The problem of evil in Islamic theology : a study on the concept of al-Qabīḥ in al-Qāḍī ʻAbd al-Jabbār al-Hamadhānī's thought

This thesis deals with the problem of evil in Islamic theology, and, in particular, tries to examine the concept of al-qabih in al-Qadi 'Abd al-Jabbar al-Hamadhanis thought. This study is based on the fact that Islam, like other monotheist religions, considers the presence of evil in the world as a grave difficulty, a situation which has resulted in much dispute among the mutakallimin. For 'Abd al-Jabbar, the problem of evil is discussed in the framework of the concept of divine justice. According to this formulation, God does nothing except the good, as he must do the obligatory (al-wajib), will not devote himself to anything except for the sake of goodness, and never desires to do anything repulsive but only chooses wisdom and righteousness. Thus, 'Abd al-Jabbar's discussion of the problem of evil is an effort aimed at defending God's justice and omnipotence in a world marred by the presence of evil. This is significant, since divine justice (al-'adl), together with divine unity (al-tawhid), constitutes the most important characteristic of Mu'tazilism, a characteristic by virtue of which the Mu'tazilites claimed for themselves the title of ahl al-'adi wa al-tawhid, the adherents of divine justice and unity