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The relationship between human free will and divine destiny and power; a comparative study of the views of Fakhr-Razi and Allameh Tabataba'i

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Persian Literature and Foreign Languages, Allameh Tabataba`i University, Tehran

Abstract

This research examines the contrast between the views of Fakhr al-Razi (inclined to determinism) and Allama Tabataba'i (with an emphasis on human agency) on the issue of determinism and free will under the concept of divine destiny and predestination. The method of this research is descriptive-analytical and its main goal is to analyze the contrast between the views of Fakhr al-Razi and Allama Tabataba'i on the issue of determinism and free will. The main point of commonality between these two thinkers is the simultaneous acceptance of the two principles of "God's omniscience and power" and "the conscientious reality of human agency," and both seek to provide an explanation that neither leads to absolute determinism nor negates divine a priori knowledge. However, the difference in the doctrinal foundations (Ash'ari Kalam versus transcendental wisdom) has led to the contrast between the views. Fakhr-e-Razi (representative of the Ash'arite school) attributes agency to God with the theory of "acquiring" and has oscillating positions and a tendency toward predestination. Allamah Tabataba'i (representative of transcendental wisdom), relying on "existential connection", considers human beings to be independent but related agents and, by distinguishing between "qadah" (divine universal decree) and "qadar" (predestination in the material world), presents a more coherent and balanced combination between human free will and God's power

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References
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Comparative Shiʿi Theology
Volume 6, Issue 11
September 2026
Pages 11-42
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