Suhrawardi's Views on the Problem of Evil: a Critical Review

Abstract

Confronting the problem of evil, Suhrawardi seeks to use philosophical concepts and explanations to show that God and all His creatures are good, that the world is the best possible one, and that dualistic cosmology is false. He believes in the privation theory of evil, saying that evil is nothing but imperfections in the effects which do not require a separate cause. According to him, the proximity or distance of a being from God determines the extent of its imperfection. If God seeks to prevent the realization of imperfection, He needs to cease to create any creature that will require the loss of superior goods and virtues. Having a critical look at his theory, we will find that he presupposes the existence of God, reduces any evil to metaphysical evil, and assumes, unconsciously, comprehensive knowledge of the divine act, which makes his theory unsuccessful.

Keywords

• suhrawardi
• the problem of evil
• non-existential nature of evil
• relative evil
• the best possible world