Critical Studies on the Quranic Exegesis

Critical Studies on the Quranic Exegesis

Divine Will, Divine Sunnah, and Human Destiny in Imami, Ashʿarī, and Muʿtazilī Exegeses

Document Type : Original article

Authors
Aʿzam Javaheri 1
Mojgan Sarshar 2
Sayed Mohsen Mirbagheri 3
1 Ph.D. student of Quranic and Hadith Sciences, Department of Qur'anic and Hadith Sciences, SRC, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
2 Assistant Professor, Department of Quranic and Hadith Sciences, SRC, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
3 Retired Associate Professor, Department of Quranic and Hadith Sciences, Shahid Rajaee Teacher Training University, Tehran, Iran.
10.22034/naghdeara.2026.557288.1358
Abstract
This study examines the conceptual and functional relationship between al-mashīyyat al-ilāhiyyah (divine will) and al-Sunnah al-ilāhiyya (divine sunnah) in major Imami, Ashʿarī, and Muʿtazilī Quranic commentaries. Although both terms appear frequently in the Qurʾan and share an initial semantic proximity, classical and modern exegetes have often treated them separately, leaving their precise interrelation insufficiently clarified. Through a descriptive–analytic reading of selected verses and leading tafsīr works, the article argues that the apparent tension between the absoluteness of divine will and the fixed, non derogable nature of divine sunnahs is resolved when the two are understood as complementary and longitudinal rather than parallel or competing. In this framework, divine sunnahs constitute the structured channels through which divine will becomes manifest in the created world, especially in relation to human action and its consequences. The analysis also shows how differing theological commitments—particularly the Imami and Muʿtazilī emphasis on divine justice versus the Ashʿarī emphasis on divine omnipotence—shape exegetical interpretations of these terms. While the article proceeds on the basis of Islamic theological presuppositions, it highlights how a clearer mapping of these concepts can refine contemporary discussions of human responsibility, moral agency, and the Quranic vision of cosmic order.
Keywords
Divine Speech
Divine Laws
Cosmic and Legislative Sunnahs
Consequences of Deeds
Predestination and Free Will
Subjects
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Critical Studies on the Quranic Exegesis
Volume 7, Issue 1 - Serial Number 13
September 2026
Pages 307-340

  • Receive Date 08 November 2025
  • Revise Date 09 July 2026
  • Accept Date 10 July 2026