ArticleGold Open Access2025tr
Raising Issues Between Theological Orientations and the Meanings of Quranic Verses: Causality as a Model
Hasan Alkhattaf
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Hasan Alkhattaf
In the Qur’an, God establishes a connection between cause and effect, exemplified by the relationship between marriage and procreation, or between medicine and healing. This linkage is mediated through intrinsic characteristics inherent in both the cause and the effect, a concept corroborated by empirical sciences such as physics and medicine. The Qur’an raises the issue of causality because it reflects a reality experienced by humans, whereas theologians (mutakallimūn) approached it philosophically, influenced by their observation of reality, and linked it to the problem of human action creation. The majority of the Ash‘arites removed this relevance, reducing it to a mere correlation, in contrast to the Mu‘tazilites, whose perspective aligns more closely with the Qur’anic outlook. The study’s central problem lies in elucidating how the philosophical stimulation by theologians diverges from the Qur’anic treatment of the subject, Which standards the Qur’an employs in raising issues, how this matter relates to the problem of action creation, and the stance of the empirical sciences regarding this issue. The significance of this study stems from its potential to answer these questions and to demonstrate the importance of comparing the theological orientations of the Mu‘tazilites and Ash‘arites with the implications of the Qur’anic texts. Methodologically, this study employs a comparative approach between the Qur’an, theological discourse, and the empirical sciences, supplemented by a critical method. The key findings indicate that theologians overinterpreted the issue, even though it is subsidiary, often as a means of affirming divine transcendence. This approach diverges from the Qur’anic perspective and the empirical sciences, both of which link cause and effect. Moreover, the Qur’an’s emphasis on specific issues—whether frequent or rare—correlates with their doctrinal significance and social impact. The study demonstrates the superiority of the Qur’anic approach over the theological discourse