All the evil and suffering in this world = No God?

People who have not tasted the delight of belief in their hearts will deny that Allah (God) exists by all kinds of reasoning. One of the reasoning offered is by saying that there is no God because there is too much evil and bad things happening in this world. They will even question our own mishaps in order to strengthen their claim. To tell the truth, there was also a time where I myself was in their position. But after sometime, I eventually gave up and submitted (and eventually felt content due to the knowledge that Allah gave me, Alhamdulillah). I believe that if one is truly sincere in searching for the truth, and puts the best effort in it, by the will of Allah, he/she will be guided to it.

There are several points that we need to take into consideration when we look at the evil/bad things that happen around us (and all over the world).

The first point is that there is no such thing as pure evil or pure bad. Through something that we conceive as evil/bad, comes many things that we consider good. Through pain and suffering we can appreciate the pleasures that we are blessed with, and in turn, learn to help others in experiencing it. Through sickness we learn to appreciate health. Through our mishaps we learn to be patient. Through hardship we learn to grow wiser. And the list goes on and on...

As said by the beloved Messenger of Allah, "If Allah wants to do good to somebody, He afflicts him with trials." All we need to do is be patient, ponder on what has happened, and stay optimistic.

The second point is that humans use their finite (limited) knowledge and wisdom to determine whether something is good or bad. And in our ignorance, we conclude that what we perceive is what is correct. However, the truth is, whatever we think is bad, may possibly be a good thing. No one truly knows the true nature of things that happen but The All Wise, The One Who possesses infinite knowledge and wisdom.

Allah has addressed about this in the Qur'an (Al Baqarah aayah/verse 216)

"Holy fighting in Allah's cause is ordained for you, even though it be hateful to you; but it may well be that you hate a thing the while it is good for you, and it may well be that you love a thing the while it is bad for you: and God knows, whereas you do not know."

For a Muslim, the third and last point that needs pondering is that there is an eternal life after this short life of ours. The average life expectancy (death age) of a person in developed countries is only around 75-85 (accompanied with all the sickness and pain of old age), and many die at even much younger ages. What is 80 years compared to the earth's age, more else “eternity”? The Messenger of Allah says that suffering which is handled with full of patience and optimism will be compensated in the hereafter. No Muslim is affected with harm but that Allah expiates his sins because of it.

If we are able to be conscious about those three points, by Allah’s will, we will be given contentment and tranquility in our hearts, and consequently have more trust in Allah even after calamity or something bad strikes.

To me, all the suffering, evil and the bad things that happen in this world further clarifies and strengthens my faith in the existence of The All Wise Creator, and that we were created in different conditions so that we can help and get to know each other by and according to His will. I hope we can open up our hearts and be given the wisdom to see the good in everything that we experience, no matter how bad they are and act accordingly with the best of actions.

Keywords: Al Baqarah 216 life God Allah atheism

Night and day, a sign for the mindful

The normal cycle of a human being is to sleep/rest at night and work in the day. Scientifically, the phenomenon of the body’s cycle is explained by a term called the circadian rhythm, which was made popular by scientists in the early 20th century. It means an approximate daily periodicity, a roughly-24-hour cycle in the biochemical, physiological or behavioral processes of living beings, including human beings. In simple words, what our body is supposed to do (rest or be active) at a given time.

The main factor that affects the circadian rhythm is the light accepted by a region in the brain (hypothalamus). However, the light that affects the circadian rhythm is highly specific (in wave length, intensity, and other attributes), and to no surprise, the corresponding attributes are found in no other than our own sun.

Allah the Almighty has said about this in The Qur’an in Surah (chapter) Yunuus verse 67:

Which can be approximately translated (according to Tafseer Al Jalalayn) as

“He it is Who made for you the night that you should rest therein, and the day to see. Surely in those are signs, indications of His Oneness, exalted be He, for folk who are able to hear (those who think deeply).”

Allah the Almighty has made it clear for us to use the night to rest, and the day to “see”. The word “see” here shows Allah’s define knowledge (revealed to our beloved Prophet nearly 1400 years ago) that it is indeed “light” that affects our cycle, similar to what has only been recently discovered using modern science. Note the precise manner in which Allah addressed this matter. 

The amazing transition of night to day

In my laboratory here in Japan, everyone works on an average of more than 10 hours a day. Some from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., some work shorter but there aren’t a few who work even longer. However, the majority stay disciplined and use the night for resting. This normal cycle doesn’t apply for everyone though, as there are some who prefer to work at night and sleep in the day. This actually reminds me of what I used to do in my undergraduate years, where I participated in events that sometimes went on until morning. At those times, I’d sleep in the morning, and get up at noon. To me, it felt terrible. I’d feel unfit and would need to chase things the whole day to adjust myself to the normal cycle of people around me.

Straying away from what’s natural (of what Allah has commanded), can lead to serious disorders. In the case of disregarding the natural cycle of night and day, one can experience disorders such as the circadian sleep disorder (results in insomnia or excessive sleepiness during the day), the delayed sleep phase syndrome (could only sleep after 2am), and others. 

There are so many phenomena around us that we overlook (and consider casual) due to our ignorance. The alteration of night and day is one of them. How the earth precisely rotates, how the distance between the earth and the sun stays that way, our body’s the circadian rhythm, and everything we can think of, are all proofs of the perfection in His creations. If we ponder and think about the creations, it will further increase our faith and belief in the Almighty creator.

Approximate meaning (Yusuf Ali translation):

“Behold! in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of night and day, there are indeed Signs for men of understanding (Ali Imran 190)”

May we all be given the awareness and wisdom to ponder on all the blessings that Allah has given to us, no matter how “small” or “casual” they may seem.

Keywords: circadian rhythm, science, scientific, Ali Imran 190, Yunuus 67, night, day, Qur'an

Rivalry in achieving false success

In our so called modern civilization, almost in all societies, success and happiness is measured with how secure someone is financially. Even school and education are directed towards being “financially secure”, where the end product is to be able to gain a good job with a high paid salary. This of course ruins the true purpose of why one should receive education in the first place. When someone has a large paycheck and trillions of currency in their bank, people will unanimously say that he/she is successful.

The quest to achieve this kind of success has become a rivalry among people. People compete with each other to be most “successful” disregarding all the consequences. People compete with each other to get the highest pleasure/joy this world has to offer by buying all the luxurious things that they can buy. Beautiful clothes, big houses, exotic cars, antique glassware, Rolex watches, the highest/most expensive education, and everything else that can make them look the most “successful”.

The traps seducing us to drag ourselves to adopt the same attitude (to reach for this kind of success) is empowered by almost everything around us. Everywhere we look, there are always temptations. We’re seduced by the soap operas on the TV, the ads and articles about these “successful people” in magazines, the billboards using these “successful people” as if they are heroes, etc. For Muslims, this is something we need to beware of, as it’s one of satan’s trick to misguide the majority of humanity.

Devine words from Allah in the Quran has stated the danger of getting carried away in the rivalry to gain this kind of false success, including the piling up of riches, in Suraah (chapter) At Takaathur.

This has approximate meaning (according to Yusuf Ali’s translation) as the following:

1. The mutual rivalry for piling up (the good things of this world) diverts you (from the more serious things/obedience to Allah),

2. Until you visit the graves.

3. But nay, you soon shall know (the reality).

4. Again, you soon shall know!

5. Nay, were you to know with certainty of mind, (you would beware!)

6. You shall certainly see Hell-Fire!

7. Again, you shall see it with certainty of sight!

8. Then, shall you be questioned that Day about the joy (you indulged in!).

For Muslims, the surah is a serious warning about being indulged in the competition and rivalry to enjoy the joys of this world. In this surah, Allah repeatedly reminds us (emphasizing) on the danger of striving to achieve the “false successes” that this world has to offer. This warning is not on things that are forbidden (haram), but rather on the halal things, which have the potency to make us forget about our real purpose (which is to worship Allah and do righteous deeds). If the basis of all that we work for is only to achieve this kind of false success, we will indeed be the losers in the end. Everyone, even the ones who have doubt will be certain about this matter at the time their dead bodies are taken to the graves, the moment where their short lives end.

True success cannot be achieved through collecting riches. It can never be achieved, as it is in human's nature to never be satisfied and always want better things than what he owns. True success can only be achieved when a human being bases his actions on what he/she is supposed to do, which is to do righteous deeds and prevent evil. This world is full of traps and tricks that attempt to corrupt our true nature (as noble beings), and that is why we all need to equip ourselves to protect our nobility.

May Allah protect us all from all the evil that this world has to offer.

Keywords: At takaathur, human nature, Satan, life, rich, poor, islam, happiness, success

The Cost of Arrogance

There's arrogance in all of us. We were created that way, so it's in our nature and it'll never change. However, some can control their arrogance and some cannot. Most people, including myself, fall into the second category, the ones who have a hard time controlling their arrogance.

The cost of letting our arrogance take control can sometimes be devastating. It can ruin friendships, destroy marriages, lead into war and killings, and worse, it can inflict the wrath of the All Mighty. An arrogant person will often hurt his/her friends feelings, an arrogant husband who disregards his wife will be the source of a bad marriage, the arrogance of Hitler lead to the massacre of millions of Jews in World War 2, and the arrogance of Satan who refused to bow to Adam lead to the wrath of Allah The All Mighty.

The arrogance of Satan is the worst. Because he knew that he was facing The Sustainer of All Things, The Most Knowledgable of All, yet he still maintained his arrogance and disobeyed. This event is recorded in the Holy Qur'an in Al Hijr verse 31-43


which has approximate meaning:
31: Not so Iblis: he refused to be among those who prostrated themselves.
32: (Allah) said: "O Iblis! what is your reason for not being among those who prostrated themselves?"
33: (Iblis) said: "I am not one to prostrate myself to man, whom Thou didst create from sounding clay, from mud moulded into shape."
34: (Allah) said: "Then get thee out from here; for thou art rejected, accursed.
35: "And the curse shall be on thee till the day of Judgment."
36: (Iblis) said: "O my Lord! give me then respite till the Day the (dead) are raised."
37: (Allah) said: "Respite is granted thee
38: "Till the Day of the Time appointed."
39: (Iblis) said: "O my Lord! because Thou hast put me in the wrong, I will make (wrong) fair-seeming to them on the earth, and I will put them all in the wrong,-
40: "Except Thy servants among them, sincere and purified (by Thy Grace)."
41: (Allah) said: "This (way of My sincere servants) is indeed a way that leads straight to Me.
42: "For over My servants no authority shalt thou have, except such as put themselves in the wrong and follow thee."
43: And verily, Hell is the promised abode for them all!

By the order of Allah, all creatures but Satan bowed to Adam, the first human being. Satan's arguments were based upon the nature of his creation (fire) versus the nature of Adam’s creation (soil/clay). This inflicted the wrath of Allah, and Satan was cursed for eternity. His one promise was to do his best to misguide all of Adam's descendants but a few. The only ones who can avoid Satan's misguidance are the ones who uphold justice and perform good deeds.

Satan's arrogant view on who is more superior is a materialistic view which is actually already widespread and common in our civilization, where one is deemed superior based upon ones ancestral background, nationality, race, richness, etc. This is a view that we need to eradicate if we truly want to uphold equity and justice throughout the human race. Islam teaches us that human beings only differ according to the good they bring for other people.

Arrogance is a dangerous attitude, and it will eventually destroy the person who commits it. The common sense is that arrogant people should have few or no friends. Unfortunately in real life, we often find that people with the most arrogant attitude are the ones who are most popular and liked. The civilization we live in has already become so twisted and has been turned upside down, that many things contradict common sense. I guess Satan has succeeded in his promise to misguide all of Adam's offspring and descendants but only a few.

May we be able to avoid, or at least control our arrogance and be among the guided ones…

keywords: al hijr, 31-43, satan, human nature

Our greed for this world

There is no doubt that all human beings have the potential to be greedy. When someone follows his/her desires without any other consideration, there is a big chance that they develop their “greed” potential to blossom. Unfortunately, the “coca cola civilization” we currently live in is based on the fulfillment of satisfying desires. Among the products of the civilization, seeking for riches and financial security has become a way of life.

Of course we were MADE to think that riches and financial security can bring us joy, happiness and comfort. This view is only partially true, as it only gives temporary happiness. To maintain this false happiness, one will want to gain more and more, even when he/she doesn’t need it, in order to fulfill lust and desire.

Many will disagree that these so called “rich” people are greedy and they have worked hard for their success. But the facts suggest otherwise. Look at the newest list of the “Top 10 Richest People of the World” from Forbes magazine. In that list, we will find that four people in that list are Indians, the rest are a mix of countries from four different continents.

What’s shocking is that despite contributing up to four people to the list, in India, 45% are living in poverty (according to World Bank’s definition of poverty=people living with less than 2 USD per day). This is a sad fact, because each of these “rich” people have a net fortune of more than 20 billion USD, which is almost enough to feed all the poor people in the world (3 billion people), for one day at least. And with their running businesses, it wouldn’t be hard for them to regain the fortune they have in no time. However, their greed has forbid them from spending most of what they have in charity.

Islam emphasizes that this current life of ours is only temporary, and everything that we own (including our wealth) is only trusted to us from God for the benefit of others. What we truly own is what we give for the benefit of others. Nevertheless, there have and always will be people who are greedy for life. Ones whose hearts are so attached to this world, that it makes them ignorant towards all the suffering around them. The Qur'an describes this situation in Al Baqarah verse 96:


The approximate meaning is:
“And thou wilt find them greediest of mankind for life and (greedier) than the idolaters. (Each) one of them would like to be allowed to live for a thousand years. And to live (a thousand years) would by no means remove him from the doom. Allah is Seer of what they do.”

The verse talks about a group of Jews at the time of the Prophet (saw). They enjoyed life so much that they became greedy and wanted to live for 1000 years to be able to enjoy the wealth, power, and everything that can fulfill their desires. However, as stated before, this life is but temporary, and everyone is destined to die and be taken account for what he/she did in life, good or bad. And at that time, whosoever did bad will taste the payment (doom) for what he did.

Greed is one of the major obstacles to eradicate poverty. If everyone had the consciousness to give in the sake of caring for other people rather than buying something that he/she doesn’t really need, poverty wouldn’t even exist. Islam offers the path towards this. Too bad not even the best Muslims (which are quite a few nowadays) can totally get rid of their desire/greed for this world. May we all be given the power to detach our extensive love towards our wealth and desires.

Keywords: Al Baqarah, 96, wealth, poverty, fortune, richness, world

Banking interests = rejecting blessing

Bank interest is one of the major features of conventional banking. Be it an investor, a loaner, or a depositor, everyone will receive or pay interest. In the case of deposits, one will receive an added amount of money without any effort. And in the case of borrowing, one must pay a certain amount, surplus to what he/she has borrowed.

People borrow money from modern banks for many purposes, from starting a business to buying a house. Even third world countries borrow from banks/or institutions such as the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). In many cases, the borrowers spend most of their lifetime and efforts to pay off the interest rather than paying the real loan.

Islam clearly prohibits interests in any form. Interest or riba or usury is said to bring more corruption than goodness, Islam prefers charity and fair trade, as mentioned in the Quran, surah Al Baqarah verse 276:

Which has approximate meaning:
“Allah will deprive usury of all blessing, but will give increase for deeds of charity: For He loveth not creatures ungrateful and wicked.”

Interests in Islam are viewed to be wicked and cruel. It also erases the blessings that our riches bring to us. Everything we buy which includes the usage of that interest is also deprived of His blessings. Charity and lending money out of good intention is valued as a much better option in Islam.

Unfortunately, even in majorly populated Muslim countries, the so called modern banking system that promotes interest (riba/usury) is still very much dominant. The top banks in Arab are dominated by semi conventional banks such as the National Commercial Bank and Al Rajhi. In Indonesia, the top banks are conventional banks such as Mandiri and Central Bank of Asia (BCA). Nowadays, there are even some banks who claim to take no interest (following the Islamic way), yet only change “interest” into something less intimidating for Muslims such as “benefit”. There is a glimpse of hope though, as there are several Shariah banks (Banks based on Islamic law) which are steadily growing, such as Shariah Mandiri in Indonesia.

I am no economy expert and am unable to dive deeper into the technical differences of conventional and Islamic banking. But the use of no interest is beginning to be partially implemented in several countries such as Japan. In Japan, deposits are not given any interest (0 interest rate), even though loans are still subjected to interest.

The persistency of using the services of these conventional banks might be one of the causes why these Muslim populated countries are in such a bad mess. When the guidance from the Quran and Hadeeth are neglected, Muslims should beware and introspect on all the misery that is given upon them.

May we all be people who have the heart to give in charity and kindness.

Keywords: interest, banking, bank, Islam, Shariah, riba, usury, al baqarah, 276

People Who Challenge and Change Nature

Humans are given free will by God. Choices are ours to take.

This is also true in regard to our attitude towards nature. We have the choice to tamper with nature and adjust it according to our will, and destroying it through our greed or we can cherish it and wisely benefit from it. It seems that our civilization is opting for the first option, which I don’t think is a very wise choice.

We change things in nature to what we think is best for us with our limited knowledge. We tamper with genetic attributes of organisms for our economical benefit, not knowing what the consequences are. We change our appearances through plastic surgery to be more attractive to others (did you know that there were 11.7 million cosmetic procedures in the US in 2006?). We create artificial rain to fill up dams not knowing what effect it may have on global climate. We kill animals that seem dangerous and not beneficial with little or no knowledge about them.

Humans have a tendency to want to take control of everything which is of interest. Unfortunately, we severely lack the knowledge we need to be able to tamper with the ways of nature. Muslims are ordered to think about Allah’s creation, but for goal of understanding it, and realize the Creator’s greatness. However, muslims are ordered to be very careful in utilizing the creations (nature). In fact, the Quran has warned the danger of following the people that change nature. As said in Al Maidah verse 119,


The approximate meaning (Picktall’s translation):

"And surely I will lead them astray, and surely I will arouse desires in them, and surely I will command them and they will cut the cattle's ears, and surely I will command them and they will change Allah's creation. Whoso chooses Satan for a patron instead of Allah is verily a loser and his loss is manifest.”

The verse talks about the disbelievers, which take Satan as their helper. They also walk the path that Satan has built to misguide humanity, giving them false hopes and delusions of grandeur. Allah is the One Who permits this to happen, and verily it is He who knows best. One of their main characteristics is that they will change the nature of Allah’s creation to what they think is better.

Every creation has its purpose, no matter how bad or ugly it may seem for us. Take cockroaches for example. It might be a bit difficult to find anything positive related to this insect. We always relate it to trash, disgusting, and other filthy words. However, cockroaches can serve as bio-control agents in agriculture, to control lepidopteron pests such as moths and butterflies. The ugliest person in our eyes might be the kindest of all, which is what really counts. We should never judge Allah’s creations to be good or bad using our simple and incapable minds, more else change them into what we think is better.

May we all be protected from false hopes and dreams, and be among the righteous.

Keywords: genetic modification, an nisa, 119, greed, Satan, Nature, Choices