An Analysis of Allameh Jafari's View on the Problem of Evil ‎Compared to Irenaean Theodicy and General Refutation

Document Type : The Quarterly Jornal

Authors

1 ‎ Assistant Professor, Department of Islamic Philosophy and Theology, Azarbaijan Shahid ‎Madani University, Tabriz, Iran (Corresponding Author)‎‏.‏

2 M. A. Islamic Theology, Shahid Madani University of Azerbaijan, Tabriz, Iran.‎

10.22081/jpt.2025.71002.2205

Abstract

The problem of evil is a central challenge in theology and a core topic in the philosophy of religion. It's typically presented through two formulations: the "logical argument" and the "evidential argument," both focusing on the apparent inconsistency of evil with the existence of an all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-benevolent God. John Hick categorizes responses to the problem of evil—based on their acceptance or rejection of evils incompatible with God's existence—into "general defeaters," "defenses," and "theodicies." Allameh Jafari found none of the existing responses to the problem of evil within the Islamic philosophical and theological traditions to be sufficient. He proposed new, overarching principles. Since some of his statements might suggest an inconsistency to the reader, they warrant collection, articulation, and comparison with contemporary answers to the problem of evil. A key finding of this research is that Allameh Jafari's views require a two-stage explanation regarding the problem of evil. In the first stage, he considers trials and hardships as prerequisites for perfection or for reaching the "Malakuti Self" (Self of the Divine Realm). This aligns with a type of Irenaean theodicy and is comparable to Hick's soul-making theodicy. In the second stage, Allameh Jafari believes that by transcending the "natural self" and attaining the Malakuti Self, humans achieve a "higher understanding" where they perceive no evil whatsoever. Consequently, there's no need to justify evils. This second stage can be understood as a "general refutation" for the existence of evils.

Keywords

Main Subjects