Article 21 — The Source of Evil
The Source of Evil: Why does God permit suffering and injustice?
The Goal of the Wise — Door Number Twenty-One
Read aloud in English
If God is good, why does the world contain so much violence, suffering and injustice?
This question runs through the history of philosophy and of religions.
In the twenty-first Door of The Goal of the Wise, Abdullah Hashem Aba Al-Sadiq (From Him is Peace) explores the problem of evil on the basis of the teachings of Ahmed Al-Hassan.
A just God in an unjust world
The chapter presents God as the source of justice, freedom and goodness.
But the material world often seems dominated by opposite realities: oppression, violence, poverty and conflict.
How can this contradiction be explained?
The book proposes a distinction between the divine will and the imperfect organization of the material world.
It connects this reflection to the earlier teachings concerning Iblis and physical creation.
Ignorance as the origin of evil
The chapter places ignorance at the center of its reflection.
From this perspective, evil does not arise only from an openly hostile intention.
It can also result from a poor understanding of truth, authority, justice and the consequences of our actions.
Ignorance becomes particularly dangerous when it is combined with pride.
A person convinced of being right can commit injustices while considering themselves virtuous.
Freedom and responsibility
The book invites reflection on the role of human freedom.
People can choose to act justly or to oppress others.
They can seek knowledge or remain attached to their prejudices.
Human responsibility therefore occupies a central place in the explanation of evil.
This reflection avoids regarding all suffering as the direct consequence of a personal fault.
Knowledge as a path toward justice
If ignorance feeds evil, the search for knowledge becomes a spiritual responsibility.
It is not merely a matter of accumulating information.
One must also learn to recognize one’s mistakes, to master one’s ego and to understand the needs of others.
Conclusion — Does evil begin in ignorance?
The twenty-first Door presents evil as a question linked to material creation, to freedom and to ignorance.
What if one of the first steps toward a more just world were to recognize the limits of our own knowledge?