Editing Mu'tazilism (section)

====2. Divine justice====
Facing the [[Problem of evil|problem of existence of evil]] in the world, the Mu'tazilis pointed at the free will of human beings, so that evil was defined as something that stems from the errors in human acts. God does nothing ultimately evil, and he demands not from any human to perform any evil act. If man's evil acts had been from the will of God, then punishment would have been meaningless, as man performed the will of God no matter what he did. Mu'tazilis did not deny the existence of suffering that goes beyond human abuse and misuse of their free will granted to them by God. In order to explain this type of "apparent" evil, Mu'tazilis relied on the Islamic doctrine of ''taklif'': "God does not order/give the soul of any of his creation, that which is beyond its capacity." [Qur'an 2:286]. In conclusion, it comprised life is an ultimate "fair test" of coherent and rational choices, having a supremely just accountability in one's current state, as well as the hereafter.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Madelung |first=Wilferd |date=1992 |title=Studies in Medieval Muslim Thought and History |url=https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003221883 |journal=New Editions from 2016 on by Routledge, Oxon and New York |publisher=Ashgate Publishing |doi=10.4324/9781003221883|isbn=978-1-003-22188-3 }}</ref>

Humans are required to have belief, ''[[Iman (concept)|iman]]'', secure faith and conviction in and about God, and do good works, ''amal saleh'', to have ''iman'' reflected in their moral choices, deeds, and relationship with God, fellow humans, and all of the creation in this world. If everyone is healthy and wealthy, then there will be no meaning for the obligations imposed on humans to, for example, be generous, help the needy, and have compassion for the deprived and trivialized. The inequalities in human fortunes and the calamities that befell them are, thus, an integral part of the test of life. Everyone is being tested. The powerful, the rich, and the healthy are required to use all their powers and privileges to help those who suffer and to alleviate their suffering. In the [[Qiyamah]] (Judgment Day), they will be questioned about their response to Divine blessings and bounties they enjoyed in their lives. The less fortunate are required to patiently persevere and are promised a compensation for their suffering that, as the [[Qur'an]] puts it in 39:10, and as translated by [[Muhammad Asad]], is "beyond all reckoning".<ref>{{Cite web|date=2010-09-26|title=Message Of Quran By Muhammad Asad 039 – WikiMir|url=http://www.wikimir.com/message-of-quran-by-muhammad-asad-039|access-date=2021-02-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100926172903/http://www.wikimir.com/message-of-quran-by-muhammad-asad-039|archive-date=2010-09-26}}</ref>

The test of life is specifically for adults in full possession of their mental faculties. Children may suffer, and are observed to suffer, given the nature of life but they are believed to be completely free from sin and liability. Divine justice is affirmed through the theory of compensation. All sufferers will be compensated. This includes non-believers and, more importantly, children, who are destined to go to [[Paradise]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Akyol |first=Mustafa |date=October 27, 2022 |title=An Early Islamic Debate on Faith and Reason Is Worth Examining |url=https://www.cato.org/commentary/early-islamic-debate-faith-reason-worth-examining |access-date=December 15, 2024 |website=www.cato.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Aytekin |first=Arif |date=2022-06-30 |title=The Question Regarding the Children of Nonbelievers in Islam |url=https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/atebe/issue/71028/1081309 |journal=ATEBE |language=en |issue=7 |pages=129–147 |issn=2757-5616}}</ref>

The doctrine of '[[Adl]] in the words of ʿAbd al-Jabbar:{{sfn|Martin|1997|page=58}} It is the knowledge that God is removed from all that is morally wrong (''qabih'') and that all his acts are morally good (''[[hasana]]''). This is explained by the fact that you know that all human acts of injustice (''[[zulm]]''), transgression (''jawr''), and the like cannot be of his creation (''min khalqihi''). Whoever attributes that to him has ascribed to him injustice and insolence (''safah'') and thus strays from the doctrine of justice. And you know that God does not impose faith upon the unbeliever without giving him the power (''al-qudra'') for it, nor does he impose upon a human what he is unable to do, but he only gives to the unbeliever to choose unbelief on his own part, not on the part of God. And you know that God does not will, desire or want disobedience. Rather, he loathes and despises it and only wills obedience, which he wants and chooses and loves. And you know that he does not punish the children of polytheists (''al-[[mushrik]]in'') in Hellfire because of their fathers' sin, for he has said: "Each soul earns but its own due" (Qur'an 6:164); and he does not punish anyone for someone else's sin because that would be morally wrong (''qabih''), and God is far removed from such. And you know that he does not transgress his rule ([[hukm]]) and that he only causes sickness and illness in order to turn them to advantage. Whoever says otherwise has allowed that God is iniquitous and has imputed insolence to him. And you know that, for their sakes, he does the best for all of his creatures, upon whom he imposes moral and religious obligations (''yukallifuhum''), and that He has indicated to them what he has imposed upon them and clarified the path of truth so that we could pursue it, and he has clarified the path of falsehood (''tariq l-batil'') so that we could avoid it. So, whoever perishes does so only after all this has been made clear. And you know that every benefit we have is from God; as he has said: "And you have no good thing that is not from Allah" (Qur'an 16:53); it either comes to us from him or from elsewhere. Thus, when you know all of this you become knowledgeable about justice from God.{{sfn|Martin|1997|page=93}}