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Unlock This CourseThe Problem of Evil and Suffering set out the puzzle: if God is omnipotent, omniscient and benevolent, why is there moral evil and natural evil? This lesson gives Islam's own answers.
The starting point for Muslims is that this life is not meant to be perfect. It is a short test that prepares each person for the life to come. Remember from Al-Qadr: Free Will and Predestination in Islam that the Qur'an says Allah created death and life to test which people are best in their deeds (Qur'an 67:2). The Qur'an also warns believers what to expect. It says they will certainly be tested with fear and hunger, and with loss of property, lives and crops, and it adds: give good news to those who are patient (Qur'an 2:155).
Two more teachings fill in the picture:
Key terms:
Muslims do not avoid the puzzle, because the Qur'an describes Allah in all three ways. It says Allah has power over all things (Qur'an 2:20). It says not a leaf falls without his knowing it (Qur'an 6:59). And nearly every sura begins by calling him the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
So the questions are sharp ones. If Allah is all-powerful and knows everything, why does he not stop an earthquake? If he is merciful, why do children suffer? Islam gives several answers, and most Muslims use them together.
The Qur'an says, 'You may dislike something although it is good for you, or like something although it is bad for you: Allah knows and you do not' (Qur'an 2:216). In a story in Sura 18, the prophet Musa (Moses) is shocked when a wise servant of Allah damages a boat owned by poor people. Later he learns that a king was seizing every sound boat, so the damage saved it. For Muslims the point is that people see only a small part of Allah's plan.
A test is only real if people can choose. Muslims believe moral evil comes from humans misusing their free will, often after listening to the whispering of Shaytan. Shaytan can only suggest. He cannot force. The Qur'an says that corruption has appeared on land and sea because of what people's hands have done (Qur'an 30:41).
A hadith says that no tiredness, illness, worry or hurt comes to a Muslim, even the prick of a thorn, without Allah wiping away some of their sins because of it. Suffering borne with sabr also builds character. Another hadith says the affair of the believer is always good: in good times they are thankful, and in hard times they are patient.
This life is not the whole story. The Qur'an says Allah will set up scales of justice on the Day of Resurrection, so that no soul is wronged in the least (Qur'an 21:47). It also promises that the patient will be given their reward without measure (Qur'an 39:10). Those who caused suffering will answer for it. You will study this in Akhirah: Resurrection, Judgement, Paradise and Hell.
What about natural evil? Muslims believe events such as floods and disease are part of Allah's decree. They test the people affected, and they test whether everyone else will help. The Qur'an promises, 'With hardship comes ease' (Qur'an 94:5-6).
Different views among Muslims. Some Muslims see certain disasters as a punishment or a warning, pointing to the verse that says misfortune comes because of what people's own hands have done (Qur'an 42:30). Many others reply that suffering is not a sign of Allah's anger. A hadith says the people tested most severely are the prophets, who were the best of people. Many Sunni scholars stress that humans cannot question what Allah does (Qur'an 21:23). Shi'a scholars stress Adalat, Allah's justice: Allah never wrongs anyone, so any undeserved suffering will be more than made up for.
The Qur'an tells the story of Ayyub briefly (Qur'an 21:83-84 and 38:41-44), and Muslim tradition adds detail. Ayyub was a good and faithful man who lost his wealth, his family and his health. His suffering went on for a long time. He did not turn against Allah or stop worshipping him. He simply called out, 'Suffering has truly afflicted me, but you are the Most Merciful of the merciful.'
Allah answered him. Ayyub was told to strike the ground with his foot, and a cool spring appeared for him to wash in and drink from. His health and his family were given back to him, and more besides. The Qur'an sums him up by saying that Allah found him patient, and calls him an excellent servant.
For Muslims the story teaches that suffering is not proof of sin, that it is right to turn to Allah in pain, and that sabr is rewarded.
Sabr is not giving up. An ill Muslim still sees a doctor. Sabr means not despairing. When bad news comes, many Muslims say the words of Qur'an 2:156: 'We belong to Allah and to him we shall return.'
The Qur'an tells believers to seek help through patience and prayer, and says Allah is with the patient (Qur'an 2:153). Muslims keep up the five daily prayers and make du'a for themselves and for others.
Other people's suffering is a test of those who can help. Muslims give zakah and sadaqah, visit the sick and support disaster relief through charities such as Islamic Relief.
Do not write that Muslims think all suffering is a punishment: the main teaching is that it is a test, and the prophets were tested most. Do not describe sabr as doing nothing. Do not say Shaytan makes people do evil. He whispers, but the choice is theirs.
Paper 1 style. Parts (a) and (b) test AO1. Parts (c) and (d) test AO1 and AO2.
(a) Identify three ways in which religious people may respond to suffering. [3 marks]
(b) Choose one religion. Outline two teachings about why there is suffering in the world in this religion. [4 marks]
(c) Choose one religion. Explain why followers of this religion still believe in a good and powerful God when there is evil and suffering in the world. [6 marks]
(d) 'A loving God would not test people with suffering.' Evaluate this statement, showing you have considered different points of view. In your answer you should refer to at least one religion. [12 marks]
(a) 1. Praying (1). 2. Being patient (1). 3. Giving to charity to help those who suffer (1).
(b) Islam teaches that life is a test (1), because the Qur'an says people will be tested with fear, hunger and loss (1). Islam also teaches that moral evil comes from people misusing their free will (1), for example when they follow the whispering of Shaytan instead of Allah's guidance (1).
(c) Muslims believe this life is a test, not a place of reward. The Qur'an says Allah created death and life to test who is best in deeds, so suffering is expected and does not show that Allah is weak or unkind.
They also believe Allah's knowledge is greater than theirs. The Qur'an says people may dislike something that is good for them, so a Muslim trusts that there is a wise plan even when they cannot see it.
Suffering can bring good. A hadith says even the prick of a thorn wipes away sins, and hardship builds sabr, as the prophet Ayyub showed.
Finally, Allah is just. Muslims believe wrongs will be put right on the Day of Judgement and the patient will be rewarded without measure.
(d) Plan. For: a loving parent would not hurt a child to see how they cope; an omniscient God already knows the result, so a test seems pointless; the suffering of babies and animals cannot test or improve them; atheists and humanists say suffering has natural causes and shows there is no loving God.
Against: Muslims believe life is a test (Qur'an 2:155; 67:2) and that the test is for people's benefit, building sabr and cleansing sin; free will must be real, so Allah allows moral evil; Allah knows what people do not, as Musa learned; the story of Ayyub and the promise of justice in the afterlife show that suffering is not the end.
Possible conclusion: judge each point as you go, then pick a side. For example: I disagree with the statement. If there is a life after death in which wrongs are put right, a time of testing can come from love, although the suffering of the very young remains the hardest part to explain.
In part (d), deal with both key words: 'loving' and 'test'. An all-knowing God does not need a test, so give the Muslim reply that the test is for the person's benefit, then judge it.