4:79: “Whatever good happens to you is from God, and whatever
evil happens to you is from yourself.”

On December 16, criminals disguised as Muslims massacred over 140 people at a Peshawar school, mostly children. Such a targeted killing of children has not been witnessed in modern times. Pakistan, the entire Ummah, and the whole World are mourning and condemning this barbarous act.

After such a calamity, it is only natural to wonder: “Why does God allow innocents to suffer?”  St. Augustine, perhaps the most celebrated Christian thinker of all time, once said, “If evil exists by the will of God, He cannot be entirely good. If evil exists against the will of God, He cannot be Almighty.  The Quran has a different explanation of Good and Evil:

4:79: “Whatever good happens to you is from God, and whatever evil happens to you is from yourself.”

8:25: “Beware of a tribulation that may not be limited to the wrongdoers among you.”

From these verses we can understand that God does not create evil. Since the first civilized tribe of Adam, we were guided to follow Divine Laws; to establish justice and distribute resources equitably. Hence, all goodness derives from God by way of His Guidance. But, if we neglect these principles, we create for ourselves the calamities which destroy innocent lives. For example, compare some scenarios: Continue reading →