Ibn Taymiyya's theodicy of perpetual optimism / by Jon Hoover.

Originally presented as the author's thesis (Ph. D.--University of Birmingham, 2002) under the title: An Islamic theodicy : Ibn Taymiyya on the wise purpose of God, human agency, and problems of evil and justice.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Preliminary Material -- Introduction -- Chapter One: Worship, Religious Epistemology and Theological Jurisprudence -- Chapter Two: God’s Wise Purpose, Perpetual Activity and Self-Sufficiency -- Chapter Three: God’s Creation and God’s Command -- Chapter Four: God’s Creation of Acts in the Human Agent -- Chapter Five: The Wise Purpose and Origin of Evil -- Chapter Six: The Justice of God and the Best of All Possible Worlds -- Conclusion -- Bibliography -- Index.

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The Muslim jurist Ibn Taymiyya (d. 1328) is famous for polemic against Islamic philosophy, theology and rationalizing mysticism, but his positive theological contribution has not been well understood. This comprehensive study of Ibn Taymiyya’s theodicy helps to rectify this lack. Exposition and analysis of Ibn Taymiyya’s writings on God’s justice and wise purpose, divine determination and human agency, the problem of evil, and juristic method in theological doctrine show that he articulates a theodicy of optimism in which God in His essence perpetually wills the best possible world from eternity. This sets Ibn Taymiyya’s theodicy apart from Ashʿarī divine voluntarism, the free-will theodicy of the Muʿtazilīs, and the essentially timeless God of other optimists like Ibn Sīnā and Ibn ʿArabī.

Description based on print version record.