Answering Questions from Non-Muslims

[ATA95]

Assalamualaikum brothers and sisters. I hope everything is going well with all of you. I just needed advice on how to answer a few questions that non-Muslims may ask me (and other Muslims) in the future.

1. If Allah is the most merciful and all powerful then why did He create evil and let suffering happen?

2. If Allah is all powerful and has the capability to do anything then why doesn't He simply put all of His creation in Paradise instead of creating a world where there is injustice and violence. Wouldn't it be easier instead of going the long route with many prophets coming with guidance and having a Judgment Day etc...

3. Why does Islam have sects (Sunni, Shia and Sufi) that don't agree with each other, wouldn't this cause Islam to be corrupt just like Christianity with all their many sects disagreeing like Sunni's and Shia's do?

Insha'Allah others can benefit from this thread as well. JazakAllah Khair.

 

[Ershad]

Assalamualaikum brothers and sisters. I hope everything is going well with all of you. I just needed advice on how to answer a few questions that non-Muslims may ask me (and other Muslims) in the future.

1. If Allah is the most merciful and all powerful then why did He create evil and let suffering happen?

Assalamu Alaykkum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu,

I can offer you some answers, Insha Allah which will help you. These answers are not mine but of people who have knowledge.

Regarding first question, Yes, Allah created everything. However, Allah, the exalted is High above evil and evil should not be attributed to Him because He is perfectly Wise, Just, and Merciful in all of His Actions.

The Prophet saw2 made it clear that evil is not attributable to Allah by saying:


"I respond to your call (O Allah!), and I am obedient to your orders, all Good is in your Hands, and the evil is not attributable to You, I am by You, and to You, Blessed are Thee and Exalted… "(Collected by Muslim)


Evil is not attributable to Allah but is in what is decreed in His creation (Maqdoor). Evil, is in Allah's creation, not in Himself, Attributes, Names, or Actions. Al-Maqdoor (what is decreed to occur) is either good or apparently evil. Evil is not absolute in itself, and Allah created it for a wisdom which we do not often realize. For example Allah said:

"Evil (sins and disobedience to Allah, etc.) has appeared on land and sea because of what the hands of men have earned (by oppression and evil deeds, etc.), that Allah may make them taste a part of that which they have done, in order that they may return (by repenting to Allah, and begging His Pardon" (Qur'an 30:41)

The appearance of evil on land and sea is evil in itself, but there is also great wisdom and good behind it: in order that people may return to Allah. Cutting off the thief’s hand or stoning the adulterer is an evil thing for the thief and the adulterer, but it is good for them in one respect because it is purification for them so that the punishment of this life and the Hereafter are not combined for them. It also protects the society from such evil deeds.

Source: http://abdurrahman.org/faith/Al-QadaaWalQadar-summary.pdf

2. If Allah is all powerful and has the capability to do anything then why doesn't He simply put all of His creation in Paradise instead of creating a world where there is injustice and violence. Wouldn't it be easier instead of going the long route with many prophets coming with guidance and having a Judgment Day etc...

This goes back to purpose of creation. Allah created us to worship Him ALONE. And Allah has given us free will. Even though Iblees knew about Allah, he was disobedient towards Him. So, why should we put in paradise without being tested? And so, we are here to worship Allah ALONE and be obedient towards him and earn the paradise through good deeds, worship and His mercy. Regarding, violence and injustice, it is the result of our actions and disobedience. Everything Allah does has wisdom and knowledge behind it, sometimes we know it through what he has revealed and shown us to see. Sometimes, we do not know. Allah can do everything and He is the most just and whatever has happened, happened for good and it has wisdom behind it, we know it or not.

3. Why does Islam have sects (Sunni, Shia and Sufi) that don't agree with each other, wouldn't this cause Islam to be corrupt just like Christianity with all their many sects disagreeing like Sunni's and Shia's do?

Regarding Sects, it was inevitable. You say Islam gets corrupt by disagreeing. That is wrong, Actually agreeing with sects like Shia and Sufi will cause corrupting of Islam and watering down of Islam. What we have to do is take Islam from the sources that the messenger and his companions left for us. That is the uncorrupted Islam. Everything else is misguidance and misguidance leads to hellfire. I will give you examples:

1. Shia blame Aisha (Radiallahu Anha) of adultery. While, she is the 2nd highest narrator of Hadeeth from Prophet :saw2:. And she was the most beloved to the Prophet :saw2:. Now, if the Shia don't take any hadeeth from Aisha (Radiallahu Anha), then what is left of islam? If we agree with them, will we get uncorrupt Islam or corrupt Islam?

2. Some Shia consider Abu Bakr (Radiallahu Anhu) , Umar (Radiallahu Anhu) and almost all other companions of Prophet :saw2: to be apostates. What is left of Islam, if you agree with statements like this?

3. Some Shia believe Qu'ran is corrupt itself. Then what is left of Islam. Moreover, some believe Ali radiallahu anhu to be equal to Prophet :saw2:. Infact, they say Ali and Muhammad :saw2: are like crows, so Jibreel Allayhi salam could not differentiate between them and mistakenly revealed Qur'an to Muhammad :saw2: instead of Ali. This is what the Shia Scholars say. Should we agree with these statements?

4. Sufis make dua to Prophets, and their peers, while Allah has commanded us to worship him alone. Won't Islam get corrupt if we agree with these actions?

5. Both Shia and Sufis have full of fabricated hadeeth and lying against the Prophet :saw2: . Should we agree with these lies?

The sects happened because of people straying away from the guidance of Quran and Sunnah. So, agreeing with them just for the sake of preventing violence and having unity, will take us away from Islam. I hope you understand. If the Muslim Ummah should unite, it should unite upon Qurán , Sunnah and Tawheed. Not by watering down Islam to maintain unity.

Messenger - SallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam said:

“The Jews had split up in to 71 sects and the Christians had split up into 72 sects, and my nation will split up into 73 sects all of whom will be in the fire except one. The Companions asked, ‘Which one O Messenger of Allaah?’ He replied: The Jamaa’aah.” In another narration: “What I am upon and my Companions are upon.”

And Allahu A'lam

Wassalamu Alaikkum

 

[kashif_nazeer]

Assalamualaikum brothers and sisters. I hope everything is going well with all of you. I just needed advice on how to answer a few questions that non-Muslims may ask me (and other Muslims) in the future.

1. If Allah is the most merciful and all powerful then why did He create evil and let suffering happen?

2. If Allah is all powerful and has the capability to do anything then why doesn't He simply put all of His creation in Paradise instead of creating a world where there is injustice and violence. Wouldn't it be easier instead of going the long route with many prophets coming with guidance and having a Judgment Day etc...

3. Why does Islam have sects (Sunni, Shia and Sufi) that don't agree with each other, wouldn't this cause Islam to be corrupt just like Christianity with all their many sects disagreeing like Sunni's and Shia's do?

Insha'Allah others can benefit from this thread as well. JazakAllah Khair.

Alhamdulillah I am well,hope the same for you in sha' Allah

To answer your questions:

1)

1. If Allah is the most merciful and all powerful then why did He create evil and let suffering happen?

Creation of evil:First of all nothing is absolutely 100 % evil.Evil is within things,it is not purely evil.

The answer is almost obvious. Virtue, if programmed, is not true virtue; it is always something less. You can program a computer never to make an incorrect statement but it does not thereby become a truthful computer, nor does any medicine possess compassion, although they are made to help the sick. The Qur’an presents the Angels as non-discriminating beings, as beings who are pure. While man is potentially much greater and alternatively much worse creature. It emphasizes three essential components of this stage of man’s moral and spiritual evolution; Free will, or the ability to choose; Intellect, the tool for weighing the consequences of one’s choices and learning from them; and third, An environment of adversity.

To learn to be truthful requires the option to lie, and hence the ability to learn and discern. A higher level of honesty is attained if we insist on speaking the truth in adversity, say at the threat of physical or material loss. To grow in compassion there must be suffering and the choice to ignore it. And so it is with all the virtues; love, charity, forgiveness and so on. To grow in each of them, we must have the alternative to do otherwise and the possibility for the existence of hate, indifference, greed, vengeance or revenge, and obviously suffering.

“Be sure we shall test you with something of fear and hunger, some loss in goods or lives or the fruits (of your toil), but give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere,
Who say, when afflicted with calamity: “To God We belong, and to Him is our return”
[Al Qur'an 2:155-156]

“O ye who believe! Persevere in patience and constancy; vie in such perseverance; strengthen each other; and fear God; that ye may prosper.”
[Al Qur'an 3:200]

It is by trial and error, and by realizing and rising above our mistakes, that we learn and progress to a higher level of goodness. Error, if realized and repented off sincerely, can lead ultimately to a higher state.

“Excepting the one repents, believes, and works righteous deeds, for God will change the evil of such persons into good, and God is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”
[Al Qur'an 25:70]

Sufferings:I remember there is a thread by sister Tabassum on this very topic,you can read it here in sha' Allah.

I think there are at least eight reasons for existence of sufferings:

1)It is qadr of Allah:Whatever befalls us could not have missed us and whatever misses us could not have befallen us.

2)Penalty: As for every action,there's always a reaction,it's form of payback,as you sow so shall you reap.What is the recompense of good other than good?

3)A wake up call:To wake believers up from their slumber and people,to remind them of the might of their Lord,so perhaps they might be reminded of their purpose and how fragile everything is.

4)Imbalance in nature: Due to our certain activities,there is a certain disbalance in nature,it is kind of wake up call for us to maintain balance and give people and nature their rights,which they have upon us.

5)To expose hypocrisy and filter out people:We are tested with good and evil.This test is sometimes used for filtering people as we know from scriptures that how they were shaken with tests and how their true nature came out when they reacted to these calamities.

6)To clear sins and to purify us:Sometimes these tests are a means of purification for a believer if he is patient in them.

7)To raise rank of a person: That which doesn't kill you makes you stronger.To make an iron strong t needs beating and somethings need seasoning,similarly sometimes calamities are used for strengthening our character and raise our ranks thereby if we are patient.

8)Comparision:If there is no pain and everything is jim and dandy,how would one know what relief is?

2. If Allah is all powerful and has the capability to do anything then why doesn't He simply put all of His creation in Paradise instead of creating a world where there is injustice and violence. Wouldn't it be easier instead of going the long route with many prophets coming with guidance and having a Judgment Day etc..."

To answer this question,
Even the Angels asked this question -
“Behold, thy Lord said to the angels: “I will create a vicegerent on earth.” They said: “Wilt Thou place therein one who will make mischief therein and shed blood?- whilst we do celebrate Thy praises and glorify Thy holy (name)?” He said: “I know what ye know not.”"
[Al Qur'an 2:30]
Then in later verses Allah proves them wrong,by asking them names of what Allah had taught to Aadam('alyhissalam),from the angels,whose reply was They said, "Exalted are You; we have no knowledge except what You have taught us. Indeed, it is You who is the Knowing, the Wise."[2:32]
So similarly as they didn't know the names that Allah knew,they didn't know the purpose that Allah knows.

Allah created us and placed us on this Earth for a purpose.He created life and death for a purpose.

Is it about ease?Then know that nothing is difficult for Allah.

It's about justice.

Yes,Allah is all powerful but Allah is the just one as well.
Allah created us and placed us on this Earth for a purpose.He created life and death for a purpose.

We were given revelations as guidance bought by messengers with signs for Allah.We were endowed with the tools of intellect, ('aql) and free will to chose to obey or to disobey.Why else where we given these tools,except that we might be helped in this test?

If we reach a place without being tested would it be just?
Would it be just for people to enter hell fire,even though they haven't been tested ,if they will the purpose they were created for or not?

If people are not tested about the purpose they were sent for,then how can it be just for them to be in where they are going to be.

Would Allah's nature of being just be apparent,if people entered where they had to be without being tested?

Certainly,Allah is just and He does not wrong anyone even a bit.

3. Why does Islam have sects (Sunni, Shia and Sufi) that don't agree with each other, wouldn't this cause Islam to be corrupt just like Christianity with all their many sects disagreeing like Sunni's and Shia's do?

To answer this question:

No it wouldn't cause "Islam" to be corrupt.Since Islam is following Qur'an and Sunnah and the Qur'an has been preserved as Allah has promised to preserve it.Unlike Bible and Torah,who had been corrupted by the hands of men.
So there being many sects is not the criteria for Islam being corrupted.
In fact the appearance of many sects has been prophecised by the prophet
"My Ummah will be divided into 73 sects. All of them will be in the Hell-Fire except for one sect"?

The meaning of this hadith:

"The Jews split into seventy-one sects; one will be in Paradise (i.e., those who followed Moses) and seventy will be in the Fire. The Christians split into seventy-two sects; seventy-one will be in the Fire and one will be in Paradise (i.e., those who followed Jesus). And by the One in Whose Hand is the soul of Muhammad, this Ummah (nation) of mine will split into seventy-three sects; one will be in Paradise and seventy-two will be in the Fire. It was asked, "Who are they, O Messenger of Allah?" He (peace be upon him) said, "Al-Jamaýah (i.e., the group which adheres steadfastly to the way of the Prophet, peace be upon him, and his Companions)." And in another narration: "(Those who follow) what I and my Companions are following."

This is the saved group; those who adhere steadfastly to the truth that the Messenger (peace be upon him) came with, and adopt the way of the Messenger (peace be upon him) and that of his Companions. They are Ahl Al-Sunnah wal-Jamaýah (those adhering to the Sunnah and the Muslim community). They are the people who adhere to the Hadith; the righteous predecessors who follow in the footsteps of the early generations in acting upon the Qurýan and the Sunnah. Any sect that contradicts them is threatened with the Fire.

Dear questioner, you have to study every group that claims to be the victorious one. Scrutinize their deeds; if they are in conformity with the Shariýah, they are included in the victorious group; otherwise they are not.

The measure here is the Qurýan and the Sunnah, so any group whose words and deeds are in accordance with the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Messenger (peace be upon him) is within the victorious one and any that contradict this, such as: the Jahmiyyah (an Islamic sect denying some of the Attributes of Allah, claiming they are ascribed to people and cannot be ascribed to Allah), the Muýtazilah (a deviant Islamic sect claiming that those who commit major sins are in a state between belief and disbelief), the Rafidah (a Shi`ah group denying the caliphates of Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq and ýUmar bin Al-Khattab, and making accusations against them and many other Companions), the Murjiýah (a deviant Islamic sect claiming that Faith is restricted to belief not deeds), and others, as well as most of the Sufis who invent matters in the religion, which Allah does not permit. They are all among the groups that the Messenger (peace be upon him) forewarned of the Fire, until they repent from going against Shariýah.

Any group that adopts anything contrary to Shariýah have to repent from it, and return to the right path and the truth that our Prophet, Muhammad (peace be upon him), brought. In this way they will be saved from the threat. But if they insist on the rejected innovations they have introduced in religion and do not follow the way of the Messenger (peace be upon him), they will be among the threatened groups. Not all of these groups are disbelievers, but they are threatened with the Fire. Among them are those who are disbelievers for committing acts of disbelief, and among them are those who are not disbelievers, but they are still threatened with the Fire, because they have introduced heresies in religion and sanctioned what Allah has not permitted (may He be Glorified and Exalted).

Unlike Qur'an the Bible and Torah have been corrupted by hands of men.So the very foundation of their faith is corrupted.While the foundation of Islam stands strong as Allah has promised to protect Quran.
While in Bible and Torah,there are no promises as such,whatsoever.So in that way they are corrupted.

Allah knows best.

If I said anything correct, then it is from Allaah (subhanahu wa taa'ala), and if I erred, then that is from me and shaytan.

 

[ATA95]

Excellent information brothers. Very beneficial. Thanks, JazakAllah Khair.

 

[*pink niqaabi*]

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