Comments on Amir Saemi’s Morality and Revelation in Islamic Thought and Beyond: A New Problem of Evil

Abstract

In this article, I offer a friendly engagement with Amir Saemi’s recent publication, Morality and Revelation in Islamic Thought and Beyond: A New Problem of Evil. In this book, Saemi introduces what he terms the “Problem of Divinely Prescribed Evil,” which arises from the apparent conflict between the divinity of Scripture, the existence of seemingly prescribed immoral actions, and the reliability of human moral judgment. To resolve this conflict, Saemi proposes and defends what he calls the “Legal Interpretation” solution, which reframes morally problematic scriptural injunctions as historically contingent legal measures intended to resolve the social challenges of a nonideal community. In what follows, I argue that this solution is vulnerable to two significant objections. First, it risks being appropriated by traditionalist or fundamentalist perspectives that resist claims of moral progress (the “Absāl’s Island” objection). Second, it fails to resolve the underlying moral tension, merely relocating the problem without dissolving it (the “Illusory Solution” objection). I conclude my discussion by noting that my criticisms should be viewed as constructive and part of a larger, ongoing conversation about Saemi’s important work.