Al-Ghazali's occasionalism is a theological doctrine asserting that God is the sole true cause of all events, with created things having no inherent power to cause anything; apparent natural laws are merely God's habitual, consistent actions, meaning fire doesn't necessarily burn cotton, but God creates the burning at the moment of contact, preserving divine omnipotence and challenging Aristotelian causality. This view, prominent in Ash'arite Islam, posits that all apparent cause-and-effect relationships are contingent, requiring God's constant direct intervention for every event, contrasting with philosophers who believed in secondary natural causes. Core Principles
God as Sole Cause: God's omnipotence means He alone creates and sustains reality, directly causing every effect. Contingent Causality: The connection between what we call "cause" and "effect" (like fire and burning) is not necessary; it's a habit or correlation established by God, not a natural law. Rejection of Natural Powers: Created entities, including humans and natural phenomena, lack independent efficacy; they are mere "occasions" (hence occasionalism) for God's action.
Example: Fire and Cotton
When fire touches cotton, the cotton burns not because fire inherently has the power to burn, but because God directly wills and creates the burning at that moment. God could choose not to create the burning, illustrating the contingency of natural events.
Context & Purpose
Critique of Philosophers: Al-Ghazali championed occasionalism in his work *Incoherence of the Philosophers*, arguing that attributing real causal power to nature undermines God's absolute power. Defense of Miracles: It provides a metaphysical framework where miracles (violations of apparent natural laws) are not impossible but simply instances of God choosing a different pattern of action.
Impact
Occasionalism influenced Islamic theology and philosophy, presenting a universe deeply dependent on divine will, though its interpretation regarding science and human free will remains debated.
The Hebrews accepted the concept of divinely ordained natural law.
Jeremiah 33:25-26 (NIV): "This is what the LORD says: ‘If I have not made my covenant with day and night and established the laws of heaven and earth, then I will reject the descendants of Jacob and David my servant...'".
Job 38:33 (NKJV): "Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you set their dominion over the earth?" This verse questions human understanding and control over these divine laws, highlighting God's supreme authority.
It would be easier for God to create natural laws and systems.
If God exists, would he want to supervise all flames and create fire whenever a flame touches anything flammable? It seems more logical for God to create systems that do things automatically without his intervention.
Instead of constantly controlling the speed and direction of every moving object in the Universe he would create momentum, inertia and gravity.
The key word here is "easier". It implies that some things provide difficulty for Alllah.
Science is great, wonderful. But in the hands of the human monkey, not so great. Wisdom and science seem to be miles apart, no matter the intelligence level of the Semites.
