Suffering

Surah 64 Al-Tagabun verses 8-11



8. Believe, therefore, in Allah and his messenger, and in the light which we have sent down. And Allah is well aquainted with all you do.

9. The day that he assembles you for a day of assembly--that will be a day of mutual loss and gain (among you). And those who believe in Allah and work righteousness--he will remove from them their ill, and he will admit them to gardens beneath which rivers flow, to dwell therein forever: that will be the supreme triumph.

10. But those who reject faith and treat our signs as falsehoods, they will be companions of the fire, to dwell therein for aye: and evil is that goal.

11. No kind of Calamity can occur except by leave of Allah: and if any one believes in Allah, (He) Guides his heart: for Allah knows all things.



Sometimes it is simply easier to be intellectually lazy.---and we humans will often take the easier route. These verses are interesting because they hint at the root of suffering---as well as its solution.

Euclides frames his understanding of Suffering and God's nature----

Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able?
then he is not omnipotent

Is he able, but not willing?
then he is malevolent.

Is he both able and willing?
Then whence comes evil?

Is he neither able nor willing?
Then why call him GOD?

In the above, the key that is missing in the understanding of suffering is Human beings and the effect/consequences of their free-will. When we frame questions in order to understand a phenomenon or problem, we should take into consideration all aspects, for to do otherwise is to frame the wrong question---thus giving ourselves the wrong answer.

If God is omnipotent and therefore, capable of preventing evil---then where does suffering originate from? It comes from the consequences of the egoic actions of human beings. ---But, one might argue---there are forces of nature beyond human control--such as the Asian Tsunami, Katrina(U.S.), or the earthquakes in Asia.(for example China---where a school building collapsed). While it may be easier to blame God, it would be intellectually lazy to do so---in all of these instances, it was human actions that intensified the sufferring, --In China, the buildings were made of shoddy materials--so that someone could make more profit---Katrina---the whole area was built on a former marshland that was below sea level---it was a disaster waiting to happen---and the time was up. In the case of the Asian Tsunami---U.S. warning systems were all over the sea-bed---but secrecy was more important than lives and adequate warning was never passed on to the relevant governments---We humans have the intelligence and the technology to alleviate and/or prevent much of the sufferring in our world---if we co-operate with each other, respect nature and all of God's creations, there is much good that we can do---instead we are divided---too worried about our own petty concerns.
We may be the cause of much of our sufferring but we are also the solution. Many of our Wisdom teachings tell us that all mankind is one family, we are brothers and sisters of each other. As members of a global family, we can show mutual respect, concern and compassion for each other. With this inner attitude, possibilities can open up for much good action....Inshallah.

Our free-will is a gift from God. We can choose to use it wisely for the good of all of his creation.