The Seventh Sign

The question: because the imams of the Mu‘tazilah regard the creation of evil as evil, they do not attribute the creation of unbelief and misguidance to Allah. Imagining that by doing so they declare Allah free from defect, they fall into misguidance by saying, “Human beings are the creators of their own actions.”

They also say: “A believer who commits a major sin loses his īmānFaith; belief in the six articles of faith: Allah, His angels, His revealed scriptures, His prophets, the Hereafter, and divine decree (qadar).. For belief in Allah and affirmation of Hell cannot be reconciled with committing such a sin. If, in this world, a person protects himself from anything contrary to the law out of fear of a very slight imprisonment, yet commits major sins to the extent that he gives no importance to eternal punishment in Hell and the wrath of the Creator, this surely indicates unbelief.”

The answer to the first part is this: as explained in The Twenty-Sixth Word, the treatise on qadarDivine decree; Allah’s pre-eternal knowledge, determination, and measure of all things and events., the creation of evil is not evil; rather, the acquisition of evil is evil. For creation and bringing into existence look to all the results. Since the existence of an evil is often the prelude to many good results, the creation of that evil, with respect to its results, becomes good and takes the ruling of good.

For example, fire has a hundred beneficial results. If some people, through the misuse of their will, make fire harmful to themselves, they cannot say, “The creation of fire is evil.”

In the same way, the creation of devils has many wise results, such as the advancement of human beings. If someone, through the misuse of his will and his wrongful acquisition, is overcome by devils, he cannot say, “The creation of Satan is evil.” Rather, he has made it evil for himself through his own acquisition.

Indeed, since acquisition is a particular involvement, it becomes the means to a particular evil result; therefore, the acquisition of evil is evil. But since creation looks to all the results, the creation of evil is not evil; rather, it is good.

Thus, because the MutazilaAn early Islamic theological school that emphasized reason and human free will, maintaining that human beings create their own voluntary actions and are therefore fully responsible for them. did not understand this mystery, they said, “The creation of evil is evil, and the creation of ugliness is ugly.” In order to declare Allah free from defect, they did not attribute the creation of evil to Him. They therefore fell into misguidance and misinterpreted one of the pillars of īmānFaith; belief in the six articles of faith: Allah, His angels, His revealed scriptures, His prophets, the Hereafter, and divine decree (qadar).:

وَ بِالْقَدَرِ خَيْرِهٖ وَ شَرِّهٖAnd belief in divine decree, that both good and evil come from Allah.

As for the second part of their question, namely, “How can one who commits a major sin remain a believer?” the answer is as follows:

Firstly, their mistaken view has been decisively understood from the preceding Signs, so there is no need to repeat it here.

Secondly, the human nafsThe aspect of the soul associated with lower desires and negative traits. prefers a tiny present pleasure to a great deferred and unseen pleasure. Likewise, it fears a present slap more than a year of punishment in the future.

Moreover, when the emotions prevail in a person, they do not listen to the judgment of reason. Desire and whim take command, and he prefers the smallest and most insignificant present pleasure to a very great reward in the future. And he fears a slight present discomfort more than a great deferred punishment.