The Rationale Goodness and Badness

Ayatullah al-Uzma al-Hajj ash-Shaykh Nasir Makarim Shirazi
We believe that human wisdom can appreciate many good things to distinguish from the bad ones, and right from wrong; by his blissful power of distinction which God has given him. Even before coming of the prophets with the law, man could rationally distinguish many good and bad. For instance he could easily understand that justice is good and oppression is bad.
Man could know that some ethics such as truthfulness, honesty, bravery and generosity are good deeds; and that, lying; betrayal and jealousy are bad morals. But as the wisdom is not able to comprehend all that is good or bad, and his knowledge is limited, the prophets were sent with book for guidance and the law to improve man's faculty and morals, helping his wisdom. In that of course we deny not the value of the independent wisdom which comprehends the facts.
If so, the monotheism, the prophetic missions, and the divine religion, will all be futile! For all these important tenets are basically proved by the reasoning of the wisdom. It is evident that the law and the commandments are only acceptable when the principles which are monotheism and prophethood have been proved to us through wisdom, and by the religion itself.

God's Justice
We do believe in God's justice, and we say it is impossible for God to oppress any creature of His at the least amount, or to punish His servants without any reason or to forgive them without a reason. It is also impossible that God may leave His promises unfulfilled. We also know it to be impossible that God may abandon His servants without giving them necessary guidance. Associating such indecent and foul labels with the Omnipotent God is clearly far from the truth and reality.

Man's Freedom
We believe that God has created Man free. He has given us free will and we have options to do what we may do. If not so, why should He punish a sinner who is supposed to be compelled to commit sins?
To make it short, rationally distinguishing good and bad as mentioned above, and independent wisdom are bases for the acceptance of divine religion, scriptures and the prophets, but not enough, because we have a limited wisdom, by which we cannot grasp all that we need. So we have to have divine guidance for improving our wisdom and understanding.

Wisdom Serves as a Reference in our Religious Jurisprudence
Following what we mentioned above, one of the principle references in Islam is wisdom's reasoning. The wisdom comprehends something definitely and then judges. For instance; if we find no reason or proof in the book or in the prophet's methodical way (sunnat) to show us that oppression, betrayal, lying and committing murder are very bad and unlawful deeds, we would certainly reject them by the reasoning of our wisdom, and we make sure that God never likes us to do such things. This is why we conclude that wisdom too is a divine base of our religious judgments.
The Holy Qur’an is full of verses showing the importance of the wisdom as a base or reference for the judgments in religious research: "In the creation of the heavens, and the earth, and the alternation of day and night, there are indeed signs for men of wisdom and understanding." (Holy Qur’an, 3:190)
Some reveal the aim of sending the scriptures to improve the power of wisdom and understanding of man: "See how have we explained our signs variously so that they may understand." (Holy Qur’an, 6:65)
"We have sent it down as an Arabic Quran, in order that you may use your wisdom." (Holy Qur’an, 12:2)
Some of the verses urge people to use their minds so as to distinguish good from bad: "Say can a blind be held equal to one who can see? Why don't you then think?" (Holy Qur’an, 6:50)
And the worst of the moving creatures in the sight of God are those who do not use their common sense so as to understand: "For the worst of beasts in the sight of God, are those who are deaf and dumb, not using their wisdom to understand!" (Holy Qur’an, 8:22)
So how can we ignore the importance of the wisdom, understanding and thinking in Islam?

More about God's Justice
As we have already mentioned we believe that God is just and He never oppresses; because cruel acts are indecent and unbecoming to Him: "And thy Lord will treat no one with injustice." (Holy Qur’an, 18:49)
If some people are punished in this world or in the hereafter, it is due to their own deeds: "It is not God who oppresses them, but they wrong their own soul." (Holy Qur’an, 9:70)
Not only man, but rather no creature in the world is ever oppressed by God: "Allah wants no injustice to any of His creatures." (Holy Qur’an, 3:108)
All these verses are somehow a guidance towards making use of our wisdom.

Rejection of What You Cannot Do
We believe that God will never oblige a duty to anyone who cannot do it: "Allah will not charge a soul with a duty that cannot be fulfilled by him." (Holy Qur’an, 2:286)

The Philosophy of the Painful Accidents
We believe that the painful accidents that sometimes occur, such as the earthquakes, calamities and misfortunes, might be that of God's punishment, as it was with the case of the people of Lot: "When our decree was issued, we turned (their cities) upside down, and rained down on them brimstones, hard as baked clay, spread layer on layer." (Holy Qur’an, 11:82)
And about the ungrateful and rebellious people of Saba, God says: "But they turned away (from their Lord) and we sent against them the flood from the Dams." (Holy Qur’an, 34:16)
Some other painful incidents are to admonish people and to teach them lessons: "Mischief has appeared on land and sea by what the hands of man have earned, that Allah may give them a taste of some of their deeds, in order that they may return back from evil.” (Holy Qur’an, 30:41)
Other pains are what our hands make it and are due to our ignorance and carelessness: "Whatever good happens to you (o man