Investigating the Scholarly Features of the First Shiite Book On the Principle of Divine Justice (Saving Man from Determinism and Predestination)

The treatise entitled Inqaz al-Bashar min al-Jabr wal-Qadar (“Saving Man from Determinism and Predestination”), written by Sayyid Murteza Alam al-Huda, is the first work written by a Shiite scholar on the ‘divine justice’. Apart from its being pioneer, it has three other features as well: comprehensiveness, scholarly parameters and features pertaining to scientific ethics. Despite its shortness, the treatise entitled Inqaz al-Bashar min al-Jabr wal-Qadar contains the main headings of the discussion on ‘divine justice’ such as ‘creation of actions’, ‘determinism and freewill’, ‘auditory and rational arguments for the principle of justice’, ‘the meaning of attributing vices (such as misleading) to God’, and posing the issue of evil and the answers to it. This treatise has the features of a scholarly text, such as: proper and due title; two sections of abstract and review of literature; stating the goal of research; logical arrangement of the discussions; adducing the Holy Quran; adducing the traditions by the Prophet, the Companions and the Successors; and wise judgment in all discussions. Besides, this treatise is a superior sample of observing the scientific-scholarly ethics: Complete statement of the rival theory and its arguments, avoiding sectarianism and sacrilege, and basing the research on the principle of enjoining good and forbidding evil. Investigation reveals research features and the scientific ethics of this treatise, including research history in the Islamic world.