Assalamualaikum,
A few days ago, my local newspaper ran a column by a popular author promoting his new book. The book was mainly about why God can not exist. Because if He did, people would not suffer. The author wrote how his son was born handicapped, and this experience made him come to the conclusion that there is no God.
Astaghfirullah. (May Allah forgive us.)
This is the most common argument we'll hear atheists say: "If God is all-Loving, why does He not prevent atrocities in the world?","How can people be poor and hungry, and so many wars take place, and God just calmly watches?" In other words, they conclude that Difficulties = No God.
Is that a rational argument? Is God just some Cure-All for all our sufferings and worries?
One of the greatest attributes of Allah is Wisdom. One of His names is "Al-Hakeem", or The Most Wise. This means that whatever Allah creates, He creates for a reason, and nothing is created in vain. Allah says to us in the Quran:
“Did you think that We had created you in play (without any purpose), and that you would not be brought back to Us?”
So Exalted be Allaah, the True King: Laa ilaaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He), the Lord of the Supreme Throne!” [Al-Mu'minoon 23: 115, 116]
And I (Allaah) created not the jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me (Alone)” [al-Dhaariyaat 51:56]
So if we all exist to only serve one purpose, ie. to worship God and to obey His Will, do we have any right to complain when punishments happen to us as a result of us falling short of that command? We've been given the perfect way to live our lives - on a personal level, familial level, societal level and universal level. There is no aspect of our life which God has not given us instructions for. We have things laid out for us straight - what to follow, and what to avoid. All we have to do is listen to the rules, obey them, not stray out of line or be out of bounds. That's it. I know its easier said than done, but when we as mere petty humans stray from what we're supposed to be doing, bad things may happen to us. In brief, punishments happen because:
1. We deserve it because of our sins.
2. God is testing our faith. Like a diamond roughed out and polished from coal, trials have the potential to bring out the best in us, and bring us to our highest nature.
3. A blessing may be hidden in a calamity. We just don't know since God works in miraculous ways, and it may be that we like a thing which is bad for us, or we dislike a thing which is good for us. Usually something good always comes out of a calamity - we just don't see it.
Strangely enough, people see punishments as just that - punishments. Something bad, something we don't like, something we need to get away from. Psychologists, on the other hand, term punishments as 'negative reinforcements.' But we only see the negative side of what befalls us. And we fail to realize that this is just another form of discipline from God, a reinforcement; that we're supposed to reflect, learn from our mistakes, and correct our behaviour so as not to have the same thing happen to us again.
Doesn't a parent use punishments to control the behaviour of a child, save him or her from harm, teach him to only follow certain behaviour whilst avoiding things which may be harmful to them? Doesn't a classroom teacher punish students to teach them proper discipline and the value of hard work? Would it make sense if I'm sitting in a classroom, and the teacher is scolding me because I didn't do my homework, but I just say there isn't a teacher there? People would say that's nonsensical! And yet, people deny God's existence for the same reasons. I mean, rewarding good behaviour and punishing bad behaviour is such an essential fundamental to learning. Even the overly commercialized Santa Claus, a mere fairytale portrayed as a generous, kind hearted guy brings presents to the good and a lump of coal to the naughty kids, right?
So why is it then, that when God uses punishments to discipline human beings and tries to bring us back to the right path, we turn our back on Him and negate His existence? Shouldn't the same rules apply?
God's attribute of being All-Loving does not mean He lets human beings run amok without any form of discipline, letting them eat, drink and be merry without a care in the world. That is not love, its irresponsibility - and thankfully, God is not irresponsible!
This is God we are talking about. God, the Most High, the One who created us out of nothing wants to let us reflect on our life's priorities, and to humble ourselves before Him. He wants what is best for us. He doesn't need us or our worship in the slightest. And yet, we need Him. We need Him every second of our lifetime. And even if it takes a punishment for us to fumble and find the straight path again, to earn His Pleasure, is it really that bad? Maybe we deserved it; maybe it's a trial to test our strength and our faith; or maybe we just can't see the good in it. But a punishment does not, in the slightest, mean that God does not exist - because only the Most Caring would put us through hardships for our own sakes.
Does it still make sense to say that just because bad things happen in the world, there is no God?
