Divine Determining, part 13, 10-22-14
The verses of the Quran must be read within the context of the Quran itself. That is, I must read the Quran within its purpose. What does it mean? How do I see the Quran, how do I define the Quran, and do I conclude that it is God’s word? The Speech of God speaks to us according to our needs and our perspectives, so we can get guidance from it.
وَإِن تُصِبْهُمْ حَسَنَةٌۭ يَقُولُوا۟ هَـٰذِهِۦ مِنْ عِندِ ٱللَّهِ ۖ وَإِن تُصِبْهُمْ سَيِّئَةٌۭ يَقُولُوا۟ هَـٰذِهِۦ مِنْ عِندِكَ ۚ قُلْ كُلٌّۭ مِّنْ عِندِ ٱللَّهِ
“When a good thing happens to them, they say it is from God, whereas, when evil befalls them, they say this is from you. Say, all is from God.” Nisa (4): 78
What does it mean, “all is from God”? People in this argument accept the good things to be from God and bad things to be from causes. Some people cannot attribute unpleasant things to God, therefore, they attribute it to causes, which consequently implies that there is another source of existence which gives existence to bad things. Is that so? Ask yourself, is it really possible that there is something within the universe which causes something else to exist? We understand that the verse is speaking from a created being’s perspective, and asking us to think through if there can be anything of this universe causing something to come into existence. Most people believe in God, but when something unpleasant happens, they attribute it to nature. For example, John knows that his health is from God but when he gets sick, he attributes it to germs from his surroundings. The verse is conveying that you must make sure that you understand and conclude that everything is created and brought into existence by God (anytime the Quran uses “say”, it means that I must confirm and conclude the message of the verse). As far as giving existence to anything is concerned, we cannot attribute that quality to anything but God. God means the Creator of the whole universe that gives existence and sustains everything in creation.
Everything good and bad are created through means. Germs and viruses are also created through means. That is, the creation follows a certain rule or order set by its Creator. What is good and bad depends on our perception of it, what I want is good and what I do not want is bad. However, it would be false to attribute the existence of any of it to creation itself, rather than its Creator.
مَّآ أَصَابَكَ مِنْ حَسَنَةٍۢ فَمِنَ ٱللَّهِ ۖ وَمَآ أَصَابَكَ مِن سَيِّئَةٍۢ فَمِن نَّفْسِكَ ۚ وَأَرْسَلْنَـٰكَ لِلنَّاسِ رَسُولًۭا ۚ وَكَفَىٰ بِٱللَّهِ شَهِيدًۭا
“Whatever good happens to you is from God, whatever evil befalls you is from yourself.” Nisa (4):79
It seems that in this verse God is saying that “everything good is from Me, and you cannot say anything negative about Me”. How can we understand this verse? First, evil and good are described according to our perception and this verse only mentions that. Second, nothing about creation is mentioned in this verse, but the previous verse underscored that all creation is brought into existence by the Creator of the universe. Therefore, the creation of anything cannot be challenged here because it is my perception of creation that colors things as good or evil. As far as the purpose of the Quran is concerned, it speaks to us in order for us to establish who the Lord of the universe is. Hence, our responsibility here lies in how we evaluate the case i.e. my perception. As far as the creation of anything is concerned, there is no doubt that everything is created by the Creator of the universe.
Why is evil from us and good from God?
Common answers in the culture: We are limited in our capacity and God is unlimited.
The Quran by definition speaks to human beings as they are. If my capacity was limited, then why would my Creator speak to me. We are created beings, therefore, limitedness is not an issue as is generally spoken about. God is saying, your perception and point of view about what is created is wrong. That is, you are labeling a certain creation as “evil”. In other words, you not liking something does not mean that it is evil in its creation, rather, your choosing to perceive it as evil is bad. But the creation of it is not bad. Anything which is created must be for a purpose. Be careful, try to see the goodness in it, if you do not want it, you must keep away from it, that is your choice. For example, it does not mean that the creation of germs is bad. You are expected to dislike germs and take precautions. The right attitude is that I do not like it, I want to keep away from it. The creation of anything is from God and it cannot be bad, think about it and try to see the wisdom in its creation. My creation is perfect because I am the product of an all Powerful Creator.
God speaks to us in 2 ways, the act of creation and revelation. For example, He has given me the sense that stealing is bad, and through His speech, He tells me not to steal. When I choose to steal, that is my acquisition and He creates according to what I choose. We are created with the freedom to choose from the opportunities presented to us so we can exercise our freewill. Therefore, I am responsible for my choice and its consequences, because I ask and He creates accordingly. What makes us precious as human beings is that we think, we evaluate and we decide i.e. freewill.
My interpretation of evil and attributing it to the Creator is wrong. For example, we avoid death, but the creation of death is good. If there was no death, aging, and illness, then we would not feel the need to investigate our creation, the reason to exist, and find out who gave us existence. There would be no education and training needed for us, because I am eternal and I would claim to play the role of god. This would contradict the purpose of my existence which is to investigate the creation, evaluating the qualities manifested in creation, and understanding who my Creator is. In other words, if there was no death, then our life would have no meaning. Anything in creation that leads to death should not be chosen and at the same it cannot be criticized to be “bad” in its creation.
We are not training in this world not to die, rather through the process of experiencing transience and death, we can understand that any element of the universe cannot sustain itself. I cannot protect and sustain my life and nothing in this universe can do that for me. Only through the transience that we question the source of existence of our qualities. The wisdom in the creation of death is beautiful. I do not want to die, which means that I want eternity. There is no eternity here, everything is transient. What is the source of existence that keeps sustaining everything here because things cannot sustain themselves? There must be an eternal source of existence giving existence and sustaining everything. That is the purpose of our existence here, to find an eternal source of existence. Through experiencing transience, I can search for the agent of transience and find out who my Lord is, who sustains me and who gives me my human qualities. Thus, we must be thankful that we are transient beings and that we cannot guarantee our lives. At the same time, we are endowed with the desire for eternity. There is a contradiction between my desire for eternity and the transience that this universe offers. Through this contradiction, I can understand that there must be an eternal source of existence that I can rely on and trust. That is the only way we can get to know our Creator.
إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يَظْلِمُ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍۢ ۖ وَإِن تَكُ حَسَنَةًۭ يُضَـٰعِفْهَا وَيُؤْتِ مِن لَّدُنْهُ أَجْرًا عَظِيمًۭا
“Surely Allah does not do injustice to anyone by as much as the weight of an atom, and if it is a good deed, He multiplies it and gives from Himself a great reward.” Nisa (4):40
The Creator does not do any injustice at all. We can choose to acquire injustice and transgress other’s rights, but the creation of anything does not do injustice to anyone. If we look at the universe from only this type of existence without referring it to an eternal life, where everyone will be treated according to their acquisitions, then this life becomes purposeless. For example, a student who studies and submits his assignments gets a good grade as opposed to the student who does not study. The purpose of the existence of this universe is a preparation for an eternal life and encounterance with God, where the ultimate justice will be prevailed. In this world, we often see that justice is not established. Since life cannot be confined to this existence only, there must be someplace where the Creator of the universe must accomplish justice. Your belief in God takes you to your belief in an eternal life.
If you pay attention to the universe attentively, you will see that there are more than a billion creatures in existence and every creature is given its existential right. Only in human relations, we understand that as a result of human freechoice, some people are not given the deserved punishment here for exercising injustice. The One who made this universe with the need to see justice must accomplish justice. Therefore, there must be another type of existence where justice must be accorded. In human relations, although there are signs given to us such as the feeling of guilt in our being letting us know that we are doing injustice. However, that is only to make us realize it in this world and is not enough for the need of eternal justice. But as far as belief subjects are concerned, everyone gets the punishment within their own action immediately. That is, if you deny the existence of God, in your denial there is pain. Whereas in human relations, if John steals something from you and you are deprived of it, even if the authorities take action with John, let’s say by cutting his hands, the existential pain may not necessarily be felt by John besides being guilty conscious. The need for justice is one of the signs and wisdom for the necessity of an eternal life where justice must be established.
As a result of my choices and misuse of freewill, I may commit injustice. Also, in my perception, I may choose to label something as unjust or evil. In creation, there is nothing unjust or evil i.e. the Creator of the universe cannot commit injustice. Every martyr standing for belief in God must be rewarded accordingly. This universe cannot be a permanent place, there must be another type of existence. This universe is created with justice, and I prefer to establish justice on earth, but I should not use establishing justice in my name, rather execute the act of justice in the name of God, as God wants it. That is why, in Islamic tradition, judges are careful not to get involved with a case emotionally, rather, they must act as a representative of God. Finally, we want justice, we understand that God is a just One, we don’t see that justice is accomplished in this world, so there must be another realm of existence where justice must be established.
The acquisition of evil i.e. the desire for evil is evil, but the creation of evil is not evil. Divine Determining is both exempt from evil and ugliness with regard to results and fruits. With regards to origin and end, source and branch, cause and results, Divine Determining and creation are exempt from evil, ugliness, and tyranny.
As discussed earlier, in creation, there is no evil, but in our acquisition there may be evil. For example, denial of God is evil and associating the power to give existence to anything of this universe is evil. We did not come to this world to live forever. I must struggle here to stay alive and healthy, but it is not a guarantee because I may be given death tomorrow. For example, John pulls a trigger on someone, and the person dies. The creation of death is not evil but choosing death is evil. The fear of death is given to us, and if God creates death, that is His will. We are here to exercise our freewill to get to know who our Lord is. Through the need for justice, I conclude that there must be an Eternal Just One. There is meaning behind the existence of anything here, and we must look for the message in the creation of anything. The fear of death points to the need for Eternity.
If I do not have a freewill to choose between options (good and evil), then I cannot educate myself to know who my Lord is, and my existence becomes futile. Only by exercising my freewill am I able to be in communication with my Creator. That is how we learn by training our human qualities, we get to know the Owner of these qualities. The ultimate purpose of human existence is to get to know the Lord of my human qualities. That is why we are here. The spirit is like a seed which grows on Earth by using the material interactions of this world. Through these interactions, we train our human potential into human qualities which point to its Creator. We are not the creators of any of our actions and qualities, we are consumers utilizing what is already created for us by exercising our freewill given to us by the Creator of the universe.
If you deny your existence, then you choose the wrong option. As a result you feel the pain in your existence. The creation of pain is good because it teaches you not to contradict your human reality which is to connect to your Lord. If I was not set free to choose, then I would not be able to train my human qualities and learn by making comparisons and mistakes.
Some common rhetoric we hear is that why does God allow wars or violence? Similarly, why does God allow me to make mistakes? Our reality is that we are given freewill and the options to choose, otherwise, how else can we understand disasters such as earthquakes and tsunamis? Again, everything lies in our perception and view of the universe. If we are not given interruptions in general routines, then we do not question anything. That is, who sustains existence in general? In the essence of creation, we realize that creation cannot sustain itself. Yesterday is gone, and we are given today; did yesterday create today? No. If you say that there should be no disaster at all, then we would not be able to know that this universe is dependent on Something else. Hence, no usage of freewill would be needed.
We are given the sense of perfection and to protect ourselves we build strong cities and buildings. What can guarantee perfection here? Is there any source of perfection in this universe? From the lack of perfection, we find that I have to seek refuge in the Creator of the universe. Everything in creation carries the declaration from its Creator, where the Creator says, “come to Me, only I can protect you and sustain you”. If I do not experience any of this, I would have no need to look for God. In reality, there is a dire need for a Creator in our existence.
Anything that we experience here is to seek refuge with God and understand that God definitely must come into the picture and establish justice. Going back to the understanding of martyrs, if someone becomes a victim of injustice, then the victim must be paid the reward by his/her Creator. The word “shaheed” means witnessing God’s reality. The martyrs are chosen by God, and become a criteria for all of us to use. Martyrs are a witness for us that we cannot guarantee anything that we are given. All our human qualities are given to us freely, and we did not ask for any of it. Let’s say that since birth John cannot speak. John is created as a witness for himself and other human beings that the One that established the universe is determining it. In the existence of this universe, we understand that we have no right to claim ownership over anything. Existence is given to me by Something else, not of the nature of this universe. The ability to see, hear and speak is given not by my choice but by Someone that willed this universe to come into existence. When we have the right attitude, our Creator must reward us accordingly. If you are happy with the Creator’s decision, then you acknowledge that whatever you are given is by your Creator.
Similarly, if you see that someone has been given a skill that you would like, rather than being jealous, acknowledge the Giver of the gift and use it as a means to ask Him to give it to you as well because He puts that desire in you. For example, “God is the intelligence Giver, give me Eternal intelligence because You gave me the desire for it and I see it manifested in others”. In conclusion, we must remember that this universe is not a permanent residence but a training place to educate our human potential to get to know the qualities of God. If you have acquired something unpleasant, that is your mistake. If something unpleasant is given to you in creation, that is a reward from God, not a punishment, therefore, look for the wisdom in its existence and the experience. Finally, the Creator gives you existence freely without you asking for it. Our existence is a reward, as is said in the Islamic tradition, “creation is out of Mercy”.