Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

Tenth Lecture: In the World of Microcosms

Since we are living among the wonders of the world of creation, we have become accustomed to them and we might not appreciate them as they deserve. There are some examples of our negligence:

1. There are very tiny animals and insects living next to us whose skeletons are not more than one or two millimeters. But despite this tiny structure, they possess hands, feet, eyes, ears, even brains, intelligence and central nervous systems.

If we put the brain of an ant under a microscope and look at it carefully, we will notice what a complicated structure it has. Different sections are put next to each other and each section controls the functions of certain regions of the ant’s body. A disturbance in any section will result in some damage to the ant’s life.

Strange as it might seem, this small brain of the ant, which is even smaller than a pinhead, contains the means to evaluate environmental changes.

Could a material thing install and gather so many signs of intelligence inside the brain of such a small creature?

2. In the mysterious world of the microcosm, the smallest unit known is the atom, the size of which is not visible even to the strongest microscopes.

If you want to know how small an atom is, you should be aware of the fact that one drop of water contains as many atoms as the population of the entire world. And if you wish to count all the protons contained in one centimeter of a thin wire, you would have to hire one thousand persons who would have to spend between 30 to 300 years to count them continuously day and night.

Now that we have realized how many atoms are contained in one centimeter of a thin wire, think about how many atoms there are in the heavens and the earth, in the air, in the galaxies and in the solar system. Is it not exhausting for man to even visualize such immense quantities? There is no one except God, the Creator, who knows the precise answers to these questions.

From atoms we learn Lessons on Monotheism

The study of atoms is one of the most promising branches of human science today. From such studies, we will learn lessons on monotheism. There are four aspects about atoms which should hold our attention:

The Wonderful Order: Up to now, more than one hundred elements have been discovered in which the number of electrons varies from one to one hundred, and this wonderful system could not have been created by intelligence-lacking organisms.

The Equilibrium in Forces: We know that two opposite electrical poles neutralize each other. Thus, the electrons which possess a negative charge neutralize the nucleus which possesses a positive charge.

On the other hand, we know that the movement of the electrons around the nucleus creates a centrifugal force. This force intends to let the electrons fly away from the environment of the atom which could lead to its disintegration, and gravity tends to absorb the electrons and destroy the atom altogether.

In this way, we could observe how balanced the centrifugal and centripetal forces are in the atom. Could this equilibrium have been brought about by blind nature?

Each One on its Specific Orbit: We saw that there are a particular number of some electrons for each atom. These electrons do not move in one orbit; rather, each one occupies a specific orbital path without any collisions between them.

Is it an easy task to put all these electrons in their specific orbits?

Atomic Energy: In order to appreciate the amount of energy contained in one atom, observe the following incident:

In 1945, an atomic experiment took place in the desert of New Mexico. A very small atomic bomb was left on a steel tower. After it exploded, the tower first melted and then evaporated accompanied by lightning and horrendous sounds. When the scientists returned to observe the result, nothing was left on the scene.

In that very year, two bombs were dropped on two cities of Japan: One on the city of Nagasaki and the other one on the city of Hiroshima. The number of dead in the former city amounted to seventy thousand with the same amount of casualties. And in the latter city, the number of dead was from 30,000 to 40,000 with the same number of casualties. As a result, Japan had to surrender to the United States and accept the truce.

Is it not sufficient to study the mysteries of one atom to get to know the Great Creator? There are as many reasons for the existence of God as the number of atoms in the universe. The Holy Qur’an states:

وَلَوْ أَنَّمَا فِي الأَرْضِ مِن شَجَرَةٍ أَقْلاَمٌ وَالْبَحْرُ يَمُدُّهُ مِن بَعْدِهِ سَبْعَةُ أَبْحُرٍ مَّا نَفِدَتْ كَلِمَاتُ اللَّهِ

And were every tree that is in the earth made into pens and the sea to supply it with ink with seven more seas to increase it, the words of Allah would not come to an end. [Qur’an 31:27]

THINK AND ANSWER

Do you know anything more concerning the mysterious life of ants?

Can you draw the structure of the atom on the blackboard?

Further Discussion on the Tenth Lecture

How Splendid are the Attributes of Allah

His Attributes

One should know that it is one thing to recognize God through studying His creatures, but it is quite another thing to recognize the Attributes of God. The former is quite easy while the latter needs much more scrutiny and caution.

One might ask why. The reason is clear. None of God’s attributes resembles what we see and hear. Thus, the first condition for identifying the attributes of God is the negation of any of the characteristics of the created world from that of the Sacred Essence. This makes the whole picture difficult and provide us with a dilemma. We have grown up in the middle of this natural world and have been in close contact with it. Thus, we have the inclination to measure everything in comparison with nature.

We have only seen matter and its properties. All the creatures we have encountered live in time and space and have specific dimensions. Thus, it would become extremely difficult to visualize a God who lacks substance, who does not live in time or space but at the same time has control over every aspect of existence, and is timeless. We have to be extremely cautious.

However, it should be pointed out that we could never realize the true nature of the Almighty God. We should not expect we could ever know Him since this expectation resembles pouring an immense ocean into a tiny glass or to expect an unborn child to know all the secrets of the outside world, and this is impossible.

That is why a small error on our part might take us miles away from the road of identifying God and leave us in the desert of idol-worship or atheism. Therefore, we should take heed to never compare the characteristics of creation with those of Allah.

Divine Beauty and Divine Majesty

God’s Attributes are usually divided into the positive attributes and the negative attributes. The positive attributes are those which are attributed to God and the negative attributes are those which God does not have.

The answer is as follows: From one point of view, God’s attributes are infinite and from another point of view, all God’s attributes could be summed up in the following phrase:

God’s Being is infinite in all aspects and at the same time possesses supreme perfection.

God’s negative attributes could be paraphrased through the following statement: God’s essence suffers from no defects from whatever perspective.

However, since perfection and defects have degrees, we could easily state that God has limitless positive attributes and an infinite number of negative attributes. This is because He possesses all the positive attributes that come to man’s mind and lacks all those flaws which the human mind can imagine. Therefore, God’s positive and negative Attributes are simply limitless.

God’s most Well-Known Attributes

God’s most positive attributes appear in the following poem:

God is All-knowing and All-powerful;

He is Living and willful;

He is the Perceiver.

He is Eternal without end,

The Sincere Speaker with His Prophets.

He is All Knowing since He knows everything;

He is All Powerful; this means He encompasses everything;

He is Living; i.e. He is Alive. He is Living since a living being is both Knowing and Powerful. Since God is both Knowing and Almighty, He is Living;

He is willful which means; He decides and carries out His wishes accordingly. He is free to do whatever He wants and whatever He does is based on wisdom.

God is a Perceiver since He perceives everything; He sees everything and hears every sound; and He is cognizant of all things.

God is Eternal and exists at all times. His Being does not have any beginning. This is because His Existence stems from His Nature. For this reason, He is Eternal. Non-existence is meaningless for God Whose Existence relies on Himself.

God is the speaker with His prophets. He creates the sound waves which create words. This does not mean that He has a tongue, lips or a larynx.

God is Sincere; this means that whatever He utters is the absolute truth. This is because lying is the result of ignorance or weakness. God never tells lies since He is both Knowing and Powerful.

God’s most famous Negative Attributes could be found in the following poem:

He is not composed;

Neither is He a substance nor a body.

He is not visible,

Neither does He occupy space.

He lacks associates,

He does not bear attributes, either

God is Rich; never is He Needy.

1. God is not composed because He lacks components. If He were composed, He would be in need of His components, while He needs nothing.

2. God is not a substance because every material thing is perishable and limited.

3. God cannot be seen; He is invisible. This is because if He were Visible, He should be a thing, with limits and dimensions.

4. God does not occupy space because He is not a substance to be in need of space.

5. There is no associate with God. This is because if He had an associate, He would be finite, and two finite beings could not tolerate each other. Besides, the uniqueness of the rules in this world leads us to accept His Uniqueness.

6. God lacks attributes because His attributes and His Being are the same.

7. God is not poor; neither is he needy. He is Rich. This is because an Infinite Being does not lack Knowledge or Power.

The Holy Qur’an says:

لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ

Nothing is like Him. [Qur’an 42:11]

THINK AND ANSWER

Do you have any more evidence for God’s uniqueness and His lacking associates?

Some religions believe in three gods, some in two gods. Which religions are they?

Ten Lecures on God’s Justice

First Lecture: What is Justice?

Why is justice, above God’s other attributes, considered as one of the principles ` religion?

What is the difference between justice and equality?

Why was Justice Selected above all other attributes?

Before anything else, it should become clear why justice was chosen as one of God’s most significant attributes and why it was selected as one of the five principles of religion.

God is All-knowing; He is Powerful; He is Just; He is the Sage; He is both All-merciful and All-compassionate; He is Eternal; He is the Creator and the Provider of Sustenance; why was justice selected out of all these other attributes and why was it assigned as one of the five principles of religion?

To answer this question, we should take the following into consideration

Among God’s attributes, justice enjoys a significant position since most of God’s attributes go back to it. This is due to the fact that justice in its widest meaning is to put every item in its proper position. Therefore, the Sage, Provider of Sustenance, the All-Merciful, the All-Compassionate and the like all have their roots in justice.

The issue of the Resurrection [return to God] depends on God’s justice. The prophethood of God’s Messengers and the responsibilities of the Imams are related to God’s justice.

During the early days of Islam, a dispute arose over the issue of God’s justice

A group of Sunnis, called Ash’arites, denied God’s justice entirely. They claimed that the issue of God’s justice or injustice was irrelevant and that all existence is in His possession and belongs to Him. Whatever He does is absolute justice. This group of Sunnis did not even believe in the concept of rational goodness and unseemliness. They used to say: Our wisdom cannot distinguish between good or bad on its own.

Another group of Sunnis, called Mu’tazilites and the Shi`ah, believed in God’s justice and used to say that God never engages in injustice and tyranny:

In order to distinguish between these two groups, the second group was termed the “Adliyah,” that is, those who used God’s Justice as one of their five principles of religion; the first group was called “non-Adliyah,” the Shi`ah were among the Adliyah.

In order to make their religion distinct from the “non-Adliyah,” The Shi`ah used Imamate as one other principle of religion.

Therefore, wherever the issues of Justice and Imamate are brought up, the school of Imamiyyah Shias is involved.

Since religion’s secondary principles are always a reflection of the fundamental principles of religion and since the idea of God’s justice has a tremendous effect on human society,

the adoption of the principle of justice as one of the fundamental principles of religion is a means of reviving justice in human societies and encouraging the struggle against any kind of injustice and aggression.

The leadership of the prophets and Imams sets the stage for true leadership in human societies. Thus, the principle of God’s justice, which governs all human societies, is an indication of the need for justice in human encounters.

The great world of creation is based on justice and so is human society.

What is Justice?

Justice has two distinct meanings

In its wide sense justice is taken to mean “everything in its proper position,” in other words “to be in equilibrium.”

This interpretation of justice can be discerned in the whole sphere of creation: in galaxies, inside atoms, in the structure of the human body, in plants and in living organisms.

This is the same meaning which is implied in the famous Hadith of the Messenger of God which declares:

“Through justice the skies and the earth exist.”

For example, if the attractive and repulsive forces of the earth are negated or if one of the two of them overpowers the other, the earth would either be absorbed by the sun, which would then be destroyed or it would wander free in the infinite expanse of space and be annihilated.

This sense of justice is depicted in this poem:

What is injustice? Injustice is when things are not in their proper places; what is justice? It is when trees get water; what is injustice?

Injustice is when thorns receive water.

If water is used for plants and orchards, one finds justice; however, if it is used to water thorns and weeds, injustice rules.

Another meaning for justice is “considering other people’s rights.” thus, it is unjust to deprive others of their rights or to engage in discrimination or favoritism.

It is interesting to know that justice in its two meanings applies to Allah. However, in our discussions the second meaning is more often intended.

God’s justice implies that He neither deprives anybody of his or her rights, nor does He engage in favoritism. He does not discriminate among people. He is just in the true sense of the word. In the coming lectures we will present proofs of God’s Justice.

Injustice whether it means the deprivation of rights or engaging in favoritism or discrimination, is not in harmony with God’s attributes.

God never punishes a righteous person; neither does He encourage a wrongdoer in his vicious acts; He does not punish anyone for the wrong actions committed by others. His actions are completely based on pure justice.

God uses justice with all members of society under all circumstances. Thus, the statement of the Ash’arites is false when they declare that God is just even if He sends all the prophets to Hell or even if He dispatches all the wrongdoers and criminals to paradise. A man with common sense would not utter such nonsense.

The Differences between Justice and Equality

Another significant point which should be considered here is that justice and equality are sometimes erroneously used interchangeably. This is far from the truth.

Equality is not a pre-condition for justice to occur. Priorities and preferences, too, should be considered; for instance, it is not justice to give all students in a class the same grade; neither should two workers receive the same wage. Justice is used when each student receives his grade according to his or her merits or a worker receives his wage based on his expertise.

The same is true in nature. It would not be just for a whale to have a heart the weight of one gram or for a sparrow to have a heart as heavy as one ton. It would not be just for a sturdy tree to have the root of a small tree.

It is just for any organism to receive subsistence in accordance with its merits and capabilities.

THINK AND ANSWER

Why is justice, which is one of God’s attributes, recognized as one of the principles of religion?

Who are the Ash’arites? What do you know of their beliefs?

What are the social consequences of the belief in God’s justice?

What are the two meanings of justice? Outline them.

Is justice the same as equality?

Second Lecture: The Reasons for God’s Justice

Rational Goodness and Unseemliness

It should be pointed out that our wisdom realizes the goodness and unseemliness of things to a certain degree.

For instance, we know that justice and kindness are good and admired characteristics and injustice and jealousy are bad and repulsive. We know all this without religious instruction. However, there are things we could not understand through the sciences alone; to recognize them, we need the instruction of religious leaders such as the prophets.

Thus, the Ash’arites are wrong when they deny rational goodness and unseemliness.

If our wisdom was not able to distinguish between good and bad, how would we be able to acknowledge whether or not God had given miracles to an honest individual or to a liar? But when we say lying is unseemly and is uncharacteristic of God and that His statements are always right and flawless, we know that His promises are true and that He would never support a liar, so He would not provide a liar with miracles.

That is why we can trust religion and we can conclude that the belief in rational goodness and unseemliness is the very foundation of our religion.

Now, let us return to the reasons for God’s justice. To know these facts, we should be aware of the following:

What is the Source of Injustice?

Injustice is due to one of the following:

Ignorance

Sometimes a cruel person or a tyrant does not really know what he is doing; neither does he realize that he is destroying the rights of others. Need

At times, we wish to possess things which belong to others. Under these conditions, we might be tempted to become involve in injustice.

Incompetence and Inability;

At times, we may not be willing to deprive others of their rights but we cannot help it and unwillingly we become involved in injustice.

Selfishness and Revenge

Sometimes none of the above factors are responsible for our decision; rather our selfishness leads us to trespass over the rights of others. Our desire for revenge might be another factor for getting involved in injustice. Our egocentrism might be responsible for the wrong inflicted by us on others.

God has none of these defects due to the fact that He is All-knowing, He is in need of nothing, He has power over everything and He is kind towards everyone. It is therefore irrational to think that He could ever get involved in tyranny or injustice.

God is infinite; His perfection has no limit. One can expect nothing but benevolence, justice, kindness and affection from such a source of Divine Mercy.

When we observe that evildoers are punished, it is not God Who punishes them; rather their punishment is, in fact, the consequence of their wrong. This resembles the punishment of death which an addict receives because of his addiction and due to his use of narcotics and alcoholic beverages. The Holy Qur’an says:

هَلْ تُجْزَوْنَ إِلاَّ بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَكْسِبُونَ؟

Shall you be rewarded for aught except what you did? [Qur’an 27:90]

The Qur’an and God’s Justice

It is worth mentioning that this fact is highly stressed in the sacred verses of the Holy Qur’an. For instance, on one occasion God says:

إِنَّ اللّهَ لاَ يَظْلِمُ النَّاسَ شَيْئاً وَلَكِنَّ النَّاسَ أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ

Surely, Allah does not do any injustice to men, but men are unjust to themselves. [Qur’an 10:44]

Still in another situation, the Holy Qur’an says:

إِنَّ اللّهَ لاَ يَظْلِمُ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ

Surely, Allah does not do injustice the weight of an atom. [Qur’an 4:40]

Concerning the chastisement of the Resurrection Day, the Holy Qur’an states:

وَنَضَعُ الْمَوَازِينَ الْقِسْطَ لِيَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ فَلاَ تُظْلَمُ نَفْسٌ شَيْئاً

And We will set up a just balance on the Day of Resurrection, so no soul shall be dealt with unjustly in the least. [Qur’an 21:47]

Invitation to Justice

We have already said that man’s attributes should be a reflection of God’s Attributes and that God’s Attributes should be felt among the members of any society. Based on this principle, the Holy Qur’an emphasizes both God’s Justice, and justice among the members of human society. The Holy Qur’an has repeatedly considered injustice as the very essence of corruption in human society and predicts a painful fate for cruel people.

By describing the fate of people in olden times who were destroyed due to their unjust deeds, the Holy Qur’an warns people against practicing injustice and cruel acts.

Using it as a principle, the Holy Qur’an explicitly states:

إِنَّ اللّهَ يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالإِحْسَانِ وَإِيتَاءِ ذِي الْقُرْبَى وَيَنْهَى عَنِ الْفَحْشَاء وَالْمُنكَرِ وَالْبَغْيِ

Surely, Allah enjoins the doing of justice and doing of good to others and the giving to the kindred, and He forbids indecency, evil, and rebellion. [Qur’an 16:90]

It is worthwhile to mention that accepting cruelty and injustice from others is just as abominable as doing injustice to others. This is explicitly stated in verse 279 of Surah Baqara:

لاَ تَظْلِمُونَ وَلاَ تُظْلَمُونَ

Neither shall you make the debtor suffer loss, nor shall you be made to suffer loss. [Qur’an 2:279]

Submission to the unjust acts of cruel people is to encourage tyrants to engage in their devilish deeds even more.

THINK AND ANSWER

Is our intelligence or wisdom capable of distinguishing between good and bad independently and without the assistance of the Shariah?

What are the sources of injustice? What logical reasons are there for God’s justice?

What does the Holy Qur’an have to say about God’s justice and the negation of injustice by Him?

What is man’s duty vis-à-vis justice and injustice?

Is it considered a sin to submit to injustice?

Third Lecture: The Philosophy behind Disasters and Evils

Since ancient times, some ignorant people have criticized God for His alleged injustice. They have put forward some issues which, in their conceptualization, are in conflict with God’s genuine justice. They have even gone so far as to use these issues to support both the negation of God’s justice and His existence altogether.

Among the things, they see as evils are those mishaps which at times afflict man, plants and other living organisms.

Among them are natural disasters such as tornadoes, earthquakes and other general calamities.

This issue is often brought up in relation to either theism as opposed to atheism, or God’s justice or lack thereof. In order to comprehend this topic, let us consider the following carefully:

Man’s Relative Judgment and his Limited Knowledge

In judging some things, we usually rely upon our own selves. For instance, we will say that something is near to us or far from us, or, we refer to another person as either strong or weak. This comparison is done by comparing that person’s strength or weakness with our own, both physically and mentally. In relation to good and evil, people employ the same approach.

For instance, if it rains somewhere, we would ignore the impact of that rain on the general economy of our country, instead, we would only be concerned with our immediate environment, our homes, our fields, or at most our city. If the impact of that rain is positive, we will refer to as it a blessing from God, and if it had deleterious effects, we would refer to it as a disaster sent from heaven.

Let us give you another example: when a dilapidated building is torn down to be replaced by a better building, we refer to the dirt produced as an evil thing, forgetting for the moment that the newly built building might be a hospital from which numerous people would benefit in the future. In the case of that rain, we might temporarily forget that it might have positive advantages for the community.

In our superficial and unfounded judgments, we would consider a snake’s poison as an evil thing, forgetting for the moment that this poison is one of the defense mechanisms of the snake and that this poison could be used for pharmaceutical purposes to save a man’s life.

Therefore, to avoid falling into this pitfall, we should not use our limited knowledge to judge world affairs. In our judgments, we should avoid judging things and affairs exclusively based on ourselves; rather, we should take as many factors as possible into consideration.

Basically, the geographical and climatic events in the world are inter-related: the storm blowing in our city today and the torrential flood pouring down tomorrow are links in the universal chain of events which are taking place. These events have their roots both in the past and in the present.

We will conclude from what we have said above that jumping to conclusions based on scanty pieces of the picture and ignoring the whole body of evidence is irrational indeed.

What should be strongly denied is the creation of “absolute evil.” It would be more acceptable to see things as good from one perspective but from another aspect, and the good aspect to be more is predominant in it.

A surgical operation is extremely painful from one aspect but is of a great benefit to the person involved.

An earthquake naturally creates a lot of destruction in some areas of the earth. But when we put it into the perspective of other related affairs, our judgments drastically change.

Scientists present us with two types of causes for earthquakes. According to one theory, it is caused by the moon’s attraction to the dry outer layers of the earth. In accordance with a second theory, earthquakes are caused by heat and gases within the earth.

No matter which theory is taken to be true, we should take its other consequences into consideration. In other words, we should be aware of the effects of the earth’s internal heat over the formation of fossil resources, such as oil and coal inside the earth. Therefore, earthquakes could be regarded as relatively benevolent and good.

Another example is the tides, which are created by the attraction of the moon to the oceans and which results in the irrigation of the dry coasts of the oceans and seas. This, too, is of relative benevolence.

Thus, we understand that our relative judgments and limited knowledge are the real causes for our misunderstanding of universal events. The more we study the inter-relationship between events, the more we will recognize the limited scope of our judgments. Regarding this, the Holy Qur’an tells us:

وَمَا أُوتِيتُمْ مِن الْعِلْمِ إِلاَّ قَلِيلاً

And you are not given aught of knowledge but a little. [Qur’an 17:85]

With this limited knowledge, we should avoid rushing to jump to conclusions.

Unpleasant Events and Warnings

All of us have observed some people, who when they gain possessions and affluence, become immersed in vanity and false pride, forgetting for the moment, most of their responsibilities and important human affairs.

We have also seen that people are steeped in luxury, they become carried away by negligence which, if it continues, leads to disaster.

You have, no doubt, heard experienced drivers complain of straight, curve-free roads, which might make them drowsy and could be devastating to them. In some countries, artificial bumps are placed on these kinds of roads to reduce danger.

Human life resembles these straight, curveless roads in many ways. If there were no bumps, such as unpleasant events, in our way, negligence would overcome us and we would forget our duties towards God and other fellow human beings.

We are not advising people to create nasty, unpleasant events for themselves. Rather, we are saying that the philosophy behind some of these events is that they could prevent us from sinking into vanity and negligence. Regarding this topic, The Holy Qur’an states:

فَأَخَذْنَاهُمْ بِالْبَأْسَاء وَالضَّرَّاء لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَضَرَّعُونَ

…then We seized them with distress and affliction in order that they might humble themselves. [Qur’an 6:42]

THINK AND ANSWER

Who has brought up the question of disasters and vices in the discussion on religion?

Name some examples of disasters and calamities. Have you ever experienced any of them?

What is meant by relative judgment as opposed to all-inclusive judgment? And what is meant by “absolute evil” and “relative good”

Are tornadoes and earthquakes completely negative in their effect?

What positive effects might unpleasant events have on our lives?

Fourth Lecture: The Philosophy behind Unpleasant Events in our Lives

We have seen that some faultfinders have used the unpleasant events that occur in man’s life and the disasters which we constantly face to deny God’s Justice or to deny the very existence of God altogether.

In our previous discussion, we analyzed some of these events and provided two different philosophies. Let us now continue with this discussion.

Man Matures when he Faces Difficulties

Let us repeat what we have said previously: we should never try to create problems for ourselves. It frequently happens that certain difficult obstacles strengthen our determination and enhance our faculties. This resembles the act of a blacksmith who puts steel into hot ovens to make it stronger and more durable. We, too, become more determined in the oven of hardships.

Wars are abominable events, but sometimes an intense could enhance the capabilities of a nation and make it flourish; it could change disunity into unity and could redress backwardness.

A well-known western historian writes:

“Any brilliant civilization that has emerged in whichever part of this world has been caused by a strong foreign invader which has caused the hidden capabilities of the invaded nation to flourish.”

Of course, the reaction of all individuals and societies in the face of the bitter events of life has not been identical. Some individuals despair easily; so, they are drawn into pessimism; and end up being the losers. There are others, however, because of their potential are motivated by events and move forward energetically trying to amend their weak points and drawbacks. However, since most people judge superficially, they only observe the bitter and hard aspects of the hardships of life and do not notice the positive aspects of these difficulties.

We do not, claim that all bitter events always have such an impact on us, but they do in many cases.

If one studies the life patterns of those endowed with genius, you would find out that nearly all of them carried out their activities under hard and difficult circumstances. Few of those who have been pampered and spoiled have shown any genius or have reached lofty positions in life. Great, distinguished military leaders and generals have such high social positions because they have encountered difficult challenges in the military theater. By the same token, the experts in economics are those who have wrestled against daunting economic conditions and have emerged victorious.

In the same way, great politicians are those who have struggled against hard and unpleasant events.

In sum, it could be stated that hardships and pain nourish the human mind.

We read the following truth in the Holy Qur’an:

فَعَسَى أَن تَكْرَهُواْ شَيْئاً وَيَجْعَلَ اللهُ فِيهِ خَيْراً كَثِيراً

Then if you hate them, it may be that you dislike a thing while Allah has placed abundant good in it. [Qur’an 4:19]

Hardships Prepare Man to Return to God

In the previous discussions, we found out that there is a specific aim for every one of our limbs and organs. There is even a philosophy behind the creation of our fingerprints, so, how could it be possible for our whole body to lack any pre-specified objectives?

We have seen so far, as well, that the main objective of man’s creation has been for him to develop and to flourish in all aspects of life.

In order to attain such perfection, man needs profound educational programs that could lead the entirety of his being, therefore such a program should be all-inclusive. For this very reason, God has provided man not only with a monotheistic nature but has sent heavenly books through great prophets to lead man to the straight path.

For man to accomplish such a profound feat God has revealed to him the consequences of his sins and wrongdoings and has made man suffer in those cases where he has disobeyed God’s orders and commands; in this way, God has taught man to take lessons from his previous errors and pave the way to approach Him. For this reason, some of the disasters and unpleasant events man encounters, are in fact God’s grace and signs of His Benevolence.

This fact is vividly stated in The Holy Qur’an:

ظَهَرَ الْفَسَادُ فِي الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ أَيْدِي النَّاسِ لِيُذِيقَهُم بَعْضَ الَّذِي عَمِلُوا لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ

Corruption has appeared in the land and the sea on account of what the hands of men have wrought, that He may make them taste a part of that which they have done, so that they may return. [Qur’an 30:41]

Regarding the afore-mentioned topics, it is entirely baseless and illogical to consider disastrous events as evil, to interpret them as pernicious and to consider them as signs of God’s injustice. This is because the more meticulously we delve into this issue, the more we appreciate the philosophy behind it.

THINK AND ANSWER

What are the objectives behind man’s creation? How could we attain such objectives?

How does man mature and become stronger through hardships?

Have you encountered anyone who became greater and emerged victorious through hardships? Write their biographies.

What does the Holy Qur’an say regarding the consequences of our sins?

Which individuals benefit from bitter events and which ones interpret them negatively?

Fifth Lecture: More Discussion on the Philosophy behind Disasters and Evils

Since the issue of disasters and evils is a problem for most students of theology and monotheism, we shall devote more space here to this topic.

Hardships and Life’s Ups and Downs Enliven Us

It might seem difficult for some to comprehend, but gifts and blessings lose their value if they continue for a long time and do not change.

It is a proven fact that if a smooth item is placed inside a sphere with strong rays of light directed upon it, the item becomes difficult for the observer to see. This is because it is the shadows around an item that make it visible.

Blessings, in the same way, are not observable without the shadows of hardship. We would not enjoy our lives if we did not encounter any diseases at all. It is only after a night of fever and headache that we appreciate the value of health.

As a whole, a monotonous life, even the most affluent one, is both boring and morbid. It is commonly observed that some of those who have led an affluent life, is free from disturbances, consider life to be absurd and have tried either to commit suicide or complain about their lives.

You never see a talented architect construct the walls of a hall like the walls of a prison, drab and monotonous; rather, with his innovations he tries to give it spirit and joy.

Why is nature so wonderfully beautiful? Why are forests, mountains, rivers, streams and the swaying branches of the trees so interesting and so charming? One obvious reason might be the lack of monotony.

The dichotomies of light and dark on the one hand and day and night on the other, which are repeatedly emphasized in the Holy Qur’an, are meant to eliminate monotony from human existence. This is because if the sun continuously shone from only one location in the sky, there would be no change of day and night and within a short time, everyone would suffer boredom.

Based on these pieces of information, we should accept the fact that disasters in life are partly influential in making the rest of our lives more attractive and helping us appreciate the real value of our blessings.

Self-made Hardships

Another point which should be mentioned in this final section of our discussion is the fact that most people are ignorant of the causes of unpleasant events and disasters and attribute those injustices which are actually done by other human beings to the system of creation. They thus attribute the irregularities in man’s deeds to irregularities in creation.

For instance, they complain in the following fashion: “Why should all disasters and misfortunes happen to me? Why do earthquakes cause few casualties in towns, but many more in the villages? Why should so many lives be lost in villages due to earthquakes? What sort of justice is this? If we are supposed to be exposed to all sorts of calamities, why should we not receive them equally? Why should the poor be exposed to so many disasters? Why are the poor victimized in general hospitals?”

These critics do not realize that none of these issues is related to the general scheme of creation; nor are they related to God’s justice. Rather, these are the direct and inevitable consequences of man’s injustice and exploitation of other human beings.

If villagers were not living under dire poverty due to the inequalities between them and city dwellers, they could build stronger houses to withstand earthquakes and many lives could be saved this way. But when their houses are built with clay bricks without using cement, any strong wind or weak earthquake can easily destroy them. How can these events be related to God or His justice?

We should not, find fault with God’s philosophy of creation by complaining and uttering such statements: “He has given some people all sorts of assets, but has deprived others of their basic needs. He has given some people elegant, breath-taking mansions and others caves to dwell in!”

These criticisms should be directed towards the disorganized institutions of society. These social injustices should be eradicated through our efforts. Poverty should be removed from our society through our efforts. The deprived and the miserable should be taken care of. Only through such deeds could we rid ourselves of these blatant cases of injustice.

If all people from all walks of life had proper nutrition and hygiene, they would be resistant to diseases.

However, in a society in which a just order does not exist but in which aggression and the exploitation of others prevail, there would be some who would be so affluent that they would even have veterinarians and medicines for their pets and there would be those who would lack even the right medicine for their babies. Such cases are prevalent in many societies.

Under such circumstances, it would be rational to find fault with our own deeds and not with God.

We should advise the oppressors to stop their acts of cruelty and tell the oppressed not to yield to oppression.

We should, as well, try hard to provide all members of society with the minimum means of hygiene, treatment, food, shelter, and education. Therefore, we must conclude that we should not blame the creator for our own faults and shortcomings, saying: How could God ever impose such miseries upon us? How could God ever have recommended such an unjust social order?

In contrast, God has created us free since freedom is the very key to prosperity.

However, it is we who misuse our freedom and expose others to cruelty. These cruelties ultimately manifest themselves as social disorder, irregularities and complete chaos.

Unfortunately, these blunders affect everyone and the works of some poets attest to this situation.

The Holy Qur’an explains this issue elegantly:

إِنَّ اللهَ لاَ يَظْلِمُ النَّاسَ شَيْئاً وَلَكِنَّ النَّاسَ أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ

Certainly, Allah does not do any injustice to men, but men are unjust to themselves. [Qur’an 10:44]

THINK AND ANSWER

Why did we discuss the issue of disasters and evils in three lectures?

What is the drastic side effect of a monotonous life? Have you ever met a person who complains of his affluent life?

What do you know of the philosophy of light and darkness in the world of creation?

Are all the calamities that are prevalent in our society attributable to creation or do we also, have some role in their occurrence?

Are there appropriate ways available to us to redress social disasters? What are our responsibilities vis-à-vis the oppressed?