The Problem of Evil and Theodicy in the Works of Izmirli Ismail Haqqi
Hande Nur BozbuğaThis study analyzed Izmirli Ismail Haqqi’s main arguments about the problem of evil. First, Haqqi’s life and his scientific methodology were examined, and then, the cases that can be accepted as kalām evil were classified as per his understandings. Further, some of his results and solutions of the problem of evil and theodicy were highlighted. The basic viewpoint of theodicy in his work constituted a form of “divine grace.” In particular, this theory asserted that evil things can never be attributed to God whose governance of the universe is regular and just. According to Haqqi, no evil phenomenon will be encountered when this mode of interpretation is applied. For Haqqi, evil emerges when people volitionally turn to wrong deeds. Hence, according to him, the source of evil is humanity itself.
İzmirli İsmail Hakkı’da Kötülük Problemi ve Teodise
Hande Nur BozbuğaBu makalede İzmirli İsmail Hakkı’nın (ö. 1946) kötülük problemiyle ilgili iddiaları tahlil edilecektir. Öncelikle İzmirli’den ve onun ilmî metodolojisinden bahsedilecek sonra İzmirli açısından kelâmî anlamda kötü olarak kabul edilebilecek olay ve olgular sınıflandırılacaktır. Ardından bu kötülüklere karşı onun tercih ettiği çözüm yolları, onun eserleri merkeze alınarak tartışılacaktır. Eserde teodise ile ilgili ana konuyu ilahi inâyet tasavvuru oluşturmaktadır. Bu teodiseye göre kötülükler Allah’a isnat edilemez. Bunun sebebi Allah’ın evrende hâkim kıldığı düzenli sistemdir. İzmirli’nin bu husustaki temel tezi, evrende var olan düzene tâbi olunduğu sürece hiçbir kötü olgu ve olayla karşılaşılmayacak olmasıdır. Kötülükler, insanların cüz’î iradelerine dayanarak kötü fiillere yönelmesiyle ortaya çıkmıştır. O halde düşünüre göre kötülüklerin kaynağı insandır. Düşünürün bu husustaki görüşleri ve kötülükleri Allah’tan kaldırıp insana hamlederken nasıl bir yol izlediği bu çalışmanın temel konusunu teşkil edecektir.
Izmirli Ismail Haqqi (d. 1946) was an important scientist and intellectual who lived during the last period of the Ottoman Empire. Although several previous studies cover his biography and scientific personality, his viewpoints on the problem of evil, which is one of the important issues of the philosophy of religion, will be discussed specifically in this study by investigating. His works Mukhtasar Felsefe-i Ūlā1 and Yeni İlm-i Kalām2 . The key contribution of this study is a novel interpretation of the mindset of an intellectual, who lived during the last period of the Ottoman Empire and facilitated profound theological and philosophical studies. Specifically, his contribution to this topic is considered as the core issue of fundamental discussions for theology and philosophy. In so doing, this study revealed the modus operandi of his era with respect to the problem of evil and theodicy.
The problem of evil, remains one of the chief problems in the philosophy of religion, its pertinence usually emerges when some deeply unpleasant events and actualities in the universe are perceived as a predicament. The basis of this notion is formulated on the theistic copception of God. God, in theism, has been described as an omnipotent, an omniscient and a perfectly good entity. The existence of God, with the abovementioned attributes, in concurrence with the presence of evil have been regarded as a conundrum from time to time.
In general, evil as a problematic issue has been discussed by philosophers and theologians in the context of the relationship between God and the universe. Theses on this matter indicate that the issue has become a problem of belief because according to them, the existence of evil in tandem with a belief God, constitutes a paradox relative to his nature. It can be stated that this situation, which seems paradoxical, actually originates from the viewpoint of the general populace at a given moment. However, when examined in more detail, it is striking to note that there are great differences among scholars of theodicy. For example, in some interpretative frameworks, evil is considered in terms of its source, while it is evaluated in terms of their position or nature against the good in others.
Haqqi discussed the problem of evil within the framework of the discussions concerning will and personal will and then presented them as an argument against the problem of evil. Issues, such as the problem of free will and the problem of evil that stems from it have been distinguished as being among the fundamental issues of Haqqi’s era inasmuch as they have likewise been discussed throughout history. In this historical period, the concept of will against evil is one of the vital viewpoints in relation to appreciation of kalām. For example, the viewpoints of Babanzāde Ahmed Nāim (d. 1934), one of the Haqqi’s contemporaries, on this issue are surrounded by expressions that are usually conveyed in the background of Islamic thought within the context of personal will. According to Nāim, God showed man both the good and the bad (the right and the wrong) and gave him the power to do good or evil, which are the prerequisites of genuine free will. He stated that the moral consequences of actions, which can be good or bad, are derived from the person who has freedom of will. Hence, by this reckoning, the responsibility belongs to humans.4 Likewise, Ferid Kam (d. 1944), another thinker of that historical period, argued that each individual is personally responsible for exercising the dignity of decision making, and although he has the right to choose good and bad deeds he is nonetheless obliged to prefer good over evil.
