Muhammed İkbâl’in Mücadele Teodisesi ile Kötülüğü Aşma Denemesi
Muhammad Iqbal’s Struggle Theodicy and His Attempt to Overcome Evil

Summary/Abstract: The problem of evil, one of the most debated and persistently revisited issues in the history of thought, continues to exist not only as a theological dilemma but also as an ontological and moral problem. Although various solutions and theodicies have been developed throughout history in response to this problem, contemporary thought still appears to lack satisfactory and comprehensive approaches. At the center of this study stands Muhammad Iqbal, an original thinker who, without rejecting the classical legacy of Islamic thought, engages with it critically and endeavors to reconstruct it on a contemporary epistemological and ontological basis. Iqbal's approach to the problem of evil also reflects the innovative and constructive orientation that characterizes his overall philosophical project. In the existing literature, Iqbal’s understanding of evil is generally addressed through a descriptive analysis of his prose works; however, this has often failed to adequately reveal the constructive and dynamic nature of his stance. The primary aim of this study is to analyze Iqbal’s intellectual attitude toward the problem of evil through the lens of a unique theodical framework shaped around the concept of struggle. Within this context, the approach we designate as the “Theodicy of Struggle” proposes a theological-philosophical paradigm in which the human being is positioned not as a passive recipient in the face of evil but as an active and morally responsible agent. This study will first outline the conceptual and philosophical foundations of the “Theodicy of Struggle”. It will then explore Iqbal’s multifaceted approach to the problem of evil by examining both his prose and poetic works. Ultimately, the analysis will seek to demonstrate how the “Theodicy of Struggle” is grounded within Iqbal’s intellectual system and how it integrates with his metaphysical, ethical, and anthropological views. The central thesis of this article is that Iqbal constructs struggle as a core category in his response to the problem of evil, thereby positioning himself as one of the most significant representatives of the “Theodicy of Struggle”.

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