A Comparative Study of the Problem of Evil in the Hakim Sabziwari School and the Mawlawi Mystic School

An issue which has turned to be the origin of atheism in the western world and one of the concerns of religions and philosophical schools is the discussion on evil. The main question is whether evil in the philosophical school of Hakim Sabziwari and the theosophical school of Rumi is an existential or non-existential matter? If it is existential, how is it compatible with the absolute goodness of God and with his power and divine knowledge – or even with the similarity of the cause and the effect? Hakim Sabziwari considers evils as non-existential but Mawlawi considers them as existential and objective. To explain his point of view, Mawalwi deems evils as relative rather than absolute, and the existence of a being is attributed to God. Therefore, evils are said to be attributed to God indirectly because matter is what inflicts limitation on the being. The reason for this is that when a being is degraded, it suffers from limitation, and the problems that ensue are the inevitable results of limitation and materialness. Then, Mawlawi moves from description to prescription and asserts that the acceptance of pains is necessary for the human perfection. The author has first explained the viewpoint of these two wise and mystic philosophers and then has compared and examined the two viewpoints. Finally, he has found that Rumi's mystical stance is more realistic and is closer to mental health.