Grand Ayatollah Shirazi: If Humans Lack Free Will, Divine Reward and Punishment Would Be Futile

Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Sadiq al-Hosseini al-Shirazi led another daily scholarly session on Sunday, the 11th of Rajab, during which his Eminence addressed various jurisprudential questions from attendees, as he has in previous sessions.

In discussing the concept of free will versus determinism, Grand Ayatollah Shirazi stated that aspects of human creation, such as being male or female, born legitimate or illegitimate, may be determined by circumstances, but this does not negate human free will.

The Supreme Marja further explained that even someone who is not born legitimate can perform good deeds, while someone who is legitimate can commit wrong actions, as God has granted them the freedom to choose.

He emphasized that it is stated in narrations that if humans did not possess free will, then divine reward and punishment would be meaningless.