The Theory of Verdict in Divine Actions: Review and Evaluation of Mirza Mahdi Isfahani's Viewpoint

Islamic theologians consider God's activity as volitional and consider volition as an attribute of action, not of knowledge. In the meantime, Mirza Mahdi Isfahani proposed the theory of verdict in explaining the formation of divine action and differentiated between verdict, will, and providence. Using the descriptive-analytical method, the present research has investigated the theory of verdict based on library sources. The result is that Mirza Mahdi Isfahani considered the verdict to be the first stage of the formation of divine action and to be the effective factor in the formation of providence, will, and predestination. He believed that divine knowledge only has the dignity of discovery, and this discovery includes existence as well as its opposite, non-existence. Hence, for the realization of the divine act, there must be a determining and special factor to choose one of the two sides of existence and non-existence. This factor is the verdict, which is one of the attributes of the perfection of divine action, and its place is after divine knowledge. God is the owner of the verdict, which is manifested in the various stages of the realization of divine action.