Document Type : Short Paper

Author

• Saida Mirsadri

Post-doc Research Fellow, Faculty of Catholic Theology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany

Abstract

The human catastrophes of World War II, along with the experience of the Holocaust—occurring after the dominance of Enlightenment rationality and its associated values—gave rise to profound existential and philosophical questions. These inquiries led to the emergence of a robust discourse on evil within the Western philosophical and theological traditions. In this context, atheistic philosophers questioned the rationality of traditional theism and its approach to the problem of evil. Additionally, anti-theodicy movements emerged, condemning any attempt to justify evils as shameful and morally indefensible. Against this backdrop, Jewish and Christian theologians, along with theistic philosophers, engaged in a reevaluation of their religious traditions, offering more resilient responses to the problem of evil. However, in the Islamic world, scholars have shown relatively little interest in such a reexamination. This paper provides a brief survey of contemporary works on Islam and the problem of evil, demonstrating that the few existing studies often reiterate classical and traditional responses or dismiss the discourse on evil as a Western and foreign concern. The conclusion drawn from this analysis is that Islamic theology still needs to address the existential and human dimensions of evil and to offer practical responses to this enduring challenge.

Keywords

• Islam
• problem of evil
• contemporary world
• bibliography

Main Subjects

• Other