WHY DOES GOD ALLOWS EVIL AND SUFFERING?
BY GHAFIRAH IDRIS


From the very beginning of man’s life, people keep on complaining about their journey on this world. Men nowadays still searching for answers on how to make this world a better place to live, how to create a peaceful and safe environment as well as how to develop mankind to become a civilized society. In this life, both happiness and suffering exist, evil and good are still fighting with each other. Thus, people keep on complaining and questioning on what is this life is all about. Why does God allows evil and suffering on this world? Why God not only allow good and happiness in man’s life? This question will be answered by taking into consideration the philosophical and societal context.

God creates man as His servant as well as His vicegerent (khalifah) on earth. These noble duties have been mentioned in the Holy Qur’an:

وما خلقت الجن والإنس إلا ليعبدوا

إني جاعل في الأرض خليفة


As the servant of God, man has to follow everything that has been asked and subscribed to him by God. Therefore, everything that has been put onto him by God, no matter how though it is must be taken seriously and whole-heartedly. God as the Creator of this world does not leave His servant without any guidance and rules to be followed. These rules and guidance have been subscribed in His Holy Qur’an and the teaching of His prophets. Therefore, God does allow evil and suffering to see whether His servants will follow or just neglect all of these rules. Patience and gratitude are attitudes, which recommended by God on handling a suffered life. All of His Prophets and many Islamic scholars, most of them lived in suffering. Therefore, God does allow suffering to see whether His servants will follow the path of His Prophets and practice these kind of noble attitudes or not.

Apart from that, God claims man as His vicegerent on earth and the most perfect creation whom is granted with intellect (‘aql). As what Faruqi said in his writing, “man has been endowed with all that is necessary to fulfill the divine will and even loaded with the grace of revelation.” Relating to that, man’s life on earth, therefore is specially meaningful and significant. As the vicegerent of God, man has to carry great responsible and with it, he will be tested. Evil and suffering on this world is a kind of test from God onto His vicegerent whether he will use all the things that have been granted to him by God wisely or not. Besides that, God does allow evils because He wants to test His vicegerent whether they will led astray by their desire and this worldly life or will committed with this noble duty.

But, as we can see nowadays, as men became smarter with their so called up-to-date knowledge, they have been led astray by this worldly life and the tendency to cast aside God and ignore His enormous power. Though, evil still exists in this world. Men nowadays believe in their own judgment and acquired knowledge. They feel that human achievements are the result of their own effort without any Divine help or intervention. They forget why they are being put on this earth and hence their duties to serve God and be His vicegerent are ignored and as the result, men have failed in God’s test in handling evils and suffering.

God also allows evil and suffering as a cause for da’wah activities in the society. Dr. Ibrahim Zain in his “Method of Da’wah” mentioned that da’wah is the invitation to Islam and extended to humanity. Therefore, da’wah is a method and mechanism for Muslim people to clinging to the religion and invites other people to do good deeds and refrain from what are being forbidden. Besides, da’wah is a manifestation of what has been asked by God onto mankind which is “Amr Ma’ruf Nahi Munkar” (enjoining the right and forbidding the wrong). This sort of da’wah is a call or invitation to good deeds and to stick with it as well as the call or invitation to keep away from the evil, mischief, calamity and so on. Therefore, by allowing evil and suffering, God at the same time also allows mankind to practice da’wah activities which is also the main duty of His Prophets.

In the society context, God allows evil and suffering to make people help each other. There is no doubt that this life is a struggle to all mankind. Every man has different fate and takes different routes in managing their lives. Some people are fortunate enough to have good life, but there are also in certain part of this world where many people live in suffering. Thus, with this black and white color of the world, men whom are given happy and good life by God must take serious initiatives and find out the very best way in helping the unfortunate one. Apart from that, God allows evil so that people are helping and co-operating with each other to find the best solution and ways to overcome the problem. As we can see men have put their effort in minimizing the evil in the society. But, as Muslims, we have to bear in mind that this effort must be in accordance with God’s guidance as this noble effort is a fulfillment of man’s duty as the vicegerent of God.

Another reason why God allows evil and suffering is related to the ‘aqidah (faith) of Islam. As Muslims, we believe in fate and destiny which being stated in the pillars of Iman as believing in Qada’ and Qadar. Our fate in this world has been designed by God. Therefore, if we are living in suffering, we have to be patience and accept it as a way of God’s test on us. As Muslims, we have to believe that “God is the sole creator of His servants’ actions (harakat), but these are also within the capacity (qudrah) of the servants through acquisition (iktisab).” Thus, evil and suffering are changeable through man’s acquisition and effort as man has been granted by God the intellect (‘aql) and capacity (qudrah) as well as His guidance and revelation. It is up to man to use them wisely.

Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h) has been sent to all mankind as the messenger of Allah in spreading the message of Tawhid (Oneness of God). There are many aspects of life that are very close related to this message of Tawhid including the moral and ethical value. As Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h) said:

إنما بعثت لأتمم مكارم الأخلاق

Therefore, God allows evil and suffering as He has sent His messenger to perform a duty that has relation with this kind of situation. Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h) is the best role model to us in facing the evils and suffering. There are many stories in his sirah on how he handled these two situations. For example, in the case of one Badawi man who urine in the mosque. Sayyidina Umar al-Khatab asked for prophet’s permission to beat the man but the prophet refused. He himself even cleans the place. The Badawi man saw the beauty of Islam in Prophet’s attitude and he at last embraced Islam. While in the case of suffering, there is no doubt how our Prophet faced so many difficulties in his life. But he did not regret and even became a strong person and whole-heartedly gave his life to God. Thus, nowadays, God still allows evil and suffering because His Prophet himself had suffered and faced so many difficulties in his life, though he is the most loved one to Allah The Almighty. Therefore, we as Prophet Muhammad’s followers (ummah) have to follow his track in facing the evils and suffering, as he is the best model to us.

As the whole world are working towards development and civilization, evil and suffering are being seen as problems in the society that must be overcome. Thus, by the existence of these two situations, we can see how people deal with them. Different people have different ways in controlling and dealing with the situations. Though, people keep on searching for answers. Which is the best system as well as the best way of life to choose? What is the mechanism, tools and skills that can be used in handling and solving these problems? Is it the system and rules that have been created by man or is it something that is revealed?

As far as man-made rules and systems are being taking into consideration, we can say that none of them is succeed in dealing with the situations. Utilitarianism, Communism, Marxism as well as Modernism and Post-modernism, all of them are failed. This is because; the inputs as well as the methodology of all these systems and ideologies are always changeable according to situation and time. These ideologies which have been promised to provide the best way of life and as the best mechanism for men to face any kind of situations and problems are not for all mankind and their natural (fitrah) as well as do not suit all kind of situation, time and person. For example, the practice of homosexual, which once has been said as evil in the society, nowadays in the Post-modernism period, it is a permissible practice to certain countries in this world. Here we can see that how man-made system can make certain evil practice become noble when society, time and situation is changed. But Islam presents something which is totally different.

As far as revelation is concerned, Islam provides the best way in dealing with evils and suffering. Islam has been revealed to all mankind as the answer to all kind of problems. It comes to release man from being slave to other man and become the only servant to God The Almighty. Islam gives the answers on what is the objective of man’s life on earth, what is his duty, for what purpose this world and the whole universe is created, where is the last destiny for man and so on. Thus, relating to this point, for the conclusion, Islam is the best way of life to choose as it provides rules, regulations and mechanism which is certain as well as it suits the natural inclination of man in dealing with all kind of problems and situations including evils and suffering.