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a...string- of unforunate events
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[quote]Assalam-u-Alaikum, [quote] “Most people aren't convinced by the "test" theory you present. This one makes much more sense to the people who i've talked to, especially the non-Muslims.” [/quote]I think that this is merely a matter of opinion. I feel that when I only search within my soul and then glance at the environment around me, I eventually am lead to conclude that there is real purpose in all this. It does not feel as though God created everything and thenceforth sat Himself back to let it do its own bidding. Indeed, the Qur’an declares in the most beautiful manner: [hl][font=Georgia]He it is who created the heavens and the earth in six periods, and He is firm in power; He knows that which goes deep down into the earth and that which comes forth out of it, and that which comes down from the heaven and that which goes up into it, and He is with you wherever you are; and Allah sees what you do. [/font=Georgia] [/hl] (Surah Al Hadid 57:4) [quote] “The whole test thing, just doesn't work for me. Bad things happen to good people and bad people alike, and it is more about chance than it is about God testing you.” [/quote]If bad things happen to good and bad people alike, then this precisely makes sense of the “test thing” (if you’re on about the verses in the Qur’an which state that life on earth is a test e.g. Surah Al Hud 11:7 and Al Mulk 67:2). Everyone will be recompensed in full in the hereafter. Thus, there will be no injustice as “they will not be wronged” (Surah Az-Zumar 39:69). It is those people who do not believe in an afterlife, that believe injustice is being done to them on a large scale and that therefore there cannot be a God. Think about it, on the end of the day, whether we ascribe to your view or ours, God could have stopped bad things from happening. For sure, this does not mean that when some evil happens (e.g. murder) that God wanted it to happen but rather that He allowed it for the purpose of the test on earth. After all, what would be the purpose of the test if God interefered everytime something bad happened? This is what we mean. [quote] “I put the "test" along with the metaphorical parts of the Quran, i don't take it literally. Maybe it works for other people, like yourself, but it doesn't work for me. And my way of doing things isn't any less hallal than your own, in fact i can argue it is better.” [/quote]It is not a pick and choose thing. When there is a metaphor in a piece of literature, it would be clearly indicated, right? From the very usage and context of the words we would see that there is a metaphorical usage. Take the example of when Allah, the Exalted says that “It is He, Who causes you to die at night” (Surah Al Anam 6:60). Here it appears quite clearly as a metaphor. The similarity between death and sleep is wisely used. Hence, sleep is equated with death. I have no idea how we could possibly see the verses that state that life on earth is a test as metaphorical. Actually, I would say it only makes sense when taken literally. [quote] “The people who died in the tsunami weren't being tested for anything, and they weren't all bad people. Between them were good and bad, all killed together because of a natural disaster. And since God created the universe and is in control of its order and basic natural physics (He could've created it so that it is impossible for tsunamis to hit that area), then this was a good thing, not a bad one. These people died not because they were bad or because they were being tested, but because this is the best that could have happened. Maybe if the tsunami had not killed them, then this would have been the first place for Islam to be corrupted, and then it would spread. True? We don't know. So our only way to make sense of this is to accept it as being good, not bad, in my opinion.” [/quote]I see a contradiction in the above words of yours. While on the one hand you agree that we cannot know why the Tsunami happened, when as you stated, God could have made things in such a way that they never happen, on the other hand you state they did not die because they were being tested or because they were bad. It could be the case that all the above hold true. Thus, God would be testing some, punishing others who were evil and even bringing about good through it too. Lastly, your view sounds very much like that of some famous scientists (i.e. that God created everything but then became careless about it). No, that is not what you are saying, yet there is a similarity. What you must understand is that when we say that God is behind certain phenomena of nature, we are not denying the natural processes that occur which bring about these natural phenomena. We are only saying that it is God Who does this. Had He pleased these things would never have happened. Hey, are we actually in agreement here perhaps, it almost sounds like it, come to think of it. Anyway, while we may say that God is doing a certain thing, it is beyond us to know “how” He does it. So, when God says that He is responsible for bringing rain from the sky, God knows how He does it and however He does do it, it does not negate the processes that enable rain drops to fall. regards[/quote]
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