Author(s):
Afeez Sufianu Ayinde, profism77@gmail.com,

Abstract: Evil is a wicked act or bad habit that may impede the growth of human and societal development. Evil means pains and sufferings. Evil is mostly conceived, analyzed and understood as a negative phenomenon, but some scholars especially, the stoics and mystical theologian conceptualized it as positive phenomenon. This discourse analysis of evil is at the domain of the theologians and philosophers. The main argument lies in the cause of the evil. The sufficient reason demands that all things must have their causes. Therefore, what is source(s) or causes of evil? Why is there evil in the world created by infinite good or absolutely perfect God? Epicurus long ago writes: Is God able to prevent evil in the world, but is unwilling to do so? Then he is not infinitely good; on the contrary he is malevolent. Is he willing to prevent evil, but is unable to do so? Then he is not omnipotent; he is on the contrary impotent. But if he is both able and willing to prevent evil then why is there evil in the world created by him? In response we have philosophical and theological (religious) explanations to the problem of evil. This paper intends to offer theological explanations and particularly, Islamic concept of evil. Islamic religion seeks to foster peace in the world by establishing and preaching total submission to the will of God. The will of God is follow from the existence of God. The proof of the existence of God pre-occupied the earlier Islamic philosophers, less or no attention was paid to the Islamic concept of evil. And this makes some scholars think or claim that Islam has no conception of evil. This research will analyse the Islamic concept of evil by exploring views of philosophers (especially the medieval philosophers like St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas etc) on conception of evil and narrow it down to Islamic perspectives.