Why Me
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Why Is There So Much Suffering in The World? | Why Me?
Why do innocent people suffer? Why is there so much tragedy happening around the world? When these questions fill your mind, be grateful. It means that you have a heart that is not numb to the struggles of your fellow humans. There are many answers to these questions from an Islamic perspective, and each takes time to explore. But as an individual, the most important thing you can do is ask yourself the corresponding questions: When innocent people suffer, what can you do? What is your role? How can the suffering of others snap you out of complacency and into action to alleviate the pain of your brothers and sisters in humanity?
Transcript
This transcript was auto-generated using AI and may contain misspellings. Why do bad things happen to good people? Why is the world falling apart with wars, natural disasters, and debilitating diseases? Why do innocent souls meet such violent endings? If God is so merciful, why did he write extreme suffering into the fate of so many? And what am I supposed to be doing about it? One of the du'as of the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam was... Here I am, oh Allah, in answer to your call, happy to serve you. All good is in your hands and evil should never be attributed to you. I exist by your will and will return to you. How blessed and exalted are you? And Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim comments on this beautiful hadith and he says... Allah is far more glorified and exalted that someone should attribute evil to him.
Rather the only thing attributed to him is good. And evil only becomes evil because it is removed from what it was originally attributed to. And then wrongly assigned to Allah. In one narration, a man came to the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam and asked him for advice. The Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam said... Do not blame Allah for something he decreed for you. And indeed those who get accustomed to blaming Allah for anything will fail to see their own responsibilities. Corruption has appeared throughout the land and sea because of what the hands of people have earned. So he may let them taste part of the consequence of what they have done so that perhaps they may turn back to him. When Allah first announced to the heavens that Adam was going to be created so that he could steward this earth along with his descendants, the angels said... Are you going to place on it those that spread corruption and spill blood? Allah answers them by saying... I know that which you don't know. I know the answers to the questions you haven't even asked. I know why I create my creation. I know what choices I give them. And many of the scholars said... Especially meant I know of the prophets and martyrs and righteous ones to come from this offspring that make the entire creation of humanity worth it despite its flaws. The fact that the Prophet ﷺ alone will come from this batch of creation makes it worth it. The world gave us beautiful people who would shine with their righteousness in the darkest episodes of history. As for the nature of this world... We have certainly created mankind in toil.
And so this world is as advertised, full of trial and tribulation, pain, oppression, war, poverty, natural disaster, and the chaos of this world was meant to drive you back to the source of peace, but also meant to drive you to be a source of peace. People in this world allows you to connect with Allah's perfect names and aspire to embody what you can of His divine attributes. Where would the opportunity to connect with Al-Kareem the most generous be if there was no charity and poverty? Where would the opportunity be to show patience if there was no pain to be endured? And then connecting ourselves to Al-Saboor, Al-Haleem, the most patient and forbearing. And we see examples in people that embody what we should all the time. There's a narration about a man named Zayd ibn Suhan who injured his hand in one of the battles. And while the blood was flowing, he was smiling. And some of the people walked up to him and asked him why he was smiling and he said, It is a pain that has come and will be soothed by the reward of Allah, and in my smiling there is a comfort for those believers who will follow my example. How many Zayds have we seen in Gaza who have smiled as the blood flows, reminding us of their own resilience while also waking us up to our own neglect? And so a person who witnesses the immense suffering of others realizes that their problems are so small compared to theirs, and it makes them grateful for the blessings they took for granted.
It was narrated that Dawud asked Allah why there is so much suffering in the world. And Allah responded that it's because he loves for people to turn back to him in gratitude. How many people that are wasting away in sin need a purpose to believe that they have meaning in this world beyond merely surviving it? Sometimes it takes realizing that you have a bigger role to play so that you can stop regressing into your usual bad habits. Your cause is now bigger than your own career, it's bigger than your own children, it's bigger than your own happiness. It's about bringing justice to people who have hardships you could have never imagined. And when we waste away in sin, we burden ourselves and our ummah. Whereas when we exert ourselves in good, we lift up ourselves and our ummah. And the petty grievances you once had become non-issues in the grander scheme of things. How can I complain about anything when they're going through what they're going through? Not only that, they respond with being pleased with Allah despite that devastation, and I respond with anger to Allah despite the many blessings I took for granted. You have a role to play in the suffering that you're witnessing, and you've been distracted by the illusion of your own suffering which pales in comparison to theirs. And in Al-Lawh Al-Mahfood, in the fine print of these major stories of history, are the stories of people who the history books of this world have missed. But not his heavenly tablet, nor your Judgment Day scroll. There's the qadr of those who changed things behind the scenes. The qadr of all of those who chose to be silent bystanders while the atrocities unfolded, maybe even to a point of sinfulness. The qadr of those who softened up the heart of an evil person, or resisted him without anyone else ever knowing. The qadr of those who didn't have the ability to make a major change to anything themselves,
but perhaps they informed someone who could, even if unknowingly. The qadr of those who will show up on the Day of Judgment as witnesses to the crimes committed against humanity, and hope that the victims of those crimes bear witness to their rising to help them in some way, shape, or form. So what's in your decree as a believer? No fatigue, nor disease, nor sadness, nor pain, nor distress befalls a Muslim, even if it were the prick he receives from a thorn, except that Allah removes some of his sins for that. And what's in the decree of this ummah of believers? The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said, This nation of mine is a nation covered in mercy. It has no torment in the hereafter, but rather its torment is only here in this world, through its tribulations and earthquakes and killing. So instead of asking what Allah is sending to you of hardship, ask what you're responding back to him with. If you want the door of hope open for you, then consider what comes to you from him. But if you want the door of fear open for you, then consider what goes to him from you. Why were you sent here on this earth? Why did Allah allow you to not only go through the tests that you did, but to see the suffering of others? There is wisdom in everything he has done, and in all the moving parts of the world, you will find that there is wisdom in your existence too. The personal issues you go through might be a purification of your sins or a raising of your ranks.
And your actions when others are suffering may be an opportunity for you to refocus and realize your purpose on earth. Once you understand how the world works, how Allah's wisdom permeates everything, and humble yourself before his plans, then you can look at your tests with new perspectives, fresh eyes, and move through life with more purpose and more gratitude. Like Musa, angry at Al-Khadr for his actions that seemed unjust, it's natural to be upset when you see something wrong in the world. But don't forget to stand against the tyranny of the Fir'auns of your day, and channel the selflessness of Asiya towards his victims. That wrong is a signal for you. Get to work, change what you can with your own hands, so that you can go home to Allah with a truthful claim that you did everything you could to be a good steward of this earth and the life that he gifted to you. And it may be that someone who is deprived of the most significant gifts that were given to you as a child is waiting for you to wake up and be their gift. Al-Fatiha.
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