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Atheistic Thoughts (Long Q&A, but you must read it until the end) Question I am a Muslim who is leaning day by day towards atheistic views because I have doubts. Can you clarify them for me? let’s start. I have heard Allah does not place a burden on a soul more than it can bear. So what about the people who commit suicide? 2. Allah loves us like 70 mothers. So why would he then put people in Hell? I for one recall asking my mother, “if I cut your hands and feet and starve you… torture you in every way I can and then you are given a choice to put me in Heaven or Hell… she said I would rather die than put you in Hell… so I asked her is there any case in which you will put me into Hell? she said no….. so I asked her a second question if you have the power to put me into heaven for eternity which is absolutely great compared to the life of this world would you choose to put me into trials and tribulations in this mortal world…. so she said even if a thorn pricks you i can’t stand that….. see where I am getting with this….. so your so called Allah the most merciful of those who show mercy. How does He do that when we can’t starve him, torture him, we can’t affect him in any way yet he chooses to enjoy people’s torture. Now I don’t want you to prove that Allah is 70 times more merciful than a mother…. but if you prove that he is 1/70 times merciful that would be enough. Answer: In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh. We make duaa Allah keep you firm on Imaan and that Allah grant you sharhe sadr (satisfaction of the heart) in understanding Imaan. However, this also requires one to be sincere and honest. We have to use the divine given abilities correctly to understand Allah and Imaan. It is true that Allah never burdens a person more than he can bear. This is clear from the following verse: لَا يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا Translation:”Allah does not place on a soul responsibility (duty) except what is within its capability.” [Al-baqarah: 286] The cause of suicide is then not about the burden being more. It is about managing the burden. The burden is within ones capacity. However, the person does not manage the burden correctly and commits suicide. It is his negligence by not using the various resources of treating himself that he has committed suicide. He is totally responsible for the act. He was not burdened with something he could not bear. If you do say so, then what criteria do you have to determine that? How would you justify that the person was over burdened rather than not managing his burden? There are innumerable examples of people with suicidal tendencies that have been treated with counselling and medication. If they would not have resorted to treatment and if their condition deteriorated to the point of suicide, that is their negligence. The second issue raised by you is why a person would be thrown into Hell despite Allah being All Loving. The answer to this is very simple. One of the many attributes of Allah Almighty is Ar-Rahman; The Most Merciful. And the manifestation of this attribute is Jannah (Paradise). On the other hand, Allah is also Shadeedul-Eqaab – شديد العقاب (severe in punishment) and the manifestation of this attribute is Hell. A person will go to hell because Allah is severe in punishment, not because Allah is Ar-Rahman (The Most Merciful). The question to ask is why is Allah severe in punishment? Consider this angle. Allah rewards an obedient person with Jannah. If an obedient person is also put in hell without any cause of the Mercy of Allah, would it be fair? The obedient and disobedient are equal? How would one justify the quality of Allah being Al-Aadil (The Most Just)? May Allah guide you and remove your doubts. Aameen. And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best Safwaan Ibn Ml Ahmed Ibn Ibrahim Student Darul Iftaa Limbe, Malawi Checked and Approved by, Mufti Ebrahim Desai. Addition from Shaykh Abdur Raheem (Hafizahullah):A mother is kind to her children but even mothers get angry at them when they see the need for it. A child comes home after a football game. He is covered in mud from head to toe. The mother gets angry, scolds him, tells him to stand at the doorway and then she takes his shoes off. She carries him to the bathroom, she is screaming and shouting whilst taking off the dirty clothes and washing him. If he doesn’t listen to her, she might even give him a gentle slap on the back. This does not mean that the motherly love has deserted her. When the child is clean and washed, she will apply some powder to make him smell nice, hug him and kiss him. In addition, have you never heard of mothers telling authorities about their rebellious youngsters? They hand them over to the police to put them in jail in order that they rectify themselves and stay away from harm in future. Allah will only put some people in Jahannam in order to cleanse them from the effects of their own wrongdoings. As soon as they are cleansed from the effects of their sins, He will give them new bodies, fresh skin and admit them into Jannah. As for the kuffar and the mushriks, they will be like a rebellious teenager who is always pestering his parents and running away from home. He goes his own way, he falls into wrong company, becomes a drug addict and a habitual burglar. The police are chasing him all the time, knocking on his parents’ door to look for him. The parents get so fed up that they disown him. They don’t allow him to come back home because they’ve tried everything but to no avail. Similar to this is the case of shirk. Allah tried His best to Give them the message. He warned them against rebellion and arrogance. However, when nothing worked Allah also disowned them. Even though Allah was their Creator, they failed to accept His authority by testifying to His Oneness. What was Allah supposed to do? Once Rasulullah sallAllahu alayhi wassallam saw this lady running around frantically in search of her missing child. He asked the sahaba “If this woman was to find her child, do you think that she will throw him in a fire?” They replied “No, As long as she is able to protect him” He said “Well! Allah is more merciful to his slaves than this woman is to her child” In another instance, he was asked a similar question. He began to shake and he started crying profusely. Then he said “Verily Allah will not put in Jahannam expect the rebellious, the oft rebelling, who refused to utter “There is no god but God” (Ibn majah) In another Hadith he says “Allah will ask a mushrik on the day of judgement “Son of Adam! If you possessed the whole world today, would you give it in ransom to free yourself from punishment? He will reply “Yes of course” Allah will say “Well! I required from you something which was much more easier, while you were still in the loins of Adam; that you do not commit shirk, however you refused to do anything but shirk” (saheeh Bukhari) So punishing in the fire does not take away the mercy from Allah. That is His dealing with makhlooq by way of Adl (equality). They wanted kufr & shirk so He gave it to them. If He were to deprive them of what they wanted, that would be injustice. He remains as merciful as He was and He will remain that way forever. As Allah says, “Allah did not wrong them, but rather they used to wrong themselves.” Elsewhere, He says, “What will Allah get by punishing you, if only you were grateful and you believed. Allah is most Appreciative, All Knowing.” As for the sufferings, how did you determine that it’s a punishment? Why couldn’t you think of it as a test of character? That would make things a lot easier to understand. Also, If there was no hunger and thirst, we would not be able to comprehend the value of food and drink. If there was no sickness, we would not realise the value of good health. There is some wisdom behind everything in the universe. We should trust the All Knowing, All Powerful, Wise One. When you have belief in Allah, the suffering becomes light, in fact you feel pleasure in the pain by thinking if this is what Allah wants for me, then I’m happy with what He decides. This generates an amazing contentment in the heart. And from where did you pick these words ‘your so called Allah’ I fear you might have already committed kufr. Also your assumption that ‘He enjoys people’s torture’ is also a form of blasphemy. He doesn’t torture people nor does he like to do so. Most of the difficulties are brought upon themselves by the people. Who made all the bombs and WMDS? Disobedience is by choice not by divine force. Moreover, it is our disobedience which brings about difficulties. It’s like if you touch fire you will get burnt. It’s impossible to not feel the heat in spite of touching the fire. So sins attract difficulties. If the difficulty comes in this dunya, then that’s easier, however if it is left for the Akhirah, then the Adhaab of Jahannam will be much more severe, and it will be nothing but our disobedience taking another form. The traits of pride, arrogance, haughtiness, stinginess, oppression, jealousy, backbiting, slandering, fornication, drinking, gambling, murder and all crimes whether major or minor – these will turn into the fire, snakes and scorpions of Jahannam. Allah knew that we would do these things and wanted to cleanse us so He revealed books, sent messengers and guides to show us the simple and correct way to live. He has appointed angels who talk to us, inspire us, protect us and stay with us. Otherwise the Satans would chop us into pieces. They wouldn’t let us live in peace. Then Allah forgives and forgives and forgives. He invites those who are running away from Him. Allah is Ready to receive them with open arms. He runs towards the one who walks to Him. He is extremely happy with the repentant slaves. Then He has kept special moments like Ramadhaan, Hajj, Fridays, etc wherein His mercy showers upon the hearts like a heavy rainfall. We can feel that mercy in our hearts during these blessed times. Then He will take reckoning on the day of judgement with extreme kindness. The due rights will be of two types; Rights of the Almighty and rights of the creation. With regards to the second ones, He will give us a chance to settle them out, but on that day, even our mothers, fathers, siblings, wives and children will run away from us and refuse to offer any help. With regards to His own rights, Allah will show the most highest standard of mercy and forgiveness like no other. So you need to think deeply and stop copying some objections whispered into your mind by the Satans amongst the jinn and the ones amongst the human kind. May Allah guide us all, give us His true love and allow us to recognise Him and to make ourselves worthy of absorbing His mercy into our hearts. May Allah be pleased with us. Ameen. Source