غايتمندي نظام آفرينش از نظر متكلمان و حكماي مسلمان (مقايسه و تحليل )

Views of Muslim Theologians and philosophers Concerning the purpose of Creation (comparison and analysis)

Mankind has always wondered about the purpose of creation. This questioning is both instinctive and natural. These qusetions have also preoccupied great thinkers throughout the centuries. Theologians have tackled this question by looking at Godʹs actions, whilst philosophers have concentrated on the will of God. In this study, the shiite and Mu`tazilites response to this question has been presented and the reasoning behind this position has been analyzed from a philosophical point of view. The essence of the shiite view is that Godʹs actions are purposeful. Therefore, the purpose of creation lies in showing kindness to others,benefiting mankind and in the beauty of creation itself. Two groups - Ashʹarites and philosophers- have criticized these views and they do not believe that there is an ultimate purpose to creation. It would he a mistake to think that these two groups criticize the view of the Mu`tazilites in the same way. The way in which each of these groups confronts the issue is completely different. With this in mind, in this article, in addition to examining the difference between these two viewpoints, the illogical nature of the Ashʹarites viewpoint and their fruitless method of discussing the purpose of creation along with the means by which philosophers solve the paradox of the purposelessness of Godʹs actions and the purposefulness of creation is examined.