In contrast with Ahl al-Sunna, the Mu’tazilah6 hold that human beings are accountable in the afterlife even before receiving the Messenger’s call صلى الله عليه وسلم. This is because they erroneously believe that good and evil are essential properties of acts (i.e. part of their quiddity). As such, they argue that since unaided human reason is capable of knowing the quiddity of any particular human act, it follows then that good acts and evil acts are also recognizable by the intellect without the aid of divine revelation. Hence, they hold that human beings by virtue of possessing intellect are not only accountable for knowing the truth of God, but for obeying Him and recognizing what actions constitute obedience and disobedience.

1. Questions & Answers in Islamic Theology by Shaykh Ramzy Ajem
WHAT IS ETHICAL RATIONALISM?
Shaykh Ramzy Ajem answered:
Ethical Rationalism
In contrast with Ahl al-Sunna, the Mu’tazilah6
hold that human beings are accountable in the afterlife
even before receiving the Messenger’s call ‫ﷺ‬. This is because they erroneously believe that good and
evil are essential properties of acts (i.e. part of their quiddity). As such, they argue that since unaided
human reason is capable of knowing the quiddity of any particular human act, it follows then that good
acts and evil acts are also recognizable by the intellect without the aid of divine revelation. Hence, they
hold that human beings by virtue of possessing intellect are not only accountable for knowing the truth
of God, but for obeying Him and recognizing what actions constitute obedience and disobedience.
Ethics Predicated on Highest Criteria
According to our theologians, human reason cannot know what acts are wajib or haram without access to
divine revelation. Furthermore, good or evil is not an essential property of an act, meaning, they are
never part of an act's essential identity or quiddity. Rather, the rightness or wrongness of an act is a value
judgment contingent on particular criterias. Both the judgment and the criteria are external to the act
itself and not part of its essential identity. As such, the act of lying, for example, can be deemed evil
because of its prohibition (hurma) in Sacred Law or because of social convention. Paradoxically, lying can
also be deemed good if it entails saving the life of an innocent fugitive. So if wrongness was an essential
property of lying, then under no circumstances could it ever be right.7
Hence, rightness or wrongness is
not part of the definition of lying or any other act. Value judgements about which acts are good and
which acts are bad are always predicated on a criteria, whether that be scripture, social norms, benefit,
averting harm, personal gain, pleasure or a deep rooted feeling. The highest criteria in our worldview is
God’s judgement known to us through His Messengers (peace and blessings be upon them all).
7
That is because a thing loses its identity whenever it loses an essential property, yet the act of lying in both cases has retained its identity.
6
The Mu’tazilah is a theological school established by Abu `Ali Muhammad ibn `Abd al-Wahab al-Jubba`i (d. 915 CE) and Wasl ibn `Ata (748 CE). However, the trends
resembling the way of Mu'tazilah appeared even before in the positions of Ma`bad al-Juhani (d. 699 CE) on divine destiny. Although the Mu`tazila are generally considered
within the fold of Islam, their methodology led to some conclusions that are outright disbeleif, such as the negation of the divine attribute Speech and of God knowing the
particulars.
Notes from the Sanusiya Course 2022 by Shaykh Ramzy Ajem