Divine emotions and anthropopathism in the theology of Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī

This study explores the theological possibility of attributing emotions to God—a question that has not been directly and independently addressed within classical Islamic kalām. In Western theology, this issue is discussed under the concept of anthropopathism, which refers to the ascription of emotions such as love, anger, and satisfaction to the divine. In Islamic thought, however, it has generally been treated within the framework of tashbīh (anthropomorphism), and even then only in a limited and unsystematic manner. This study investigates whether emotions can be attributed to God in a real sense by focusing on the nature of emotions and their relation to divine attributes within the theological system of Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī. In the first stage of the study, the formation process and ontological status of emotions are analyzed in order to establish a solid theoretical foundation. Emotions are identified as aʿrāḍ (accidents) that fall under the categories of infiʿāl (passibility) and al-kayfiyyāt al-nafsāniyya (affectional modes of the soul), shaped by both internal (psychological structure, temperament, the condition of the heart) and external (environmental influences, experience) factors. Based on these findings, the question "Can God be passible (munfaʿil)?" is examined as a theological problem. By briefly engaging with select approaches from Christian theology, the study addresses the key theological problems entailed by divine passibility—such as corporeality, change, need, and contradiction with the attributes of will and knowledge—through the framework of Rāzī's kalām. Within this discussion, the impossibility of attributing emotions to God is systematically argued. Finally, emotional expressions found in the Qur'ān and ḥadīth—such as love, anger, amazement, and laughter—are examined, with particular attention to how Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī interprets them. This analysis primarily draws upon Tafsīr al-Kabīr, Taʾsīs al-Taqdīs, and Lawāmiʿ al-Bayyināt. Additionally, the study refers to al-Maṭālib al-ʿĀliya, al-Mabāḥith al-Mashriqiyya and Nihāyat al-ʿUqūl, using a methodology based on textual analysis, conceptual clarification, and occasional comparative inquiry. Ultimately, the study re-evaluates a largely neglected issue in classical kalām—the attribution of emotions to God—through the theological lens of Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī. It aims to expose the theological consequences of relating emotions to divine attributes and to offer a systematic foundation for future inquiry. Keywords: Emotion, Passibility, al-Kayfiyyāt al-Nafsāniyya, Anthropopathism, Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī.