Ask an Alim

Wa alaikum salaam,

Thank you for your question.

Answer:

Firstly: Allah SWT created humanity for reasons related to Himself, and others related to us as human beings.

That which pertains to your question, is the reasons that are related to us as human beings.

In the Holy Qur’aan, Allah SWT mentions some of these reasons:

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اعْبُدُوا رَبَّكُمُ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُمْ وَالَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ

O mankind! Worship your Lord, who created you and those who were before you, so that you may be Godwary (2:21).

وَهُوَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ فِي سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ وَكَانَ عَرْشُهُ عَلَى الْمَاءِ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا ۗ وَلَئِن قُلْتَ إِنَّكُم مَّبْعُوثُونَ مِن بَعْدِ الْمَوْتِ لَيَقُولَنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا إِنْ هَـٰذَا إِلَّا سِحْرٌ مُّبِينٌ ﴿٧﴾

It is He who created the heavens and the earth in six days—and His Throne was [then] upon the waters—that He may test you [to see] which of you is best in conduct. Yet if you say, ‘You will indeed be raised up after death,’ the faithless will surely say, ‘This is nothing but plain magic.’ (11:7)

وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ ﴿٥٦﴾

I did not create the jinn and the humans except that they may worship Me. (51:56)

Secondly: the main decisive element behind a human being’s actions is free will. Free will means that a human being has the choice to do what is right and what is wrong, after knowing them both, through intellectual reasoning, and the laws of Allah SWT. In choosing what is right from wrong is the test which is referred to in the first verse. Otherwise if a human was only able to do that which is right, there would be no value nor piety in that. On the contrary, it could be said that their actions were in a way forced on them by Allah SWT.

Thirdly: it must be emphasized that a human is not naturally inclined towards evil. Rather, the natural disposition of a human being (Fitra) is to worship Allah and be inclined towards good deeds.

فَأَقِمْ وَجْهَكَ لِلدِّينِ حَنِيفًا ۚ فِطْرَتَ اللَّـهِ الَّتِي فَطَرَ النَّاسَ عَلَيْهَا ۚ لَا تَبْدِيلَ لِخَلْقِ اللَّـهِ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ الدِّينُ الْقَيِّمُ وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿٣٠﴾

So set your heart as a person of pure faith on this religion, the original nature endowed by Allah according to which He originated mankind (There is no altering Allah’s creation; that is the upright religion, but most people do not know.) (30:30).

Fourthly: Allah SWT gave human beings aql (intellect) to discern between right and wrong, and sent us messengers, divine books and Shariahs, all to guide us on the right path and help us. Yes, humans also have the ability to do violence, and run behind lusts and desires, although this is based on free will and one’s choice to respond to the whims of their nafs and the whisperings of Shaytaan, and not because of the fact that a human is predisposed to evil.

وَنَفْسٍ وَمَا سَوَّاهَا

by the soul and Him who fashioned it (91:7)

فَأَلْهَمَهَا فُجُورَهَا وَتَقْوَاهَا ﴿٨﴾

and inspired it with [discernment between] its virtues and vices. (91:8)

قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَن زَكَّاهَا

one who purifies it is felicitous, (91:9)

وَقَدْ خَابَ مَن دَسَّاهَا

and one who betrays it fails. (91:10)

Fifthly: for peace and prosperity of humanity in this world, a human being should follow the commands of Allah SWT with their free will. To add, the existence of an evil doer has greater good in it because it gives the pious an opportunity to stand up against them and defend the truth and the oppressed through amr bil ma’ruf and nahi ‘anil-munkar (enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil), for instance.

Sixthly: One must also note that Allah SWT made mankind His caliph on this Earth and not in the heavens.

وَإِذْ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلْمَلَائِكَةِ إِنِّي جَاعِلٌ فِي الْأَرْضِ خَلِيفَةً ۖ قَالُوا أَتَجْعَلُ فِيهَا مَن يُفْسِدُ فِيهَا وَيَسْفِكُ الدِّمَاءَ وَنَحْنُ نُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِكَ وَنُقَدِّسُ لَكَ ۖ قَالَ إِنِّي أَعْلَمُ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ ﴿٣٠﴾

When your Lord said to the angels, ‘Indeed I am going to set a viceroy on the earth,’ they said, ‘Will You set in it someone who will cause corruption in it and shed blood, while we celebrate Your praise and proclaim Your sanctity?’ He said, ‘Indeed I know what you do not know.’ (2:30)

To add, the nature of this world is that it is an abode of trial and test, and not a utopia of absolute bliss and peace. This dunyaa is not meant to be the seven skies, nor are human beings meant to be angels, where all humans are pious and abiding; because in this world, creatures also have material and physical instincts and needs, which when not controlled by one’s aql and their will becomes weak, they go against the commands of Allah SWT and commit evil.

Seventhly: one may then question, why did Allah SWT knowingly create a person who would disbelieve in Him, commit evil and maybe end up in hell?

This is because for a human to exist is better than for them not to to exist; due to the fact that it gives one the chance to choose their actions and fate by their own free will. If Allah SWT only created the obedient and pious human beings, the evil and disbelieving could hypothetically object to Allah that why did you not create me and give me a chance to choose with my freewill? What if I were to choose to be good?

رُّسُلًا مُّبَشِّرِينَ وَمُنذِرِينَ لِئَلَّا يَكُونَ لِلنَّاسِ عَلَى اللَّـهِ حُجَّةٌ بَعْدَ الرُّسُلِ ۚ وَكَانَ اللَّـهُ عَزِيزًا حَكِيمًا ﴿١٦٥﴾

apostles, as bearers of good news and warners, so that mankind may not have any argument against Allah, after the [sending of the] apostles; and Allah is all-mighty, all-wise. (4:165)

At that Allah SWT gives everybody a chance, and the greater good in the existence is more than non existence.

And Allah SWT knows best.

Wasalam

Afzal Merali