Molinism and the Problem of Evil

 بِسۡمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِیۡمِ

In the Name of Allah, the Rahman, the Merciful

Molinism is a theological attempt to answer the problem of evil, and an attempt to reconcile God’s sovereignty and omniscience with human free will. Its author was Luis de Molina (1535-1600), a Spanish Jesuit priest. 

The key teaching of Molinism is that God selects and creates a world, one out of infinite possible worlds, on the basis of His foreknowledge of what every person will freely do in their given circumstances.

A good analogy is a game of chess; God moves His pieces on the basis of His foreknowledge of which exact moves His opponent will freely make in reaction so as to result in a victory for Himself in the game. This knowledge of what a person will freely choose to do in a set of given circumstances is termed middle knowledge.

When first introduced, the doctrine of Molinism was fiercely opposed by a rival Catholic monastic order, the Dominicans. In my view, the Dominicans rightly objected to Molinism for essentially making God’s will and plan dependent on the human will. It is a mild form of dualism, that does not give due regard to God’s total sovereignty and independence. However, after a series of debates and discussions, the Catholic Pope decreed that both the Dominican and Jesuit/Molinist views were legitimate and forbade them from declaring each other heretical.

The Dominicans had characterized Molinism as a recycling of the earlier heresy of Semi-Pelagianism; man takes the first step freely after which God responds with His grace leading to his salvation. In thinking about Semi-Pelagianism I was reminded of the Hadith Qudsi in which Allah, holy and exalted is He, says about man:

وَإِنْ أَتَانِي يَمْشِي أَتَيْتُهُ هَرْوَلَةً

If he walks toward Me I run toward Him

Someone might mistakenly think that, based on this Hadith Qudsi, man must take the initiative in seeking God, and only then does God respond eagerly and make the way easy for him to reach Him. But we orthodox Sunni Muslims believe that even man’s initiative in seeking Allah has been created and determined by Allah, Who creates and determines everything.

The doctrine of synergism, that salvation is the result of cooperation between God and man, does not appear to be compatible with Sunni Islam. The Holy Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم said:

 وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّهُ لَنْ يَنْجُوَ أَحَدٌ مِنْكُمْ بِعَمَلِهِ

Know that none from among you can be saved by his work (Sahih Muslim)

Rather, it is purely by the mercy and grace of Allah through which a person is saved:

وَلاَ أَنَا إِلاَّ أَنْ يَتَغَمَّدَنِيَ اللَّهُ بِرَحْمَةٍ مِنْهُ وَفَضْلٍ

“Even I cannot be saved except if Allah envelops me in a mercy from Him and grace.” (ibid)

Concerning the problem of evil; the objection raised predominantly by atheists, that if God is able but unwilling to prevent evil in this world then He is malevolent. This is the objection that applies to us Sunni Muslims, because we reject the alternative notion that God is willing but unable to prevent evil in this world. We obviously disagree with the conclusion that introducing evil into this world, allowing it to be and not always preventing it despite the capability to do so is necessarily malevolence itself. It is in fact a childish argument that allowing evil to exist in this world makes God evil.

Yes, there is evil in this world and God has decreed that it happen but for the purpose of elevating man and giving him the opportunity to prove himself righteous. And as a reward for that righteousness God will admit man into another world in the afterlife in which there is no evil whatsoever.