The following is a record of the live chatting session that I had with the volunteers of the “islamreligion.com” website.
Chatting session starts:
You are now chatting with ‘Zia’
Zia: Hello. Welcome to our live chat.
Zia: How can I assist you today?
Nitai: I want to ask some questions
Zia: Ok sure
Nitai: why is there so much suffering in this world?
Zia: Are you a born Muslim or a convert?
Zia: Are you a born Muslim, a convert, or a non-Muslim?
Nitai: Neither am I a born Muslim nor am i a convert but a seeker of the truth.
Zia: Ok
Zia: The following is a good read:
Zia: http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/1803/
Nitai: it says that, God causes us suffering so that we take His shelter. This means that God is sadistic and wants to cause pain to others so that they surrender unto him.
Nitai: Why should i surrender to such a sadistic God?
Zia: No this is a wrong conclusion to draw.
Nitai: how do you know?
Nitai: how do you know what the right conclusion is?
Zia: God does not benefit from our worship or us surrendering to Him.
Zia: We have been created by God to recognize and worship Him, however He does not benefit from our worship. This worship is a reminder of Him and keeps us always conscious of Him and hence we stay away from evil deeds, committing injustice and oppression. Worshipping in Islam means following the commandments of God in all our affairs and we know Islam gives the best guidance and light to lead this life. And hence it makes us better human beings. Therefore by worshipping God (following Islam) we are actually doing ourselves a favor by doing the best possible thing that will give us peace and happiness in this life as well. And the reward of obeying Him is Paradise in the Hereafter.
Zia: And having problems reminds us of Him and we often straighten up again.
Nitai: ok, then that means suffering should be of equal degree for all the people, but then we see that people suffer in different degrees. Some suffer more and some suffer less.
Nitai: I am waiting for your reply
Zia: God tests people in different ways.
Nitai: What do we need to be tested for? And it’s an unfair test.
Zia: I am sorry; I need to go now as my shift has come to an end. If you wish I can transfer you to my colleague.
Please wait while I transfer the chat to ‘Tariq’.
You are now chatting with ‘Tariq’
Tariq: Hello. Welcome to our live chat.
Tariq: How can I assist you today?
Tariq: Hello, I am Tariq. I will be continuing with you. Please feel free to ask.
Nitai: Please read my conversation with Zia. My further questions are as follows: Why is someone born in a rich family and someone else born in a poor family? Why is someone born blind, lame, dumb, deaf, mentally or physically handicapped?
Tariq: Allah’s perfect wisdom decrees that He creates opposites, so He has created angels and devils, night and day, purity and impurity, good and ugly, and He has created good and evil. He created His slaves with differences in their bodies and minds, and in their strengths. He has made some rich and some poor, some healthy and some sickly, some wise and some foolish. By His wisdom, He tests them, and He tests some by means of others, to show who will be grateful and who will be ungrateful. Allaah says (interpretation of the meanings):
Tariq: “Verily, We have created man from Nutfah (drops) of mixed semen (sexual discharge of man and woman), in order to try him, so We made him hearer and seer.
Nitai: What is the deciding factor for God to test someone with more suffering and others with less suffering? If God is fair and just, he should test everyone equally. And in the first place, why should God test at all?
Nitai: I would find it difficult to surrender to such a God who is punishing me unfairly for no mistake of mine
Tariq: I think my answer is enough for a fair person, if he seeks to know truth.
Tariq: If you wish to argue, go somewhere else to so this.
Tariq: to do this.
Chat session has ended. Thank you for giving us this opportunity to assist you.
You are not currently in a chat session.
The chatting window abruptly closed.