Analysis and Critique of the Foundations of Vicegerency (Istikhlaf) from the Ash'ari Perspective

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Associate Professor, Department of Islamic Philosophy and Wisdom, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad.

2 Associate Professor, Department of Islamic Philosophy and Theosophy, Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.

Abstract

The concept of vicegerency (istikhlāf)—understood as humanity's representation of God on earth—constitutes one of the most profound and contentious theological questions in Islamic thought, engaging the attention of philosophers, theologians, and exegetes across the centuries. Within the Ashʿarī theological tradition, this concept is articulated through a specific set of foundational principles, including the ontological contingency of the world, the absolute sovereignty of the Divine will, and the thoroughly created character of human agency. The present study undertakes a critical analysis and assessment of the Ashʿarī foundations of vicegerency, with particular attention to the internal inconsistencies inherent in their theological system. Adopting a descriptive-analytical methodology, the research first reconstructs the Ashʿarī position on istikhlāf through an examination of its principal sources. It then demonstrates, through logical analysis and internal critique, that the Ashʿarī epistemological and ontological principles—particularly their doctrine of acquisition (kasb) and their denial of the intrinsic value of human actions—lead to a series of irreducible tensions when applied to the Qurʾānic conception of vicegerency. These tensions are manifested in the inability of the Ashʿarī framework to provide a coherent account of the relationship between human freedom and divine sovereignty, the nature of human responsibility in the context of vicegerency, and the continuity of the vicegerential function across prophetic history. The study concludes that the Ashʿarī doctrine of istikhlāf, while attempting to safeguard divine transcendence (tanzīh), ultimately undermines the very notion of meaningful human agency that the concept of vicegerency presupposes, thereby revealing a deep-seated internal inconsistency within the Ashʿarī theological system.

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References

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