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Why Does Allah Allow Suffering and Evil in the World?
Q1. I was
wondering if you could possibly help me resolve some conflicting issues. If
God is all-powerful, He must be able to prevent evil. If God is all good, He
must want to prevent evil. But evil (and suffering) exist. How is it possible
for God to be both all-powerful and all-good and still allow a world in which
evil and suffering exist?
A 1. Indeed Allah is All-powerful (al-Aziz) and He is able to do all things
('ala kull sha'in qadir). The Qur'an has mentioned this hundreds of times. It
is also mentioned in the Qur'an that Allah is the Creator and He is the Best
Creator. "Glory be to Allah, the best Creator." (al-Mu'minun 23:14)
But then the question comes why do pain and sufferings exist in the world. We
find sickness, old age and death. We see things that are ugly, people who are
insane and foolish. There are storms, earthquakes, floods, draught and famine.
We also see people commit sins, show disloyalty, unfaithfulness, greed and insincerity.
We see people commit rapes, murders; they fight and make wars. We know all these
and many more problems. There are evils caused by human beings and there are
natural disasters. There are suffering for individuals and there are those that
involve a large number of people.
But we also know that this is not the whole story. Beside all these negative
things we also see beauty, health, prosperity, life, birth, wisdom, intelligence,
growth and progress. We also see goodness among people, faith, sincerity, charity,
love and the spirit of sacrifice. We also see a lot of virtue and piety. It
is wrong to see one side of the coin and not to see the other side. Any philosophy
that concentrates on one aspect of the creation and denies or ignores the other
side is partially true and partial truths are no truth at all.
It is also the fact that the element of good is more in the creation than the
element of evil. We all see that there are more people who are healthy than
those who are sick. There are more that eat well then those who starve.
There are more that live decent life then those who commit crimes. Goodness
is the rule and evil is the exception. Virtue is the norm and sin is the aberration.
Generally trees bear fruits, the flowers bloom, the winds move smoothly.
But then the question is why does Allah allow these exceptions to the rules?
Let us ask this question to understand Allah's ways in His creation. The Qur'an
tells us that Good and evil whatever happens in this world happens by Allah's
Will (mashi'at Allah). Only Allah knows fully His Will. We finite beings cannot
grasp fully His infinite Will and Wisdom. He runs His universe the way He deems
fit. The Qur'an tells us that Allah is Wise and everything that Allah does is
right, just, good and fair. We must submit and surrender to His Will. The Qur'an
has not given us all the details about Allah's Will, but it has enlightened
us with the guidance that is useful and sufficient for us. There are several
points that we should keep in our mind to understand this issue:
1. First of all, Allah did not make this world a permanent world. This is a
temporary world and every thing here has a time limit. When its times comes
it will die, come to an end and finish. Neither the good things of this world
are forever, nor the bad things eternal. We are here for a short time and we
are being tested. Those who will pass this test they will find an eternal world
that is perfect and permanent. Those who will fail this test they shall see
the evil consequences of their sins and corruption.
2. Allah has placed a physical law and a moral law in this universe. Allah allows
suffering to occur when one or more of these laws are broken. The physical law
is based on cause and effect. Sickness comes if one does not take care of one's
health or is exposed to infections. A car accident occurs when one is not alert,
or drives in a careless manner, or if the cars are not checked, roads and freeways
are not made and kept in right shape, or the traffic laws are not right or not
properly enforced. Study of causes and effects is very important to give safeguards.
Even here we should keep in mind that Allah often saves us and He does not let
us suffer for every negligence. How many times it happens that we are not careful
and still we reach safely to our destinations. The way people drive in some
cities, it is a miracle that more accidents do not happen and more people do
not suffer. Allah says:
(Allah) Most Gracious! 2- It is He Who has taught the Qur'an. 3- He has created
man: 4- He has taught him speech (and Intelligence). 5- The sun and the moon
follow courses (exactly) computed; 6- And the herbs and the trees both (alike)
bow in adoration. 7- And the Firmament has He raised high, and He has set up
the Balance (of Justice), 8- In order that you may not transgress (due) balance.
9- So establish weight with justice and fall not short in the balance. 10- It
is He Who has spread out the earth for (His) creatures. (al-Rahman 55:1-10)
The way we exceed the measures set by Allah and violate His laws of cause and
effect is incredible. It is really the mercy of Allah that we are saved. Strictly
speaking the question should not be why does Allah allow suffering, but how
much Allah protects us and saves us all the time in spite of our violations
and negligence. The Qur'an says:
If Allah were to punish people according to what they deserve, He would not
leave on the back of the (earth) a single living creature: but He gives them
respite for a stated Term: when their Term expires, verily Allah has in His
sight all His servants. (Fatir 35:45)
But sometimes Allah does punish people because of their violations of His laws
whether they are physical or moral. The Qur'an tells us that many nations and
communities were destroyed because of their sinful lifestyles.
If they treat thy (mission) as false, so did the Peoples before them (with their
Prophets), the People of Noah, and Ad and Thamud 43- Those of Abraham and Lut;
44- And the Companions of the Madyan people; and Moses was rejected (in the
same way). But I granted respite to the Unbelievers, and (only) after that did
I punish them: but how (terrible) was My rejection (of them)! 45- How many populations
have We destroyed, which were given to wrong-doing! They tumbled down on their
roofs. And how many wells are lying idle and neglected, and castles lofty and
well-built? (al-Hajj 22:42-45)
3. Suffering can also be a test and trial for some people. Allah allows some
people to suffer in order to test their patience and steadfastness. Even Allah's
Prophets and Messengers were made to suffer. Prophet Ayyub (Job) is mentioned
in the Qur'an as a Prophet who was very patients. Good people sometimes suffer
but their sufferings heal others and bring goodness to their communities. People
learn lessons from their good examples. Martyrs dies for their faith, soldiers
give their lives for their nations and this brings liberation and freedom for
their people.
4. Allah allows sometime some people to suffer to test others, how they react
to them. When you see a person who is sick, poor and needy, then you are tested
by Allah. Allah is there with that suffering person to test your charity and
your faith. In a very moving Hadith Qudsi, the Prophet -peace be upon him- said:
Allah will say on the Day of Judgment, 'O son of Adam, I was sick and you did
not visit Me.' He will say, 'O my Lord, how could I visit You, when you are
the Lord of the Worlds.' Allah will say, 'Did you not know that My servant so
and so was sick and you did not visit him? Did you not know that if you had
visited him, you would have found Me there?' Allah will say, 'O son of Adam,
I asked you for food and you fed Me not.' He shall say, 'O my Lord, how could
I feed you and you are the Lord of the Worlds?' And Allah will say, 'Did you
not know that My servant so and so was looking for food and you did not feed
him? Did you not know that if you had fed him, you would have found that to
have been for Me?' 'O son of Adam, I asked you for water and you did not give
Me to drink.' The man shall say, 'O my Lord, how could I give You water, when
You are the Lord of the Worlds?' Allah will say, 'My servant so and so asked
you for water and you did not give him to drink water. Did you not know that
if you had given him to drink, you would have found that to have been for Me.'
(Muslim, Hadith no. 4661. Jesus -peace be upon him- is also reported to have
said something similar. See Matthew 25:35-45)
So to summarize we can say that sufferings occur to teach us that we must adhere
to Allah's natural and moral laws. It is sometimes to punish those who violate
Allah's natural or moral laws. It is to test our faith in Allah and to test
our commitment to human values and charity. Whenever we encounter suffering
we should ask ourselves, "Have we broken any law of Allah?" Let us
study the cause of the problem and use the corrective methods. "Could it
be a punishment?" Let us repent and ask forgiveness and reform our ways.
"Could it be a test and trial for us?" Let us work hard to pass this
test.
Believers face the sufferings with prayers, repentance and good deeds. The non-believers
face the sufferings with doubts and confusions. They blame Allah or make arguments
against Him. May Allah keep us on the right path.