Good v Evil
Allah is the ultimate Creator and He creates whatever He wishes. Amongst His creations are angels, jinn and human beings, each one of these endowed with different qualities.
Angels are created from light (although they are not light). They are the perfect slaves of Allah with the attribute of constant worship. They do not have any free choice, and therefore have no ability to disobey or rebel. Angels are not subject to emotions, desires, temptation or the capacity to do evil. They are wholly submissive to Allah, each one a diligent slave of Allah. In their natural form, angels are unseen to the human eye.
Jinn (Satan or the devil) are created from the tip of a flame, the part which flickers and is unstable (although they are not fire). They have been granted the freedom of choice. Some of them have good qualities, but most of the jinn are disobedient and arrogant to the Creator. The disobedient of the jinn are called Shaitan (Satan) because of their evil qualities. In their natural form, jinn are invisible to the human eye.
Human beings are created from clay, although they are not clay. Humans can be good or evil, soft or hard, kind or cruel, generous or stingy in nature. Each individual has different attributes. Human beings can be good or bad depending on how much of the jinn and their natural temptations that they submit to. The human being constantly battles to overpower his evil qualities so as to be closer to the angels in submission and behaviour.
The battle between good and evil influences our personal behaviour, and this impacts the rest of the world.
Allah created both good and evil as a trial for us:
“And We have made some of you as trial for others: will you have patience? And your Lord is Ever All-Seer (of everything).” (Al-Qur’an, v 25:20)
This is one of the fundamental beliefs and purposes of creation. The Creator has placed us on earth to check our choices. We have the straight path, which that of obedience and submission. We also have the crooked and deviant path, which is to obey our desire and that of the jinn. Only those who stay on the correct path are protected from the persuasions of the devil and the reckless behaviour of our desires, but this is an ongoing struggle for everyone.
Allah SWT has granted both human being and jinn levels of power, knowledge, and weakness. He tells us “if you come to Me and seek My Guidance I will give you power and knowledge to overcome your weakness.” If we choose otherwise, we will become selfish, disobedient, prone wrongdoing, and ultimately be weakened. The deviant path places us in darkness and uncertainty, bereft of happiness or tranquility in this life or the hereafter.
The Qu’ran clearly states the consequences of each path. However the choice is ours.
What About Natural Disasters?
What is the connection between good and evil with the calamities of this world, such as natural disasters and famine?
Allah has provided ample resources for everyone on earth to live in comfort. However, these resources are often monopolized by the rich. They do not reach the poor because of the failure to distribute them fairly. As a simple example, up to a third of the food in the average household goes to waste. On a larger level, it is undisputed fact that many nations destroy surplus agricultural produce in order to regulate their prices .
The disparity between the rich and the poor is an ever-widening rift, whether amongst individuals or between nations, with the rich getting more dominant, abusive, greedy and selfish. Even where there are attempts to aid the less fortunate, many of these attempts are thwarted by corruption, red tape and political agendas. The rich minority control the majority of resources to protect their own and to maintain their balance of power.
The uneven distribution of resources is attributed to the injustice and selfishness of human beings, causing oppression against each other. The Creator is not to be blamed for this. Yet, He allows these infringements to occur as a trial for both the rich and the poor, to assess which path we will go.
If we are the weak ones, can we be thankful and patient when resource are lacking? If we are rich, do we have the compassion and justice to sacrifice and distribute to the needy, or are we to continue with our greed and selfishness?
Similarly, tsunamis, volcanoes, earthquakes, floods, droughts, lightning and fire can cause high casualties and are beyond our control. This is why, even in business contracts, these unpredictable and damaging occurrences are legally classified as “acts of God”.
Life has certain truths, including that all life must end, and all things must perish eventually. Some of happen through natural calamities.
When assessing God’s justice, one takes into account what happens in this world as well as what happens in the hereafter. The ignorant tend to conclude based on what is tangible, without full knowledge of what the next world contains and how apparent “injustice” in this world is redressed. This is why they think that natural calamities are the works of a cruel and vengeful (or even absent) deity.
In Islam things are always viewed from a different, more encompassing and long term angle. In reality, Allah deprives us in this world to reward us in the hereafter, depending on our reactions to the circumstances, not the circumstances themselves.
“Blessed be He in Whose Hand is the dominion; and He is Able to do all things. Who has created death and life that He may test you which of you is best in deed.” (Al-Qur’an verse 67:1 – 67:2)
What can be seen as a tragedy to some, can be seen as an elevation to others. For example, if the victims of natural disasters were to be patient, submit thankfully and turn to God for help, then this traumatic incident can be a cause of their blessing and rewards in the eyes of Allah in the hereafter. If they bear the suffering with complaints, hysteria, lack of faith and anger, this eradicates Allah’s mercy on them, causing a real disaster in dunia and akhirah.
Simultaneously, the rest of humanity is being tested whenever a natural disaster occurs. The ones who escaped will still shoulder the responsibility to help those in need, from wherever they are located. Even from a distance, they are being tested. Did they send aid: food, provisions, clothes or money? Do they deploy people to help rebuild? Did they supplicate for the victims and the survivors? Did they share their abundant resources?
During the leadership of the second Caliph of Islam, Umar ibn Khattab (RA), Arabia fell into severe drought followed by a famine. People began to die because of hunger and epidemic disease. When the situation saw no signs of abating, Umar wrote to the provincial governors of Syria, Palestine, and Iraq for aid. The governors immediately shared their resources and dispatched caravans, consisting thousands of camels and other supplies, and rescued thousands, if not millions of people throughout Arabia from starvation. Imagine the situation in today’s political climate, where entire nations are indifferent to the struggles of others even when their plight is being broadcasted through the media, news and other channels.
In Islam, poverty, calamity and famine are means of Allah testing us in the continuous battle of good against evil. The justice of Allah takes everything into calculation – the victims and those of the rest of the world.
Everything was Created for Us
There are many things that we are ignorant about, including our bodies and the planet we live on. Even collectively, man is severely limited in knowledge. True knowledge only lies with the Creator, and only when we seek Him can we find the answers.
In one report the Creator said: “I created you mankind for the hereafter, and I created the earth and what it contains for you.” In another report He said: “Oh the earth, whoever serves Me, be slave to him. And whoever serves you, make him your slave.”
If we are humble and obedient to the Creator, we will always be content. And if we choose to only satiate our desires, we will be suffer agony and hardship.
“The Most Gracious (Allah)! He has taught (you mankind) the Qur’an (by His Mercy). He created man. He taught him eloquent speech. The sun and the moon run on their fixed courses (exactly) calculated with measured out stages for each (for reckoning).” (Al-Qur’an, verse 55:1- 55:5)
Glorify the Name of your Lord, the Most High, Who has created (everything), and then proportioned it. And Who has measured (preordainments for everything even to be blessed or wretched); and then guided (i.e. showed mankind the right as well as the wrong paths, and guided the animals to pasture). (Al-Qur’an verse 87:1 – 87:3)
If we read the above, we find His message very clear. He creates and ordains us, and then He guides whomever He wants.
We erroneously believe that we are free to do whatever we want, without direction or guidance. Once a situation occurs, we despair to the point we hurt ourselves and others.
Accidents, illness, loss of beloved ones, money or jobs can remove what we believe we are entitled to. We feel as if our rights have been robbed. We lose bearing and purpose in life. All this because we lack comprehension on our purpose on earth, and why certain things happen unexpectedly and uncontrollably. Eventually, because of our lack of understanding, we rebel against the situation and ultimately against the Creator.
If you truly grasp the multi-dimensional facets of life and what is happening around you, you will find that out your problems are insignificant in the main journey of this life and hereafter. Once we comprehend the meaning of our living and death, body and soul, and the purpose of our life, we will find out that we can accomplish a lot of goodness, and attain happiness, and tranquility, no matter what the circumstances.
The Creator created us and everything to see who among us will realize His existence and presence, His bounty and grace, and His wisdom. Observe our precisely blueprinted planet. Its landscape varies from desert sands to polar glaciers, mountains to oceans. We enjoy different seasons and climates. The more scientific research is done, the more we realize how complex, intertwined but orderly this wondrous creation is. And we are a mere speck in the universe!
The real purpose of these creations is to manifest the power and existence of our Creator, including the realization that everything is a trial to see if we are thankful or ungrateful. We have to understand the dynamism of life. The seen and absence, light and darkness, happiness and sadness are all part of our journey over which we have no control.
If we understand this, coupled with our constant struggle to achieve good over evil, we will comprehend that the real issue is to stay on the straight and guided path at every juncture, despite every calamity, tragedy and corruption. What makes us survive in this world and the next is hold on to our connection with Allah through the times of ease and adversity, calm or storm. Calling Allah at every opportunity is the only way that we can one feel peace in the chaos of this world and rise above all the perceived injustices we witness.
“Oh Creator, guide me to what You want from me.
Show me how I can gain Your pleasure and happiness in this life and hereafter.
Let me be good: supporting and spreading goodness.
Allow me to pass the trial of this life with happiness and tranquility for me and others.
Give me the Light and Vision to be able to see the real picture, the real life.”
May the Almighty Creator guide us all to happiness and success in this life and hereafter. Ameen.
