How Islam Explains God’s Design and Human Freedom
As parts of the universe, human
beings are insignificant. And just as the universe functions in complete
obedience to its Master, so human beings are required to emulate its example.
The only right course for human beings is to recognize this fact and place
themselves in complete coordination with the rest of the universe by offering
total obedience to God. The way God manages the affairs of the universe is a
pointer to the fact that human beings can also achieve perfection if they
entrust themselves entirely to God.
The universe owes its unfailing
precision to the fact that it works in complete consonance with God’s plans.
Human beings can likewise achieve moral exactitude in their affairs by becoming
ethically attuned to the divine scheme of things, for, after all, what is monotheism but the
fountainhead of all good: all evil in the world stems from hampering the
prevalence of monotheism in the affairs of the world.
Challenging God Through the “Problem of Evil”
Of the many arguments put forward
in modern times against the existence of God, one of the most important is what
its advocates call ‘the problem of evil.’ They
claim that there are such evils in the universe as make it impossible to
believe that it was fashioned by a master designer. It has been argued, in this
context, that the force of gravity is far in excess of actual need and that, as
a consequence, one runs the risk, for example, of breaking one’s leg should one
fall from a height of just a few meters.
Had this force been less - so the
argument goes – this would not have been the case. But all such argumentation
is the result of inadequacy of reflection.
The critic has obviously
overlooked the fact that a fall is an accident and, therefore, exceptional. If
the force of the earth’s gravity were less, life on earth would become
disorganized and would disintegrate: human beings would not be able to stand firmly
on the ground, but would find themselves tending to float upwards into space,
trains would have difficulty in remaining on their rails, houses and factories
would collapse, water would not remain on the earth, and so on. In actual fact,
what some people may regard as a flaw in the natural system is actually
evidence of its harmony and equilibrium.
Cosmic Harmony
The following words of the Quran
express an incontrovertible truth: {He is who
created the seven heavens, one above another. No want of proportion will you
see in the creation of (God) the most Gracious. So turn your vision again: do
you see any flaw? Again turn your vision a second time: your vision will come
back to you dull and weary.} [Al-Mulk 67:3-4]. The universe is without
flaw or failure because it is under the direct control of God. It is in reality
an outward manifestation of His attributes. The same cannot be said for the world of human beings.
Chekov has rightly remarked: “The
world is extremely beautiful; the only thing not beautiful is man.” Indeed, the
human being is the only creature in the entire universe who, to our
knowledge, harbors ill-will towards his fellow-men. How do we account for this
difference between the two worlds? This difference exists because, while the
rest of the universe is operating under the direct control of God and is,
therefore, bound to function as God pleases, human beings have been vested with
the freedom of choice. That is, they have the power to choose a right or a wrong
path for themselves, hence the prevalence of evil in the world.
The universe external to human
beings is bound by the will of God. Hence its order and harmony – as long as
human beings are unable to interfere with it as they are doing with the systems
of the earth!
Human beings, on the other hand,
are slaves to their own passions. Their affairs are, therefore, most often
fraught with disharmony and disorder.
Free Will as a Divine Test and the Purpose of Human Life
All evil on earth springs from
this misuse of freedom by human beings, who have thus proved how genuine were
the apprehensions expressed by the Angels before God at the time of the
creation of the first human being: {Are you going
to place therein (earth) someone who will make mischief therein and shed blood?}
[Al-Baqarah 2:30}
The freedom enjoyed by human
beings is not absolute, but transitory, and exists solely for the purpose of
putting man on trial (Al-Mulk 67:2). The Lord of the universe is eternally
vigilant, and sees who makes the right, and who makes the wrong use of the
freedom given to him, so that in the next phase of our lives (the Hereafter),
He knows on whom to shower His blessings, and on whom to wreak His divine
vengeance.
Our planetary system will last
only as long as this trial proceeds, and when it has finally run its course,
the Lord of the universe will bring the affairs of this planet under his direct
control as He has done with the rest of the universe? (Maryam 19:40). {Then the good will be separated from the evil.} [Ali
`Imran 3:179] The good will then enjoy eternal life in heaven, and the
evil will be condemned to everlasting hell.
For Further Reading:
- Al-Fatiha: The Quran in Seven Ayahs
- 10 Rewards in the Hereafter for Worshiping Allah
- Breaking Down Mental Idols (1) Has God Been Compelled to Create Us?
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Taken from: “Islam the Voice of Human Nature” book by Sheikh Wahiduddin Khan
