critical analysis of schellenberg’s hiddenness argument as an instance of the problem of evil based on philosophical foundations of avicenna

Nonbelievers have always put forth arguments against the existence of god and challenged the claims of believers. among them, j. l. schellenberg has introduced an argument known as divine hiddenness, which has gained attention in the sphere of philosophers of religion today. some thinkers have interpreted his argument against theism as essentially another rendition of the problem of evil and its manifestations. hence, one aspect of the relationship between these two arguments can be seen in the formulation of divine hiddenness as a special instance of evil. schellenberg does not deny the similarities and connections between the two; among these similarities and connections, according to him, are the ability to present both arguments logically and inductively, highlighting the conflict of certain matters with the attributes of god, focusing on matters indicative of human suffering, and so forth. the present paper aims to evaluate the success or failure of this argument in refuting theism based on the philosophical foundations of avicennian, as one of the greatest philosophers of theism and a prominent figure in islamic philosophy. using an analytical-attributive approach, the paper first establishes the rational possibility of connection with the transcendent and then, in the second step, proves the occurrence of this connection in the form of religious and mystical experiences, based on the foundations of avicennian s philosophy. as a result, through the examination carried out in the first step, it becomes clear that according to avicennian s foundations, the possibility of an active intellectual union with human souls and the emanation of intellectual truths from them is demonstrated, and the establishment of such a connection by the created beings with the transcendent matters and unseen truths, based on the possibility of human awareness of these matters, is explicable. the argument for this proposition, based on avicennian foundations, relies on two conditions: the readiness of human souls to receive them and the absence of obstacles. regarding the second step, what can prove the reality of these experiences and their inclusion in connection with transcendent matters is the discussion of the frequency and unanimity of opinions among mystics; it indicates that the occurrence of religious and mystical experiences recurrently in various religious traditions and for the masses of humanity suggests that the possibility of a connection with god and the transcendent in the form of these experiences has at least reached the stage of actuality for some humans. this point can be considered as the first premise of an analogy, the second premise of which is the philosophical foundations of avicennian regarding frequency, and he also considers frequency as part of the principles of evidence leading to certainty. ultimately, the conclusion reached is that in his philosophical view, not only is the possibility of the relationship between god and transcendent matters with humans and vice versa in the form of religious experiences present, but also, based on logical inferences and relying on the certainty of frequent occurrences, the occurrence of this relationship is also definite and reliable. therefore, divine hiddenness and consequently the denial of god are refuted; hence, the argument of divine hiddenness as another interpretation and manifestation of the problem of evil is not successful in refuting theism.