Can God Stop Disasters?

[M.RIZ]

Millions Suffer Around the World

So Why Does God Allow Suffering?

Is there a God?

Can God do anything?


Is there any other god or power besides Almighty God?
Is God "Love"?

Why Doesn't God Stop the Evil?
​

- Imam Muzammil Siddiqi, former president of the ISNA -

Indeed Allah is All-Powerful (Al-`Aziz) and He is able to do all things (Allahu 'ala kuli shayin qadir).
The Quran has mentioned this hundreds of times.
Quran also says, "Glory be to Allah, the best Creator" (Al-Mu'minoon: 14)
But then the question comes why do pain and sufferings exist in the world. We find sickness, old age and death. We see things that are ugly, people who are insane and foolish. There are storms, earthquakes, floods, draught and famine. We also see people commit sins, show disloyalty, unfaithfulness, greed and insincerity. We see people commit rapes, murders; they fight and make wars. We know all these and many more problems. There are evils caused by human beings and there are natural disasters.

There are suffering for individuals and there are those that involve a large number of people.

But we also know that this is not the whole story. Besides all these negative things, we also see beauty, health, prosperity, life, birth, wisdom, intelligence, growth and progress. We observe goodness among people, faith, sincerity, charity, love and the spirit of sacrifice. We notice a lot of virtue and piety. It is wrong to see one side of the coin and not to see the other side.



Let us ask this question to understand Allah's ways in His creation. The Quran tells us that good, evil and whatever happens in this world happens by Allah's Will (mashiat Allah). Only Allah knows fully His Will. We finite beings cannot grasp fully His infinite Will and Wisdom. He runs His universe the way He deems fit. The Quran tells us that Allah is Wise and everything that Allah does is right, just, good and fair. We must submit and surrender to His Will. The Quran has not given us all the details about Allah's Will, but it has enlightened us with the guidance that is useful and sufficient for us. There are several points that we should keep in our mind to understand this issue:

1. First of all, Allah did not make this world a permanent world. This is a temporary world and everything here has a time limit. When its times comes it will die, come to an end and finish. Neither the good things of this world are forever, nor the bad things eternal. We are here for a short time and we are being tested. Those who will pass this test will find an eternal world that is perfect and permanent. Those who will fail this test shall see the evil consequences of their sins and corruption.

The prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, told us, "This worldly place is a prison to the true believers, and a paradise to the disbelievers."

2. Allah has placed a physical law and a moral law in this universe. Allah allows suffering to occur when one or more of these laws are broken. The physical law is based on cause and effect. Sickness comes if one does not take care of ones health or is exposed to infections. A car accident occurs when one is not alert, or drives in a careless manner, or if the cars are not checked, roads and freeways are not made and kept in right shape, or the traffic laws are not right or not properly enforced. Study of causes and effects is very important to facilitate safeguards. Even here we should keep in mind that Allah often saves us and He does not let us suffer from every negligence. How many times it happens that we are not careful and still we reach safely to our destinations. The way people drive in some cities, it is a miracle that more accidents do not happen and more people do not suffer. Allah says:

(Allah) Most Gracious! It is He Who has taught the Quran. He has created man: He has taught him speech (and Intelligence). The sun and the moon follow courses (exactly) computed; and the herbs and the trees both (alike) bow in adoration. And the Firmament has He raised high, and He has set up the Balance (of Justice), in order that you may not transgress (due) balance. So establish weight with justice and fall not short in the balance. It is He Who has spread out the earth for (His) creatures."
(Ar-Rahman:1-10)

The way we exceed the measures set by Allah and violate His laws of "cause and effect" is incredible. It is really the mercy of Allah that we are saved. Strictly speaking, the question should not be why does Allah allow suffering, but how much Allah protects us and saves us all the time in spite of our violations and negligence. The Quran says:

"If Allah were to punish people according to what they deserve, He would not leave on the back of the (earth) a single living creature: but He gives them respite for a stated Term: when their Term expires, verily Allah has in His sight all His servants."
(Fatir:45)

But sometimes Allah does punish people because of their violations of His laws whether they are physical or moral. The Quran tells us that many nations and communities were destroyed because of their sinful lifestyles:

If they treat thy (mission) as false, so did the Peoples before them (with their Prophets), the People of Noah, and Ad and Thamud. Those of Abraham and Lut; and the Companions of the Madyan people; and Moses was rejected (in the same way). But I granted respite to the Unbelievers, and (only) after that did I punish them: but how (terrible) was My rejection (of them)! How many populations have We destroyed, which were given to wrong-doing! They tumbled down on their roofs. And how many wells are lying idle and neglected, and castles lofty and well-built?" (Al-Hajj: 42-45)

3. Suffering can also be a test and trial for some people. Allah allows some people to suffer in order to test their patience and steadfastness. Even Allah's Prophets and Messengers were made to suffer. Prophet Ayyub is mentioned in the Quran as a Prophet who was very patient. Good people sometimes suffer but their sufferings heal others and bring goodness to their communities. People learn lessons from their good examples. Martyrs die for their faith, soldiers give their lives for their nations and this brings liberation and freedom for their people.

4. Allah sometimes allows some people to suffer to test others, how they react to them. When you see a person who is sick, poor and needy, then you are tested by Allah. Allah is there with that suffering person to test your charity and your faith. In a very moving Hadith Qudsi (Divine Hadith) the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:


Allah will say on the Day of Judgment,

"O son of Adam, I was sick and you did not visit Me." He will say, "O my Lord, how could I visit You, when you are the Lord of the Worlds?" Allah will say, "Did you not know that My servant so-and-so was sick and you did not visit him? Did you not know that if you had visited him, you would have found Me there?" Allah will say, "O son of Adam, I asked you for food and you fed Me not." He shall say, "O my Lord, how could I feed you and you are the Lord of the Worlds?" And Allah will say, "Did you not know that My servant so-and-so was in need of food and you did not feed him? Did you not know that if you had fed him, you would have found that to have been for Me?" "O son of Adam, I asked you for water and you did not give Me to drink." The man shall say, "O my Lord, how could I give You water, when You are the Lord of the Worlds?" Allah will say, "My servant so-and-so asked you for water and you did not give him to drink water. Did you not know that if you had given him to drink, you would have found that to have been for Me?"
(Muslim, Hadith no. 4661)

Prophet `Isa (Jesus), peace be upon him, is also reported to have said something similar in the Injeel (Gospel or New Testament of The Bible).
(See Matthew 25: 35-45)

So, in summary we can say suffering occurs to teach us that we must adhere to Allah's natural and moral laws. It is sometimes to punish those who violate Allah's natural or moral laws. It is to test our faith in Allah and to test our commitment to human values and charity. Whenever we encounter suffering we should ask ourselves, Have we broken any law of Allah? Let us study the cause of the problem and use the corrective methods. Could it be a punishment? Let us repent and ask forgiveness and reform our ways. Could it be a test and trial for us? Let us work hard to pass this test. Believers face the sufferings with prayers, repentance and good deeds. The non-believers face the sufferings with doubts and confusions. They blame Allah or make arguments against Him. May Allah keep us on the right path, Amen!

Allah Almighty knows best. - [credit to: Dr. Muzamil Saddique and www.IslamOnline.net]
Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi is the director of the Islamic Society of Orange County and (former) President of the Islamic Society of North America.

 

[sirajstc]

 

[pavithra_uk]

lol

allah can nothing to do with natural diseaters

because EARTH IS FLAT

 

[III Reich]

Indeed Allah is All-Powerful (Al-`Aziz) and He is able to do all things (Allahu 'ala kuli shayin qadir).
The Quran has mentioned this hundreds of times.
Quran also says, "Glory be to Allah, the best Creator" (Al-Mu'minoon: 14)

Allah Hu Akbar Because Quran Says So. Quran is right because quran says so. what a logic eh?

But then the question comes why do pain and sufferings exist in the world. We find sickness, old age and death. We see things that are ugly, people who are insane and foolish. There are storms, earthquakes, floods, draught and famine. We also see people commit sins, show disloyalty, unfaithfulness, greed and insincerity. We see people commit rapes, murders; they fight and make wars. We know all these and many more problems. There are evils caused by human beings and there are natural disasters.

There are suffering for individuals and there are those that involve a large number of people.

But we also know that this is not the whole story. Besides all these negative things, we also see beauty, health, prosperity, life, birth, wisdom, intelligence, growth and progress. We observe goodness among people, faith, sincerity, charity, love and the spirit of sacrifice. We notice a lot of virtue and piety. It is wrong to see one side of the coin and not to see the other side.

So This is an Imperfect creation . which means allah is not omnipotent

Let us ask this question to understand Allah's ways in His creation. The Quran tells us that good, evil and whatever happens in this world happens by Allah's Will (mashiat Allah). Only Allah knows fully His Will. We finite beings cannot grasp fully His infinite Will and Wisdom. He runs His universe the way He deems fit. The Quran tells us that Allah is Wise and everything that Allah does is right, just, good and fair. We must submit and surrender to His Will. The Quran has not given us all the details about Allah's Will, but it has enlightened us with the guidance that is useful and sufficient for us. There are several points that we should keep in our mind to understand this issue:

Christians tell the same story. allah s messenger seems to be late.since christianity is evolved before islam shall we follow the christian belief and bible

1. First of all, Allah did not make this world a permanent world. This is a temporary world and everything here has a time limit. When its times comes it will die, come to an end and finish. Neither the good things of this world are forever, nor the bad things eternal. We are here for a short time and we are being tested. Those who will pass this test will find an eternal world that is perfect and permanent. Those who will fail this test shall see the evil consequences of their sins and corruption.

If allah know everything why'd he need a test ? He shud know which one passes the test and which one doesn't . It seems that allah have to test because he doesn't have the knowledge about the world he created ?

2. Allah has placed a physical law and a moral law in this universe. Allah allows suffering to occur when one or more of these laws are broken. The physical law is based on cause and effect. Sickness comes if one does not take care of ones health or is exposed to infections. A car accident occurs when one is not alert, or drives in a careless manner, or if the cars are not checked, roads and freeways are not made and kept in right shape, or the traffic laws are not right or not properly enforced. Study of causes and effects is very important to facilitate safeguards. Even here we should keep in mind that Allah often saves us and He does not let us suffer from every negligence. How many times it happens that we are not careful and still we reach safely to our destinations. The way people drive in some cities, it is a miracle that more accidents do not happen and more people do not suffer. Allah says:

why only sometimes ? If he is almighty he shud save u al the time ? that means allah is lazy when it comes to saving isn't it

But sometimes Allah does punish people because of their violations of His laws whether they are physical or moral. The Quran tells us that many nations and communities were destroyed because of their sinful lifestyles:

again why sometimes ? don't come with the answer allah hu akbar

4. Allah sometimes allows some people to suffer to test others, how they react to them. When you see a person who is sick, poor and needy, then you are tested by Allah. Allah is there with that suffering person to test your charity and your faith. In a very moving Hadith Qudsi (Divine Hadith) the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:

again why test ?

So, in summary we can say suffering occurs to teach us that we must adhere to Allah's natural and moral laws. It is sometimes to punish those who violate Allah's natural or moral laws. It is to test our faith in Allah and to test our commitment to human values and charity. Whenever we encounter suffering we should ask ourselves, Have we broken any law of Allah? Let us study the cause of the problem and use the corrective methods. Could it be a punishment? Let us repent and ask forgiveness and reform our ways. Could it be a test and trial for us? Let us work hard to pass this test. Believers face the sufferings with prayers, repentance and good deeds. The non-believers face the sufferings with doubts and confusions. They blame Allah or make arguments against Him. May Allah keep us on the right path, Amen!

what about this . suffering is there because allah have no control what so ever . get some brains man . this is 21 centuary. there's more to do other than justyfying lunatic primitive fairy tales

 

[Oyage_sudu_kella]

Christian theodicy is much more logical.

 

[Oyage_sudu_kella]

So This is an Imperfect creation . which means allah is not omnipotent

This is bit off topic, yet an omnipotent creature (not necessarily God, lets say Satan for example) can create an imperfect world..can't he..

 

[chirantha7777]

Your question mark on this topic shows the question mark on your faith. Bad things happen to millions. But it is Gods wish. Remember that everything happens for a reason, when you are suffering without reason you ask "Oh God why?" it is Gods wish and plans. How many rich people spend their wealth to help the poor? If there were no poor people rich people would just be getting rich. God will not do magic! God will guide you, just like Jesus.

 

[AncientGlory]

This is bit off topic, yet an omnipotent creature (not necessarily God, lets say Satan for example) can create an imperfect world..can't he..

True. Being omnipotent does not say that the creation should not be imperfect. An omnipotent GOD can create anything, which includes an imperfect creation.

But an omnibenevolence GOD contradicts with an imperfect creation.

 

[III Reich]

This is bit off topic, yet an omnipotent creature (not necessarily God, lets say Satan for example) can create an imperfect world..can't he..

True. Being omnipotent does not say that the creation should not be imperfect. An omnipotent GOD can create anything, which includes an imperfect creation.

But an omnibenevolence GOD contradicts with an imperfect creation.

If god is omnipotent and almighty why does he/she necessarily create an imperfect world ? Even a human being can invent/create something new but one thing is common tto all of them. Imperfectness . but the gods creation must be something which human beings can't override. there has to be something special. something spectacular. but there isn't anything like that.which reflects "god"s inability to create a perfect world

 

[AncientGlory]

If god is omnipotent and almighty why does he/she necessarily create an imperfect world ?

Why would he not? He can do anything as he pleases.

but the gods creation must be something which human beings can't override. there has to be something special. something spectacular.

Why? What does it have to do with GOD being omnipotent? How does the creation reflect the ability of his creativity? A carpenter creates a bench, does that mean he cannot create something superior like a house?

which reflects "god"s inability to create a perfect world

It does not. GOD is omnipotent by definition. An imperfect creation does not reflect the idea that he lacks the ability to make a perfect creation.

 

[III Reich]

Why would he not? He can do anything as he pleases.

I asked you a simple question. What's the necessity in creating an imperfect world ? Yes IF there is a GOD/GODS and If SHE/IT/He's almighty HE/SHE/IT CAN DO ANYTHING HE/SHE/IT like. But why why why ? that's the question haunting in my mind ? why his supreme wisdom didn't lead to create something Perfect ? why he oddly chose to create this mess ? what's the point ?

Why? What does it have to do with GOD being omnipotent? How does the creation reflect the ability of his creativity? A carpenter creates a bench, does that mean he cannot create something superior like a house?

answering a question by another question won't help !
You haven't got my point yet.a carpenter can create a bench , house yes! but does that make him any special ? He's just a normal carpenter .will people praise/worship him because he has made a house/ bench ? Nah . But If he designs a neulear power plant ? ahhh there goes the arguement !

It does not. GOD is omnipotent by definition. An imperfect creation does not reflect the idea that he lacks the ability to make a perfect creation.

1)Not ALL GOD'S ARE OMNIPOTENT BY DEFINITION !
2)absolutely not !
Maybe he really is omnipotent and deliberately create some messy world like this(sounds crazy) . or he's not omnipotent and he tries his best and create this world full of earthquakes , tsunamis , and lots of disasters which MEAN She/he/it is not really worth of worshipping . you cannot deny either facts !

 

[AncientGlory]

I asked you a simple question. What's the necessity in creating an imperfect world ? Yes IF there is a GOD/GODS and If SHE/IT/He's almighty HE/SHE/IT CAN DO ANYTHING HE/SHE/IT like. But why why why ? that's the question haunting in my mind ? why his supreme wisdom didn't lead to create something Perfect ? why he oddly chose to create this mess ? what's the point ?

There can be a necessity, maybe there is not. Or maybe one cannot understand the necessity as we are limited in thinking. Your question as to "why imperfect creation?" is valid, but it has nothing to do with the question "Can he create something imperfect?" The first question can be unanswerable but the answer for the second question is "Yes". If you recall my first comment you will see that I'm merely pointing out that there is no rule/argument that says omnipotent GOD cannot create something imperfect. The imperfect creation does not contradict with the definition that GOD is omnipotent.

answering a question by another question won't help !

Really? This was a method used by many philosophers, theologians, teachers including religious leaders like buddha,etc... Maybe it's a method that do not work with you.

You haven't got my point yet.a carpenter can create a bench , house yes! but does that make him any special ? He's just a normal carpenter .will people praise/worship him because he has made a house/ bench ? Nah . But If he designs a neulear power plant ? ahhh there goes the arguement !

The point you obviously missed here is that specialty of the creation is irrelevant to the argument. Whether something is special or NOT, it has no reflection on the ability of the creator to do something. You are saying that since GOD is omnipotent his creation should be special. I'm saying that argument is not valid. GOD is omnipotent so he can create anything he want including something not special. By looking at that imperfect, and average creation you cannot make the claim creator is not omnipotent.

1)Not ALL GOD'S ARE OMNIPOTENT BY DEFINITION !

The point I was trying to make was, that "When we define the omnipotent GOD". Not that "All GODs are omnipotent by definition. My apologies if I was not clear on this. I go by the argument you bought forward while saying "omnipotent GOD'.

2)absolutely not !

Absolutely not what?

Maybe he really is omnipotent and deliberately create some messy world like this(sounds crazy).

This sounds crazy to you. Subjective view. I think an omnipotent creature can do anything as he wishes. Makes perfect sense to me. Now if you payed any attention to my first post, I said that omnibenevolence GOD will contradict with an imperfect creation. And when someone claims GOD is OMNIMAX then that definition has a problem since GOD who is omnipotent can create anything, and why would a GOD who is omnibenevolence create such an imperfect world full of suffering?

Once again my argument is that GOD being omnipotent does not say that he creating something imperfect is illogical. But GOD being OMNIMAX does.

or he's not omnipotent and he tries his best and create this world full of earthquakes , tsunamis , and lots of disasters which MEAN She/he/it is not really worth of worshipping . you cannot deny either facts !

No it has nothing to do with GOD being omnipotent. Omnipotent GOD can create whatever he wish, a world full of earthquakes, tsunamis and disasters. Whether a GOD is worth of worshiping is completely irrelevant to this discussion. There, Both facts are denied.

 

[III Reich]

I forgot to mention the most probable fact in my earlier post
There is no omnipotent god and he doesn't create anything !

Really? This was a method used by many philosophers, theologians, teachers including religious leaders like buddha,etc... Maybe it's a method that do not work with you.

since you haven't got a clear answer for my question it doesn't help in this instance . may be they helped for them because they knew what they was actually trying to convince

This sounds crazy to you. Subjective view. I think an omnipotent creature can do anything as he wishes. Makes perfect sense to me. Now if you payed any attention to my first post, I said that omnibenevolence GOD will contradict with an imperfect creation. And when someone claims GOD is OMNIMAX then that definition has a problem since GOD who is omnipotent can create anything, and why would a GOD who is omnibenevolence create such an imperfect world full of suffering?

Its like this . you prepare well for an exam and you deliberately fail for no reason. sorry that sounds nuts to my simple logical mind . and i'm surprised its not to you

Your question as to "why imperfect creation?" is valid, but it has nothing to do with the question "Can he create something imperfect?" The first question can be unanswerable but the answer for the second question is "Yes". If you recall my first comment you will see that I'm merely pointing out that there is no rule/argument that says omnipotent GOD cannot create something imperfect. The imperfect creation does not contradict with the definition that GOD is omnipotent.

we are going rounds. yes he/she/it can create anything may be he/she/it can't since he hasn't create anything PERFECT untill this instance . what proof you have got to say God Is Omnipotent ?

There can be a necessity, maybe there is not. Or maybe one cannot understand the necessity as we are limited in thinking.

then wjat's the point in arguing something which you can't understand fully ? useless

 

[AncientGlory]

I forgot to mention the most probable fact in my earlier post
There is no omnipotent god and he doesn't create anything !

since you haven't got a clear answer for my question it doesn't help in this instance . may be they helped for them because they knew what they was actually trying to convince


Its like this . you prepare well for an exam and you deliberately fail for no reason. sorry that sounds nuts to my simple logical mind . and i'm surprised its not to you


we are going rounds. yes he/she/it can create anything may be he/she/it can't since he hasn't create anything PERFECT untill this instance . what proof you have got to say God Is Omnipotent ?


then wjat's the point in arguing something which you can't understand fully ? useless

Omnipotent GOD can make an imperfect creation. That is the only point I'm making. It is amazing that you can't grasp this simple logic. You can't understand something simple as this yet you are trying to convince some people GOD is false. First try to get some logical sense in to you, before telling others what they don't know what they are talking about.