Omar Suleiman – Why Me #23 Why Is There So Much Suffering In The World
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Why do bad things happen to good people?
Why is the world falling apart with wars,
natural disasters,
and debilitating diseases?
Why do innocent souls meet such violent endings?
If God is so merciful,
why did he write extreme suffering into the
fate of so many?
And what am I supposed to be doing
about it?
Of the duas of the prophet Sallallahu Alaihi
Wasallam was Labbeikawasa'adeik
walkhayruqulluobiadaykwassharlu
laysa'illake
anabikawalaykh
tabaraktawata'alayt
Here I am, oh Allah, in answer to
your call, happy to serve you. All good
is in your hands and evil should never
be attributed to you. I exist by your
will and will return to you. How blessed
and exalted are you. And Imam al Qayim
arhimullah comments on this beautiful hadith and he
says, fatabaraqawataAAala
an nispati shari ilaybal
kullumanusiba
ilayhi fahuwakayr
Allah is far more glorified and exalted that
someone should attribute evil to him. Rather, the
only thing attributed to him is good.
Washarru inna masara sharwaninpita'inisfatihee
wa idlaafatihee
ilayh And evil only becomes evil because it
is removed from what was originally attributed to
and then wrongly assigned to Allah.
In one narration, a man came to the
prophet SallAllahu Alaihi Wasallam and asked him for
advice.
The Prophet SallAllahu Alaihi Wasallam said, latatahimillaha
fi shayinqadahu
laq
Do not blame Allah for something he decreed
for you. And indeed those who get accustomed
to blaming Allah for anything
will fail to see their own responsibilities.
Corruption has appeared throughout the land and sea
because of what the hands of people have
earned.
So he may let them taste part of
the consequence of what they have done so
that perhaps they may turn back to him.
When Allah first announced to the heavens that
Adam was going to be created so that
he could steward this earth along with his
descendants,
The angels said, attajalufiha
mayyusidu
feeha wayasfiqudima
Are you going to place on it those
that spread corruption and spill blood?
Allah answers them by saying, Inni aalumma lata'alumun.
I know that which you don't know. I
know the answers to the questions you haven't
even asked. I know why I create my
creation. I know what choices I give them.
And many of the scholars said, inni aalumumala
ta'alamun
especially meant I know of the prophets and
martyrs and righteous ones to come from this
offspring
that make the entire creation of humanity worth
it despite its flaws.
The fact that the prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam
alone will come from this batch of creation
makes it worth it. The world gave us
beautiful people who would shine with their righteousness
in the darkest episodes of history.
As for the nature of this world, laqad
halaknan insanafi kabat. We have certainly created mankind
in toil.
And so this world is as advertised,
full of trial and tribulation,
pain,
oppression,
war,
poverty,
natural disaster,
and the chaos of this world was meant
to drive you back to the source of
peace,
but also meant to drive you to be
a source of peace.
Evil in this world allows you to connect
with Allah's perfect names and aspire to embody
what you can of his divine attributes.
Where would the opportunity to connect with Alikareem,
the most generous be, if there was no
charity and poverty?
Where would the opportunity be to show patience
if there was no pain to be endured?
And then connecting ourselves to as sabur alhalim,
the most patient and forbearing.
And we see examples in people that embody
what we should all the time.
There's a narration about a man named Zayd
ibn Usohan who injured his hand in one
of the battles.
And while the blood was flowing, he was
smiling.
And some of the people walked up to
him and asked him why he was smiling
and he said, It is a pain that
has come and will be soothed by the
reward of Allah.
And in my smiling, there's a comfort for
those believers who will follow my example.
How many zayds have we seen in raza
who have smiled as the blood flows,
reminding us of their own resilience while also
waking us up to our own neglect.
And so a person who witnesses the immense
suffering of others realizes that their problems are
so small compared to theirs.
And it makes them grateful for the blessings
they took for granted.
It was narrated that Dawud Alaihi Wasallam asked
Allah why there is so much suffering in
the world. And Allah responded that it's because
he loves for people to turn back to
him in gratitude.
How many people that are wasting away in
sin need a purpose to believe that they
have meaning in this world beyond merely surviving
it?
Sometimes it takes realizing that you have a
bigger role to play so that you can
stop regressing into your usual bad habits.
Your cause is now bigger than your own
career. It's bigger than your own children. It's
bigger than your own happiness.
It's about bringing justice to people who have
hardships you could have never imagined.
And when we waste away in sin, we
burden ourselves
and our ummah.
Whereas when we exert ourselves in good,
we lift up ourselves
and our ummah. And the petty grievances you
once had become non issues in the grander
scheme of things.
How can I complain about anything when they're
going through what they're going through? Not only
that, they respond with being pleased with Allah
despite that devastation
and I respond with anger to Allah despite
the many blessings I took for granted.
You have a role to play in the
suffering that you're witnessing
and you've been distracted by the illusion of
your own suffering which pales in comparison to
theirs.
And in alohilmahfood
in the fine print of these major stories
of history
are the stories of people who the history
books of this world have missed.
But not his heavenly tablet,
nor your judgment day scroll.
There's the Qadr of those who change things
behind the scenes. The Qadr of all of
those who chose to be silent bystanders while
the atrocities unfolded, maybe even to a point
of sinfulness.
The Qadr of those who softened up the
heart of an evil person or resisted him
without anyone else ever knowing. The Qadr of
those who didn't have the ability to make
a major change to anything themselves,
but perhaps they informed someone who could, even
if unknowingly.
The Qadr of those who will show up
on the day of judgment as witnesses to
the crimes committed against humanity
and hope that the victims of those crimes
bear witness to their rising to help them
in some way shape or form.
So what's in your decree as a believer?
No fatigue, nor disease,
nor sadness, nor pain, nor distress befalls a
Muslim, even if it were the prick he
receives from a thorn, except that Allah removes
some of his sins
that. And what's in the decree of this
ummah of believers?
The Prophet SallAllahu Alaihi Wasallam said, ummatihadihi
ummatunmarhooma
laysa'aliha adabunfil akhir
This nation of mine is a nation covered
in mercy.
It has no torment in the hereafter,
but rather its torment is only here in
this world through its tribulations and earthquakes and
killing.
So instead of asking what Allah is sending
to you of hardship,
ask what you're responding back to him with.
Fashhadma minka ilayhi.
If you want the door of hope open
for you, then consider what comes to you
from him. But if you want the door
of fear open for you, then consider what
goes to him from you.
Why were you sent here on this earth?
Why did Allah allow you to not only
go through the test that you did, but
to see the suffering of others?
There is wisdom in everything he has done.
And in all the moving parts of the
world,
you will find that there is wisdom in
your existence too.
The personal issues you go through might be
a purification of your sins or a raising
of your ranks.
And your actions when others are suffering may
be an opportunity for you to refocus and
realize your purpose on earth.
Once you understand how the world works, how
Allah's wisdom permeates everything
and humble yourself before his plans,
then you can look at your tasks with
new perspectives,
fresh eyes and move through life with more
purpose and more gratitude.
Like Musa angry at Al Khadr for his
actions that seemed unjust.
It's natural to be upset when you see
something wrong in the world. But don't forget
to stand against the tyranny of the fir'oons
of your day and channel the selflessness of
Asiyyah towards his victims.
That wrong is a signal for you. Get
to work,
change what you can with your own hands,
so that you can go home to Allah
with a truthful claim
that you did everything you could to be
a good steward of this earth
and the life that he gifted to you.
And it may be that someone who is
deprived of the most significant gifts that were
given to you as a child
is waiting for you to wake up and
be their gift.