects that come of such creatures as snakes and scorpions, the harmful and occasionally mortal consequence of diseases, and even the devastations wrought by such natural calamities as earthquakes and floods constitute relative evils. They play a positive role in the larger and cosmic scheme of things, but when we focus on their negative aspect, we naturally view them as evil phenomena. The problem is that we tend to neglect their positive aspect on account of the more conspicuous pain they cause.They are not evil in an absolute sense; they are evil in certain respects and good in others.The venom of snakes is evil only in view of the harm that it brings upon human
beings, but it is good in many other respects: the destruction wrought by storms and earthquakes is bad in view of the death and pain they involve, but they are good in many other respects (one of which is that they are an indispensable feature of the material world, and so their flip side, so to speak, is all the good that takes place in the world). 

5-Good Outweighs Evil

    The world is replete with goodness, mercy, and blessings. The evil that occurs in this world is only a necessary consequence of the nature of this world. As the
material world is limited and material entities tend toward conflict and strife-and this is a necessary property of materiality without which the existence of the material world is impossible-it is only natural that a limited and relative presence of evil should ensue. But it must be borne in mind that the amount of good is infinitely greater than the amount of evil-which is a necessary feature of the material world.it is only natural that a limited and relative presence of evil should ensue. But it must be borne in mind that the amount of good is infinitely greater than the amount of evil-which is a necessary feature of the material world. If evil prevailed over good, the world would have perished long ago. So the very fact of its persistence points to the predominance of good. And since good is predominant, Divine Wisdom requires that the material world should exist. To withhold existence from the material world would be to preclude a great amount of good for the sake of a smaller amount of evil, and this would be contrary to Divine Wisdom. Thus, on comparing the extent of good and evil, human reason undoubtedly arrives at the conclusion that the existence of this world is good and hence necessary.

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Published: 14 January 2026

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• Divine Wisdom
• Evil
• controversial question

Divine Wisdom and the Problem of Evil

So far, we have demonstrated that Devine Activity is calculated and that God’s actions seek good and reasonable ends benefitting His creatures. An important and highly controversial question that arises in this connection is how we can reconcile the fact of evil in the world with Divine Wisdom. If God means to benefit His creatures, why, then, is there so much evil and pain in the world? The presence of evil in the world would seem to contradict God’s Mercy and Beneficence.

The confusion and difficulty in finding an adequate answer to this question has led many in the course of human history to espouse two distinct gods-a good god and an evil god, which are in a perpetual state of war Some, however, have negated the existence of God altogether after failing to satisfactorily answer this question. Yet others have retained belief in God but have denied some of His Attributes that seem to be incompatible with the presence of evil-such as omniscience, omnipotence, and benevolence.

The problem of evil at first seems to belie Divine Wisdom and what was said concerning the purposiveness of God’s Actions and the fact that God mems to benefit His creatures rather than deriving any benefit for Himself. The evils that occur in the world are detrimental and harmful to all creatures and especially humankind. So how can we reconcile these two facts? On the one hand, we know based on definitive rational reasoning that God’s Actions are purposive and that the ends of His Actions are to the benefit of the creatures. On the other hand, however, we cannot deny the existence of such evils as earthquakes, foods, diseases, and volcanoes that inflict pain and death on thousands of people and innumerous numbers of other creatures every year. 

This question has received numerous answers. In this part we will concentrate on only one of these answers, laying special emphasis on the nature of evil and the reason for its existence. We will show that the instances of evil, such as those cited in the above, are not utter evil and that the good in their existence outweighs the evil that they bear. The existence of these evils is on account of a superior good that can come about only by their means. In other words, rather than being the result of arbitrary or malignant cases, these seemingly evil phenomena are in line with the overarching and homogeneous purpose in creation, though this might be difficult to grasp at first. But before going on to expand on the many advantages and benefits of evil phenomena, we will consider a few very important general points that will enable us in better pursuing this discussion.

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Published: 14 January 2026

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• Divine Wisdom
• wise
• Divine Activity

Divine Wisdom

One of the Divine Attributes that enjoys a prominent position in theistic faiths is God’s Wisdom (al-hikmah). Numerous definitions have been offered for the adjective wise (al hakim).

Al-hikmah (wisdom) is defined either as knowledge of phenomena or as executing an action in the best possible manner. As God possesses the greatest possible knowledge of the world. He is wise in both senses of the word.

A fundamental question related to Divine Activity is whether God’s actions are purposive or arbitrary? This question is closely related to the topic of Divine Wisdom. One of the meanings of wisdom is that an agent undertakes actions for a purpose and not arbitrarily. An agent may be characterized as wise if his actions are aimed at reasonable and legitimate purposes rather than being merely impulsive. There can be no doubt that God’s actions are purposive and that the ends towards which God’s actions are directed are all good and reasonable.

But let us analyze what precisely we mean when we say that God’s actions are purposive. Is He purposive in exactly the same sense that the human being is purposive? When human beings exercise their free will and pursue purposive actions, they envisage the intended action and weigh its benefits and the need that it fulfills. After verifying that the action in question is suitable to our needs, we are then motivated to undertake the action. In other words, the purpose of human action is to fulfill one’s needs, and so it implies deficiency and privation. This is incompatible with Divine Perfection. God has no need to fulfill: He is absolutely perfect. Therefore, when we say that God is similar to human beings insofar as He is a purposive agent, we do not mean that He is purposive in exactly the same way as the human being.

In light of what has been said in the above, it should be clear that describing Divine Activity as purposive means that His Actions are aimed at realizing certain purposes. These purposes, however, do not concern God’s Essence as such, but are rather to the benefit of His creatures. His Actions benefit the creatures rather than Himself. Muslim theologians express this truth by saying that the final cause in Divine Activity pertains to the action, not the agent; that is, God does not seek anything for His benefit, for He is free of need; what He seeks is for the benefit of His creatures.

God’s Knowledge is infinite. He is aware of all the needs of all His creatures. He knows what is beneficial to His creatures and what is harmful. As He is wise ,He executes whatever is beneficial to and in the interest of the world and its inhabitants. Consequently, His Actions are absolutely good.

Rationale for Divine Wisdom

There are a number of arguments that prove the purposiveness of Divine Activity and, consequently, the wisdom of God. Below we shall consider one of these arguments.
Actions that are not directed towards an end and purpose arc arbitrary. Reason deems arbitrary actions to be objectionable. It is impossible that God should undertake reprehensible actions. Questionable behavior implies an imperfection and defect on the part of the agent. For, a volitional agent opts for objection able rather than praiseworthy actions as a result of such internal or external factors as ignorance, blind sentiment, illness, hereditary defects, bad upbringing, and negative social influence. But these imperfections and defects cannot affect God.

He is absolutely perfect, all-powerful, all-knowledgeable, merciful, and beneficent. we conclude, then, that God does nothing objectionable. He only undertakes actions that are praiseworthy. As such, His Actions are filled with purpose and conducive to the well-being of His creatures.

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Published: 14 January 2026

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• Divine Power
• Atheists
• agnostics

Divine Power

We may compliment someone who is very good in math by saying that he can solve any mathematical problem. The meaning of this compliment is that the person in question is capable of solving all valid and reasonable problems that have real solutions. But what if we pose an unreasonable and irrational question to him? Suppose we ask him for a whole number greater than three but smaller than four. Obviously, he cannot come up with such a number. But his inability in giving such a whole number is a result of the absurdity of the question rather than his lack of knowledge.

Atheists and agnostics often counter theism by raising questions of the following sort: “Can God create another God?” or “Can God create a world that fits into an egg?” In their delusion they think they have placed theists into a difficult position with these questions. If theists answer negatively, which is the correct answer, they would then seize the opportunity to attack the theistic belief that God is omnipotent. If God is omnipotent. He should be able to do everything, so why can He not do the things mentioned in these questions? In this chapter, we will take up these questions. But before that, let us first prove God’s omnipotence and consider the nature of God’s power.

There are a number of approaches that we can take to prove Divine Power. The clearest proof for Divine Power is the wonderful order and design manifest in the world. Just as the existence of phenomena proves the existence of the Primary Cause, so do the features and characteristics of phenomena disclose to some extent the attributes of the Primary Cause. As such, studying the amazing order permeating the entire world, from the smallest particles to the largest collection of stars and planets, we reach the conclusion that the Creator must have had the necessary power to create this unfathomably vast universe. If He did not have the power. He could not have created the world. This is an obvious fact.

The advance of science has improved our comprehension of the precise order and design immanent in phenomena, thus enabling us to better appreciate the power of God. Every branch of the natural sciences opens a door to an endless series of secrets, everyday uncovering a hitherto hidden aspect of the amazing order of the world.

Yet a more fundamental element that can help us believe and appreciate God’s power is our own divine nature, our fitrah. Belief in God’s all-encompassing power is yet another innate intuition-in addition to belief in God’s existence-imprinted in our nature.

Having proven God’s Power, we may now consider the nature of Divine Power.
The power and strength that human beings possess is limited and constricted by innumerous factors. When we intend to do something, we are usually required to take certain preliminary steps so as to prepare the appropriate circumstances for undertaking the intended action. We cannot do whatever we wish however we wish. Furthermore, there are innumerous things that are beyond our power.   

When hungry, it is impossible for us to obtain food by the mere thought of it. order to procure food, there are a number of things that we must do in advance;

such as buying the raw material, having sufficient fuel for cooking, dishes needed to cook the food in, and so forth. Furthermore, we must be in good health to be able to eat. If our mouth  is, for instance, closed shut due to an illness, we would be unable to consume food normally. So all this shows that our power is very limited and confined within a very narrow scope.  

How does Divine Power compare to human power? As an agent’s power is proportionate to his existential perfection, we infer that God’s Power must be infinite, for He is possessed of infinite perfection. God’s power is absolute, being free of all the limitations that restrict the power of created being.

Let us now consider the questions raised earlier. If God’s Power is infinite, then why is it that He cannot do the things mentioned in these questions: Why can He not fit the world with its current size into a normal-sized egg or why can He not create another God? Doesn’t this incapability imply a limitation in Divine Power?

The answer is quite simple. When we say that God is All-Powerful, we mean that He can produce or actualize everything that is possible within existence.

Absurd scenarios and impossible circumstances are necessarily and inherently nonexistent. It is impossible for them to come into existence, because their very nature involves contradiction. In other words, the reason that God cannot carry out the said scenarios is not on account of the limitation of His Power but is rather due to the inherent impossibility of those scenarios.

Another question related to Divine Power is whether God is capable of doing evil. Doing evil does not inherently involve a contradiction and so is. Strictly speaking, possible. Yet. we must bear in mind that an agent's power and capability to do something do not require him to do it. This is true even in the context of human activity. We may have power to inflict pain on other people, especially those subordinate to us. but since we consider it to be morally reprehensible and evil, we decide against doing so. In other words, our reason and instincts determine which actions we actually embark on. Similarly, God exercises His Infinite Power in view of His Wisdom. God only undertakes what is good, though He dos have the power to do evil as well. His Wisdom, however, prevents Him from doing evil.

This leads to yet another question pertaining to Divine Power, and that is the question of Divine Will. Does God enjoy volition and free will, or is He in some way circumscribed to a certain course of action? Considering that God enjoys the highest degree of power (proven above), there remains little doubt that He must also enjoy the most perfect and intense degree of volition. Nothing is capable of coercing or intimidating God to pursue a course of action against His Will. All other beings derive their power from Him, and so there is no way that their power could prevail over His.