What a profound reflection. I had never really thought about origins and ends in this way before. And yet I am still hesitant to touch the soil with my bare hands even though even Western medicine is slowly recognizing the importance of “grounding.” Thank you for sharing your wisdom with us! May Allah swt bless you for your strength and patience in this troubled world.
Thank you for your reflection. It was most thoughtful. But as a non-religious person I have to admit the events of the last three years in the Palestinian territories have utterly annihilated the possibility of believing in any kind of good, powerful god for me. If there is an incredibly powerful good being who can sit and watch this take place then there must be some incredibly good reason otherwise such a being is either not good or powerful at least. If there is a justification this being then keeps that secret and fails to inform the agents from which 'he' ('she' / 'it') demands recognition. Meaning people who claim there is a justification are merely appealing to mystery (which is considered illogical).
(My apologies. I wrote this before realising you lost your own children in this genocide. I am sorry we have failed you here in Europe.)
God is not keeping anything a secret, on the contrary, he has sent us messenger after messenger with His clear guidance, if only we were to listen and reflect. Please consider reading the Quran with an open mind and heart, it is the word of God. God instructs us repeatedly in the Quran to read, reflect, and use our intellect because if we do it will in fact always lead back to truth. Not only are there irrefutable miracles in the Quran that prove it is from God, but anyone who reads it with a true intention to seek guidance cannot help but know it is from God himself.
I also recommend searching up Jeffrey Lang, he was an atheist that struggled with these very questions and talks about how that lead him to Islam.
This world is just a test, it has no inherent value. The only thing that matters here is how each of us chooses to act. Whatever “good” or “bad” happens is temporary. Our real life begins after death and thats when everyone will get what they are due for eternity.
Hello Aya. Please know I have much more respect for Islam than many other religions and I want to make my criticisms in that context.
If god is not keeping secrets or staying silent then where is 'his' explanation for why children in Gaza must die in the most awful of ways on a daily basis? (Plus all the other kinds of suffering, not just death, which they endure.) If this world is a test then why don't Gazan toddlers get enough time to do the test? And the ones who survive this genocide have to do the test with all kinds of terrible PTSD and physical disabilities that will adversely affect their cognitive ability to do the test objectively. Some of them will doubtless reject the existence of god as a result of their suffering and who is to tell them they are wrong to come to this conclusion? And if god will forgive their disbelief after death because of their suffering then why does the Qur'an not clearly say so (as far as I know)?
I have read the Qur'an twice in English. I'm trying to learn Arabic but I'm not very good currently. I did not find anything miraculous in it I'm afraid. I know reading it in English means I miss out on things however.
Hello Mr. Michael, thank you for your thoughtful response.
Simply, Gods explanation for everything we endure here is in the Quran.
What about all the good here? What about the beauty we see all around us in nature and within ourselves? What about love, care for one another, kindness, generosity, intellect, laughter, warmth, people who sacrifice for another’s benefit, those who love us unconditionally, our own abilities and talents? What about those who choose to live a life of righteousness and doing good and spreading peace? Why are we not asking why God gave us such a miraculous body which if we look into how any single part of it and how it functions it is truly awe inspiring.
The reason I ask this is because God already had created angels before us that did nothing but worship and praise him and he created us as a more honored creation that had free will and intellect. We have the ability to cause harm and to do so much good, but all in the limited realm of a world that lasts only a short time. Judgement day will come and each person will get exactly what they are due. The ones oppressing will be punished for eternity and the ones that did good and believed in god despite the hardships will be in heaven for eternity.
Respectfully, I think the issue occurs when we come to a conclusion before seeking guidance. And I say this as someone who had to wrestle with the same questions so I understand where you are coming from. Guidance requires humility, not a lack of reflection or discernment but humility and an openness to accept the truth whatever it may be. How can you truly be guided if you have already made up your mind that God is unjust or does not exist at all. The key is to take a step back from all of our conclusions, admit our limitations and ask God sincerely to guide us to the truth and He will never ever turn away someone seeking Him sincerely, He will guide you if you are seeking the truth, thats His promise.
Why have we decided that pain is bad? That hardship is injustice? We are so so so limited in our knowledge of what everything actually entails. God tells us that there is a price for heaven and it is our very lives. That looks different for each believer and God chooses for each one of us what we can bear. That may look like a life of service to others or enduring a lifelong disability or a very short life. Who is to say that the person that has been imprisoned or has a physical disability is not better off because they are closer to paradise and to God than the ones living a life of heedlessness and luxury who have forgotten God. When someone causes injustice to another here it is injustice and they will be compensated with perfect justice from God but if we expand our view and zoom out, that very injustice is what may take the one who was oppressed straight to paradise. This world is minuscule. The Quran states that on the day of judgement we will say that it seemed we lived here a day or only part of a day. We will be grateful for every hardship that brought us to heaven and regretful of every “good” that may have taken us away from it. This isnt to say that we are meant to only suffer here, God says that he wants ease for us, he does not create us to suffer. But ease does not mean heaven on Earth, a perfect existence with no hardships or discomfort of any sort only exists in heaven. It means the peace in our soul, the sweetness of worshipping and being close to our creator, the mercies he provides us ever single moment, the blessings of health, wealth, joy, companionship, love, beauty and so so so many more countless blessings that we may not even be aware of. And with that, God says he will test us in these blessings periodically as a means of purification and test and if we pass, if we remain faithful and grateful, the test passes and there is eternal peace.
Thank you Aya. Maybe I will private message you. I feel bad debating it here because this poor mother lost her own children in the genocide and I feel bad for questioning on here now. I want to be respectful to her.
Thank you for your profound reflections. You may read the Qur'aan and it might not seem miraculous. That's not the aim.
Why doesn't God step in to stem the seemingly bad, you ask? It's a profound question. But this is the matter of free will. One of our teachers said, if God were to step in every time someone made a bad choice then it means an anvil would fall on their head when they lie on their tax return or when someone cuts another off in traffic.
Divine justice doesn't work on human timeline, but on a divine timeline.
The reality is that what we see in this world is a result of people acting out of harmony with God's way. Greed, arrogance, hatred... it comes from ourselves and no one else.
God placed us here on earth as a trial. The arc of His Justice and Wisdom is longer than we understand. We submit - to being in harmony with His way, to believe in who He says he is, and to act as He would want us to act.
That is Islam. Not miracles. Submission and Belief.
Happy to discuss more any time. And may heart be gently opened to the Truth.
What a profound reflection. I had never really thought about origins and ends in this way before. And yet I am still hesitant to touch the soil with my bare hands even though even Western medicine is slowly recognizing the importance of “grounding.” Thank you for sharing your wisdom with us! May Allah swt bless you for your strength and patience in this troubled world.
Thank you for your insights, they bring light to the ones that read them and opens the minds that hear them.
Thank you for your reflection. It was most thoughtful. But as a non-religious person I have to admit the events of the last three years in the Palestinian territories have utterly annihilated the possibility of believing in any kind of good, powerful god for me. If there is an incredibly powerful good being who can sit and watch this take place then there must be some incredibly good reason otherwise such a being is either not good or powerful at least. If there is a justification this being then keeps that secret and fails to inform the agents from which 'he' ('she' / 'it') demands recognition. Meaning people who claim there is a justification are merely appealing to mystery (which is considered illogical).
(My apologies. I wrote this before realising you lost your own children in this genocide. I am sorry we have failed you here in Europe.)
God is not keeping anything a secret, on the contrary, he has sent us messenger after messenger with His clear guidance, if only we were to listen and reflect. Please consider reading the Quran with an open mind and heart, it is the word of God. God instructs us repeatedly in the Quran to read, reflect, and use our intellect because if we do it will in fact always lead back to truth. Not only are there irrefutable miracles in the Quran that prove it is from God, but anyone who reads it with a true intention to seek guidance cannot help but know it is from God himself.
I also recommend searching up Jeffrey Lang, he was an atheist that struggled with these very questions and talks about how that lead him to Islam.
This world is just a test, it has no inherent value. The only thing that matters here is how each of us chooses to act. Whatever “good” or “bad” happens is temporary. Our real life begins after death and thats when everyone will get what they are due for eternity.
Hello Aya. Please know I have much more respect for Islam than many other religions and I want to make my criticisms in that context.
If god is not keeping secrets or staying silent then where is 'his' explanation for why children in Gaza must die in the most awful of ways on a daily basis? (Plus all the other kinds of suffering, not just death, which they endure.) If this world is a test then why don't Gazan toddlers get enough time to do the test? And the ones who survive this genocide have to do the test with all kinds of terrible PTSD and physical disabilities that will adversely affect their cognitive ability to do the test objectively. Some of them will doubtless reject the existence of god as a result of their suffering and who is to tell them they are wrong to come to this conclusion? And if god will forgive their disbelief after death because of their suffering then why does the Qur'an not clearly say so (as far as I know)?
I have read the Qur'an twice in English. I'm trying to learn Arabic but I'm not very good currently. I did not find anything miraculous in it I'm afraid. I know reading it in English means I miss out on things however.
With respect. Salamu alaikum.
Hello Mr. Michael, thank you for your thoughtful response.
Simply, Gods explanation for everything we endure here is in the Quran.
What about all the good here? What about the beauty we see all around us in nature and within ourselves? What about love, care for one another, kindness, generosity, intellect, laughter, warmth, people who sacrifice for another’s benefit, those who love us unconditionally, our own abilities and talents? What about those who choose to live a life of righteousness and doing good and spreading peace? Why are we not asking why God gave us such a miraculous body which if we look into how any single part of it and how it functions it is truly awe inspiring.
The reason I ask this is because God already had created angels before us that did nothing but worship and praise him and he created us as a more honored creation that had free will and intellect. We have the ability to cause harm and to do so much good, but all in the limited realm of a world that lasts only a short time. Judgement day will come and each person will get exactly what they are due. The ones oppressing will be punished for eternity and the ones that did good and believed in god despite the hardships will be in heaven for eternity.
Respectfully, I think the issue occurs when we come to a conclusion before seeking guidance. And I say this as someone who had to wrestle with the same questions so I understand where you are coming from. Guidance requires humility, not a lack of reflection or discernment but humility and an openness to accept the truth whatever it may be. How can you truly be guided if you have already made up your mind that God is unjust or does not exist at all. The key is to take a step back from all of our conclusions, admit our limitations and ask God sincerely to guide us to the truth and He will never ever turn away someone seeking Him sincerely, He will guide you if you are seeking the truth, thats His promise.
Why have we decided that pain is bad? That hardship is injustice? We are so so so limited in our knowledge of what everything actually entails. God tells us that there is a price for heaven and it is our very lives. That looks different for each believer and God chooses for each one of us what we can bear. That may look like a life of service to others or enduring a lifelong disability or a very short life. Who is to say that the person that has been imprisoned or has a physical disability is not better off because they are closer to paradise and to God than the ones living a life of heedlessness and luxury who have forgotten God. When someone causes injustice to another here it is injustice and they will be compensated with perfect justice from God but if we expand our view and zoom out, that very injustice is what may take the one who was oppressed straight to paradise. This world is minuscule. The Quran states that on the day of judgement we will say that it seemed we lived here a day or only part of a day. We will be grateful for every hardship that brought us to heaven and regretful of every “good” that may have taken us away from it. This isnt to say that we are meant to only suffer here, God says that he wants ease for us, he does not create us to suffer. But ease does not mean heaven on Earth, a perfect existence with no hardships or discomfort of any sort only exists in heaven. It means the peace in our soul, the sweetness of worshipping and being close to our creator, the mercies he provides us ever single moment, the blessings of health, wealth, joy, companionship, love, beauty and so so so many more countless blessings that we may not even be aware of. And with that, God says he will test us in these blessings periodically as a means of purification and test and if we pass, if we remain faithful and grateful, the test passes and there is eternal peace.
Thank you Aya. Maybe I will private message you. I feel bad debating it here because this poor mother lost her own children in the genocide and I feel bad for questioning on here now. I want to be respectful to her.
Of course, feel free to message me if you’d like to discuss further.
Hi Mr Michael,
Thank you for your profound reflections. You may read the Qur'aan and it might not seem miraculous. That's not the aim.
Why doesn't God step in to stem the seemingly bad, you ask? It's a profound question. But this is the matter of free will. One of our teachers said, if God were to step in every time someone made a bad choice then it means an anvil would fall on their head when they lie on their tax return or when someone cuts another off in traffic.
Divine justice doesn't work on human timeline, but on a divine timeline.
The reality is that what we see in this world is a result of people acting out of harmony with God's way. Greed, arrogance, hatred... it comes from ourselves and no one else.
God placed us here on earth as a trial. The arc of His Justice and Wisdom is longer than we understand. We submit - to being in harmony with His way, to believe in who He says he is, and to act as He would want us to act.
That is Islam. Not miracles. Submission and Belief.
Happy to discuss more any time. And may heart be gently opened to the Truth.
I will message you a reply if that's okay.
Please do. It would be my honour if I can help.