00:00There's a question that atheists ask really often.
00:04This question is so common that they constantly talk about it in forums, on social media,
00:09in videos.
00:10Perhaps this is one of the most important pillars of disbelief.
00:13On the other hand, it can also confuse Muslims.
00:15Here's the question.
00:17The diseases, evils and calamities that happen to us, why does God allow these bad things
00:22to happen?
00:23If there's a creator, then he wouldn't have allowed such calamities to happen.
00:26But is it really so?
00:28Most of all, the existence of evil in the universe cannot be proved for the absence
00:32of a creator.
00:33Why?
00:34Let me explain.
00:35For example, let's imagine a gallery or an art exhibition.
00:38Depending on their interests, the people that are visiting them may or may not like the works
00:42of art inside.
00:43When someone who doesn't know anything about art sees a famous and valuable painting, they
00:48might say, this painting doesn't make any sense.
00:51I only see irregular and chaotic lines here.
00:53However, for someone who knows about art, that painting might have excellent qualities
00:58and have many meanings behind every detail.
01:00Yes, someone who doesn't understand art may not like the work, but they cannot say this
01:05work doesn't have an artist.
01:07Just like that, a person who is looking at the universe may find some calamities ugly,
01:11or he might not like the diseases that are happening to him, or he can be unable to understand
01:15the reasons behind them.
01:17But none of these things can be a proof of the absence of God.
01:20Because even saying that there's ugliness indicates a doer.
01:24So an atheist cannot claim the absence of God by pointing to the calamities.
01:28Then we can confidently say that this is not an issue about the absence of God and it cannot
01:32be used as a proof for it by the atheists.
01:35But then what is the reason why human beings struggle with all these difficulties, disasters
01:39and catastrophes?
01:40Let's have a look at this.
01:42We can say if something is flawed or not by looking at the purpose for which it was made.
01:46If something works well in accordance with its purpose, we can say it's of good quality,
01:51it's nice, it works perfectly.
01:52But if it doesn't work as intended, we say that it's ugly and flawed.
01:56For example, the purpose of a library is to provide a quiet and peaceful environment
02:01for people to read or study.
02:03Now could someone who visits a library and doesn't like the silence say things like,
02:07why is this place so quiet?
02:08Why is there no activity here?
02:10No one is talking.
02:11What a faulty and flawed design.
02:13Could he criticize it like that?
02:14Of course not.
02:15The library is supposed to be this way.
02:17It's an environment that provides silence.
02:20It's its purpose.
02:21So the fact that the library is quiet indicates that it is a quality and a good library.
02:26Or imagine a gym.
02:27Someone is visiting there for the first time and sees that the people are tired and sweaty,
02:32lying on the floor, exhausted.
02:34Could he say things like, who is persecuting these people?
02:36What a pity, what a cruel and flawed environment.
02:39Of course he couldn't.
02:40Because the purpose of this place is to make people physically improve themselves through struggle.
02:45Just like in these examples, this universe is created to serve a certain purpose.
02:49We can only understand whether the events in the universe are good or bad by looking
02:53at the purpose of the universe.
02:55And only the creator of the universe can tell us this.
02:57Among the purposes of its creation, recognizing the names of Allah comes first.
03:02Our ultimate purpose is to be a good slave of Allah.
03:05And in order to achieve this, we have to truly know his names and attributes first.
03:09Many other purposes can be counted as to why the universe was created in this way.
03:13Such as making progress by struggling with trials, showing Allah our commitment by passing
03:18the tests of patience, and so on.
03:20If we look at the universe in light of these purposes, then it's necessary to have troubles,
03:24calamities, and diseases.
03:26For example, if there were no diseases, could we know the name of Allah as Shafi, the healer,
03:31or the name, Al-Razaq, the provider, if there was no hunger?
03:35If there were no tests of gratitude and patience, could spiritual progress be achieved?
03:39No.
03:40Then the universe and the events which we call calamities within the universe are necessary
03:44for humanity's duty to get to know Allah, and to increase their rank through struggle.
03:49Therefore, we cannot look at these events as flaws or evil things.
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04:25Another point is that something is either beautiful in and of itself, or is beautiful in terms of
04:30its results and outcomes.
04:32Even many issues that we think of as evil can bring many beauties in terms of their results,
04:37because everything is known and understood through its opposite.
04:41For example, if there was no cold, the concept of heat couldn't be known.
04:45It couldn't be understood.
04:46Without darkness, light cannot be known.
04:49Similarly, the events that we describe as disorder, evil, and ugliness are actually matters
04:54that enable us to realize the order, goodness, and beauty in the universe.
04:58I mean, think about it.
04:59Imagine if there was no ugliness.
05:01Could we recognize beauty?
05:03Or could we speak of order where there was no disorder?
05:06So the existence of opposite concepts is necessary to understand them.
05:10A person who is constantly living in order and beauty can no longer understand the value
05:15of these things.
05:16We cannot even notice them.
05:17We can evaluate natural events such as earthquakes in this manner.
05:21For example, earthquakes can seem evil from the outside.
05:24It's an event that shakes the earth intensely and is considered to be a calamity.
05:28At face value, they may be perceived as very harmful and bad.
05:32But in fact, the earthquakes tell us that there's actually order in the universe.
05:35Yes, earthquakes remind people that the earth does not shake on vast majority of the time
05:40and make us realize that such an orderly and stable earth is actually a blessing.
05:44We may not be aware of this reality, but when we look at the big picture and look at all
05:49the positive and seemingly negative things that are happening in the universe, we see that
05:53bad things happen very, very rarely compared to good things.
05:57Just enough times to make us realize the opposite.
05:59So the abnormal events in the universe make people who are used to normal conditions realize
06:04that even the things that they think as normal are in fact blessings.
06:08The thing that makes us notice the order is the disorder.
06:11The thing that makes us the beauty beautiful is the ugliness of the ugly.
06:15So even the matters that are assumed to be in a disorder are in fact beautiful and
06:19serve a purpose.
06:20Another point is that constant uninterrupted beauty makes people forget about the hereafter
06:25by making them heedless.
06:27The beauty of this world might intoxicate people.
06:29For a person who forgets his duty in life and forgets about the hereafter, troubles are
06:34actually a warning and a wake-up call.
06:36A reckless, deluded person cannot be aware of why the events around him are happening and
06:40can make mistakes in understanding them.
06:42At that point, someone should wake him up to reality.
06:45Waking him up would be the greatest favor that can be done to him.
06:48Just like that, the human being who was sent to this world to know Allah sometimes forgets
06:53his duty.
06:54Contrary to his mission, he can become immersed in extremely insignificant things.
06:59Some days he falls into sin in such a way that he even forgets what it means to regret.
07:04So in reality, it's not evil that Allah wakes him up from his heedless, sinful state with
07:08calamities and diseases, but his pure mercy and beauty.
07:12Because when you look at it, whoever experiences a problem starts thinking more about the hereafter
07:17compared to other people and he turns to worship.
07:20So even from this point of view, we should see calamities not as evil, but as blessings
07:24to be thankful for.
07:25As human beings, we try to learn what is beneficial and what is harmful to us throughout our lives.
07:30And most of the time, we understand the logic of the events and the wisdom behind them later.
07:35For example, the slap of a mother to prevent her child from touching the stove heater is
07:39actually a blessing for him.
07:41The child isn't aware of this yet.
07:43He can neither recognize the danger of the stove nor can he immediately understand the reason
07:47for the slap, but when he understands the danger of the burning stove later on, he realizes
07:51that the slap was actually a result of compassion, an act of love.
07:55So if you look at it from the point of view of mercy, in a real sense, there is no ugliness
08:00and evil.
08:01Just like in these examples, there may be some warnings that Allah sends our way.
08:06Sometimes we don't understand them.
08:07We may think of them as bad things, but in fact, it's the opposite.
08:10It's an act of pure mercy.
08:12Sometimes it takes time for us to realize that.
08:14Just think about it, knowing that even the slap of a mother has a wisdom, a logical reason
08:19behind it.
08:20How can there be no mercy or purpose in a warning that is sent by Allah, who showers human beings
08:25with so many blessings with his infinite love and care?
08:29Yes, the human being is like a soldier on duty, who is trying to understand the universe and
08:34get to know his creator.
08:36Think about the blessings of Allah and the fact that he created so many beauties.
08:40As the one who gives the feeling of compassion to all the mothers, would Allah ever intend
08:45any harm to you in a real sense?
08:47As the one who puts benefit in all things and manages everything with great wisdom, would
08:52he ever create disorganized and useless matters?
08:56Sometimes we need to change our perspective and evaluate things holistically.
09:00And this issue is certainly one of them.
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