that is praiseworthy—this is the view of most people, both Muslims and non-Muslims. It is held by groups among the followers of Abū Hanīfah, al-Shāfi‘ī, Mālik, Ahmad, and others; by groups of speculative theologians among the Mu‘tazilah, Karrāmiyyah, Murji’ah, and others; by most scholars of hadith, Sufis, and Quranic exegetes; and by most ancient philosophers and many later philosophers, such as Abū al-Barakāt and others like him. These people, however, hold differing views.
(Some of them say:
The intended wise purpose is likewise something created and separate from Him. This is maintained by some of the Mu‘tazilah and Shī‘ah and those who agree with them.
They say:
The wise purpose in this is His benevolence towards creation, while the wise purpose in His commands is to recompense those subject to religious obligations with reward. They maintain that reason recognizes doing good to others as good and praiseworthy. He therefore created creation for this wise purpose, without any resulting effect upon Him, and without any act or attribute subsisting in Him.
Others replied to them:
Your position is self-contradictory. Doing good to others is praiseworthy because it has an effect upon the doer for which he deserves praise: either he perfects himself through it; he seeks praise and reward through it; he feels compassion and pain within himself and dispels that pain by doing good; or he finds pleasure, happiness, and joy in doing good. A noble soul rejoices, delights, and takes pleasure in the good that others receive from it. Thus, doing good to others is praiseworthy because the benefactor’s performance of these deeds has an effect upon him for which he deserves praise.
If, however, it is assumed that doing good and not doing it are entirely the same for the doer, there is no known basis for considering such an act good on his part. Rather, rational people regard such conduct as purposeless. Anyone who performs an act in which he himself finds neither pleasure nor