UC Santa Barbara

Is human action the result of metaphysical or blind, undirected natural causes, or is it the product of purposeful choices made by the human agent? I aim to answer this question by exploring how a medieval scholar, an 8th/14th century Māturīdī-Ḥanafī jurist known as Ṣadr al-Sharī‘a (d. 747/1346), reasoned about and proved human free agency as the basis of normative responsibility. In this study, I delve into the transformation of meta-ethical discourse in usul al-fiqh concerning the problem of free will, tracing its historical developments. Based on this historical analysis, I focus on the gamechangers, Rāzī, and Ṣadr al-Sharī‘a, and explore their contrasting theories on human agency using textual analysis method. Then, I provide a comparative analysis between their theory of agency and relevant contemporary theories, subjecting them to a dialectical confrontation with their opponents. Ultimately, I argue that Ṣadr al-Sharī‘a’s theory of agency offers a compelling argument for free will in our contemporary context.