EPIC Masjid, Imam Nadeem Bashir, Allah's wisdom is incomprehensible.

Allah's Wisdom is Incomprehensible: Understanding Suffering, Evil, and Divine Justice

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

Respected brothers and sisters in Islam, as being the slaves of Allah, we should always keep in mind that everything that we see around us — every single feeling that we experience, everything that is in our knowledge or may not be in our knowledge — everything has been created by Allah. This entire universe: the sun that comes out, the moon that we see in the sky at night, the stars, the planets, the entire universe, and what takes place inside the universe — everything belongs to Allah.

Everything Belongs to Allah

You will see in the Qur'an that Allah sometimes says that for Allah and to Allah everything in the skies and the earth belongs to Allah. And sometimes you will see in the Qur'an that Allah is the Owner of the skies and the earth. It is amazing that sometimes Allah says لِلَّهِ and sometimes مَالِكُ. Why? Because there is an amazing example that has been given.

Let's just say a person is renting a home. Whatever is inside the home belongs to the person who is renting the home, who is leasing the home. The landlord — the person who owns the house — he owns the structure of the house. So a person can say that I own everything inside the house, but I don't own the structure. The landlord will say that I own the structure; I don't own anything that's inside the house. But for Allah, when He said لِلَّهِ, it means that the entire structure of the universe belongs to Allah. And مَالِكُ means that anything that's inside the structure also belongs to Allah. So when Allah has created everything, it is up to Allah how He deals with it and how He uses it.

Allah creates different things for different purposes. We see in our life there are some families that only have boys, some families that only have girls, and some families that Allah has given both boys and girls. And the Qur'an mentions that when it comes to Allah, He does whatever He wants to do — that Allah does as He wishes.

The difference between the word فَعَلَ and the word يَفْعَلُ is that when a person does something with intention and thinks about it twice before doing it, that is what is called فِعْل. But when a person does something without consulting with anyone else, without thinking twice — in the Arabic language that is called يَفْعَلُ مَا يَشَاءُ. When it comes to Allah, Allah does not consult with anyone. He does not think twice. Whatever comes from Allah happens when Allah wants it. When Allah wants something, He says كُن and it happens. In fact, the scholars of tafsir say that Allah is not even in need of saying the word كُن — this is just for us to understand how powerful Allah is.

Allah Tests Us in Different Ways

When everything belongs to Allah — every single situation, everything happening in the universe — then there are times that Allah will test a person in different ways. Allah mentions in Surah Al-Baqarah:

We shall certainly put you to the test — sometimes it may be fear, sometimes it may be hunger. This is something we understand right now as Muslims living in America. When 9/11 took place, when the shooting in Fort Hood took place some years ago, Muslims were under attack. Muslims could not go outside. Muslim women were being attacked simply because they were Muslims. There was a fear: what could happen if I went outside? If I came across a person who has lost their mind, what could they do to me or my family?

وَالْجُوعِ — hunger. A person who loses their job, who does not have control of his finances, who does not have money. وَنَقْصٍ مِّنَ الْأَمْوَالِ وَالْأَنفُسِ — the loss of a life in your family — that also comes from Allah. Allah tests us.

What we saw recently in Connecticut — where young, young children's lives were taken away. They were innocent. These were first-grade children. What harm did they commit? What crime did they commit? These teachers — their lives were taken. They were innocent people. May Allah protect all of us and may Allah not make any of us experience what they experienced.

In the same way, we see in our own community — just last week on Sunday night, tragedy struck. A sister was coming back with her daughter, and someone on the other side of the street crossed over the median and collided with her car. This Muslim sister passed away. Her two-year-old daughter in the backseat also passed away. Tragedy. It happens. Allah tells us this is something that will happen. May Allah bless this family — Brother Adnan — may Allah help him to get through this difficult situation and may Allah help his two kids also. There was another one of his daughters in the car — she alhamdulillah survived — but just imagine the psychological trauma that these kids are going through right now. May Allah make everything easy for them.

But respected brothers and sisters, when these things happen, what does Allah expect from us?

We belong to Allah. Everything comes from Allah. So there are going to be ups and downs in our life — sometimes Allah will test us in different ways. Allah will not test every single person in one particular way. Just like a doctor: when a patient visits, the doctor does not always give out one prescription. He gives out different prescriptions to different patients. In the same exact way, Allah knows what our strengths are and what our weaknesses are, and He sends trials and challenges our way accordingly.

How do we react? Of course we have to be patient. We cannot say inappropriate things. As we all know, the hadith of the Prophet ﷺ:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 1283; Sahih Muslim, Book 11, Hadith 2179)

The Prophet ﷺ came and saw a woman crying next to the grave of her son. He said: true patience is patience exercised at the very first moment it strikes a person. So we need to be patient in our life. And how are we patient? We always keep our focus on Allah. We always ask Allah to help us get through this.

The Question of Evil: Why Does Suffering Exist if Allah is There?

There is a common question that people ask. I remember this question was asked even after the horrible and horrific incident that took place in Connecticut. Many people were asking: if Allah is there — if Allah is truly there — why is all this happening? Why is there suffering? Why are crimes being committed? Why does mother nature come and destroy things time after time? Why are there natural disasters? Why are people killing other people? Why is there evil on the face of this earth if Allah is there?

And it is unfortunate that I see a lot of Muslim brothers and sisters coming to my office telling me that they have friends — Muslims — who are turning towards atheism because this question has not been answered. So I want to take the opportunity today to answer this question. A lot of our youngsters go to school, go to universities — they may have an atheist professor who puts this question to their students — and our youngsters don't know how to answer it.

Reason One: There May Be a Greater Plan of Allah Behind Every Calamity

Whenever a calamity comes, whenever there is any hardship, or something that registers in a person's mind as something that is wrong — there may be a bigger plan behind that of Allah. There may be a benefit behind it.

When we study the story of Musa alayhis salam and Khidr alayhis salam — on three different occasions, Khidr alayhis salam did something that Musa alayhis salam thought was wrong, but there was a benefit behind it. The very first time, he wrecked the ship — so that the king would not seize it. The second time, he took the life of that child — because this child would grow up to lead his family astray and would become a source of misguidance in the future. And finally, when Khidr alayhis salam — after being rejected by the people of the city who refused to show him hospitality — still fixed the wall. Musa alayhis salam said: this does not make sense. He said: the reason I fixed the wall is because there is a treasure hidden beneath it. If it were exposed to everyone in the city, everyone would take it away and there would be nothing left. So sometimes there may be something that we see that does not make sense, but there is a bigger plan behind it of Allah.

When we see the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah — the Sahabah, may Allah be pleased with them, were against what was happening. They said: why is this happening? We came here for the intention of Umrah. Why are we not performing Umrah? The Prophet ﷺ did as he thought was right — what Allah had put in his heart. But what did the Sahabah see? That the trip was meaningless. Nothing happened. Nothing was achieved. Allah had a bigger plan in mind. And when the Prophet ﷺ was returning back to Madinah, what was revealed?

What happened there right now in Mecca is going to lead you to a clear victory. So sometimes what we see may not actually be what's happening — there's a plan behind it of Allah.

Reason Two: Calamities Come Because of Our Own Actions

When things like crimes, sufferings, and natural disasters take place, it is because Allah sees our actions. Our deeds go up before Allah, and Allah sees that we are disobeying Him. Accordingly, the situations and circumstances come. Allah says in Surah Ar-Rum:

Corruption spreads on land and in water — everywhere around the entire world — but because of what? Because of what people are doing. When people disobey Allah, the circumstances will come accordingly.

Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, mentions that one time the Prophet ﷺ came inside his home. She said that when she saw the face of the Prophet, she could tell that something of great importance had occurred. The Prophet ﷺ did not talk to anyone. He went, he performed wudu, he performed the salah, and then he stood up on the pulpit and said:

(Sunan Ibn Majah, Book 36, Hadith 4004; similar narrations in Musnad Ahmad)

You should continue to enjoin towards good and forbid from evil — otherwise a time will come when you will make du'a to Allah and your du'a will be rejected. You will ask Allah and Allah will not answer your prayers. And then you will ask the help of Allah against your enemies, and your du'a will be rejected.

What do we see today? Can we really blame Allah for bringing these circumstances upon us? Absolutely not. Just look at the state of our ummah. This ummah is slowly and gradually drifting away from the teachings of the Qur'an and the Sunnah of Muhammad ﷺ. Modesty does not even exist in our community anymore. There is such a great percentage of the ummah that does not even perform their five daily prayers. How much zina is taking place within our ummah. How much drinking of alcohol is being consumed within our own community. How many people are committing haram on a daily basis. How many people are involved with interest — dealing with riba. When we break these commandments of Allah and when we clearly put the Sunnah and the life of the Prophet on the back burner — what do we expect from Allah?

So when these things happen, it is not because Allah is evil — naudhu billah. It is because Allah sets down the circumstances based on our actions.

Reason Three: Trials Are Sent to Make Us Stronger

Another reason why calamities and sufferings come is to make a person strong. And there is no better example than the example of the life of Rasulullah ﷺ. There is no one who can come close in terms of rank and status to the Prophet ﷺ — yet look how much suffering and difficulty the Prophet ﷺ went through. Look at Ibrahim alayhis salam — he had to leave his family in a place where there were no means of life. Allah tested these people to make them strong. Allah tests us so that we can increase in our iman.

And at the same time, Allah says very clearly in the Qur'an — every single difficulty that we are experiencing, every calamity we are struck with — we can actually handle it. That's why Allah brings it upon us. Allah does not bring any difficulty upon a person beyond his capacity.

What About Innocent People Taken in Disasters?

Sometimes natural disasters come and innocent Muslims are taken away in them as well. A few years ago, a tsunami took place in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand — that area. It was a catastrophe. So many thousands of people lost their lives. And people were saying: even if this was the punishment of Allah — what about the thousands of innocent Muslims who were taken? What wrong did they do?

I want to share with you a hadith of the Prophet ﷺ, narrated by Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her. This is found in the first chapter of Riyad al-Salihin, in the chapter of Ikhlas al-Niyyah. The Prophet ﷺ said that a group of people will march towards the Ka'bah to raid it, and when they reach a particular piece of land, the earth will swallow everyone. The Prophet ﷺ said that even those people who were not amongst the raiders will be swallowed by the earth. Just as we would ask this question, Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, said to the Prophet: O Prophet of Allah, what crime did they commit? They were innocent people. The Prophet ﷺ said: everyone is taken when the punishment of Allah comes — but on the Day of Judgment, these people will be separated from those who committed the crime. They will be separated from the wrongdoers, and they will be raised upon their intention.

(Sahih Muslim, Book 41, Hadith 6882; see also Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 2118)

We also see in Surah Ya-Sin that Allah says the wrongdoers and the people who did good will be separated. That's why in a hadith, the Prophet ﷺ also said that in a community where there are righteous people, the punishment of Allah can still come upon them. The Sahabah said: O Prophet of Allah, will these righteous people be taken away? The Prophet ﷺ said yes, they will be taken away — but they will be raised upon their intention.

The Ultimate Answer: Free Will and Divine Justice

Now we come to the ultimate question: when all this is happening and Allah is there, how can Allah allow all this to happen? Why is God there and evil is taking place on the face of this earth?

Allah has created the human being with something called free will. When you look at angels, there are two different terminologies — obligation and free will. Angels are only associated with obligation. They only carry out what they are commanded. On the other hand, animals do not have any obligations — there is only instinct. That's why on the Day of Judgment, there is no accountability for angels and there is no accountability for animals. The animals will turn to dust. But the human being will be held accountable — because he has been given both. He has been given obligation and he has also been given free will.

When a person commits a crime against someone else — when someone goes and takes the life of someone else — this question, "how can Allah allow this?", is not directed at Allah. Allah has created every single person with free will. He does whatever he wishes to do. That's why this life is a test — because we have Shaitan with us, we have the Qur'an and Sunnah with us, we have been given a choice. We have free will. We can do right. We can do wrong.

So when someone commits a crime and takes the life of someone else, it is not because of Allah. It is this person who chose to do what is wrong. He chose to do what the Qur'an determines as inexcusable. When you go and take the life of someone, you cannot say that Allah wanted me to do this. No — every single person acts out of his own will. That's why you will see in the Qur'an, Allah says:

We show them the right path — they can be either those who are thankful to Allah and follow His orders, or they can be those who commit kufr. We see in the Qur'an, time after time, Allah says: you have the choice. And in Surah Al-Fatihah itself:

You have two paths in front of you — what you do is your choice. So for someone to say that Allah is doing all this — no. Every person has free will, and a person acts based on his own consciousness, his own mind, and his own knowledge.

True Justice Will Be Served on the Day of Judgment

Finally, when we see all this happening — when we look at our Muslim brothers and sisters, innocent children whose lives are being taken away in Syria, in Palestine, in Kashmir, in Burma, all over the world — what do we say? Where is Allah? To give us contentment of heart, what does Allah say in the Qur'an?

Is Allah not the best of all judges? A day will come where true justice will be served. Not the justice that we see on the face of this earth — where there are innocent people serving in prisons, and guilty people still at home considered innocent. We are talking about the justice of Allah. When the justice of Allah is served, no one will get away from it.

On the Day of Judgment, everything will be clear in front of us. A person will see his book of deeds and he will see that the most smallest detail, the smallest piece of information regarding his life, is in this book. And what will he say?

What is wrong with this book? It has taken everything — it includes everything: what I saw, what I did, what I thought about. It has everything. And that's why what do we say in every single salah, in every single raka'ah, when we recite Surah Al-Fatihah?

Allah is the Owner, the King of the Day of Judgment. And what will happen on the Day of Judgment? Justice will be served. So if we feel like the world is unjust, always keep in mind that a day will come where every single person — whatever they did — will be questioned about it and will have to give an answer for it.

If justice was not there, this question would have been valid — that Allah lets the people who are suffering continue to suffer, and the oppressors can do whatever they want. But when Allah said there will be justice, every single person will be judged, and justice will be served.

Conclusion

May Allah give all of us the ability to act on what has been said and heard. I have tried to summarize this, but this is a very long subject and inshallah I will talk about this on a given Friday night and elaborate upon it more. But we need to keep this in mind. When someone comes and questions our deen — when people come to you and say: how can all this happen when God is there? — these are the answers that you need to give. Remember that when someone challenges our deen, there is always an answer to everything.

May Allah give all of us the ability to act on what has been said and heard.

Once again, I pray to Allah that may Allah forgive — may Allah forgive our sister who passed away, Sister Sadia, and her daughter — may Allah give them a place in Jannah. Also, a brother in our community, Brother Ghassan — his father passed away — may Allah give him also a place in Jannah. And everyone who has passed away and everyone who has been buried — may Allah enlighten their graves, may Allah forgive their sins and their shortcomings, and may Allah make the stages ahead easy for them. Ameen.