THE FLASHES

The Second Sign

The question: the creation of devils who are pure evil, and their influence over believers—through which many people fall into unbelief and enter Hell—appears extremely terrifying and dreadful. How can the mercy and beauty of Allah, Who is Jamīl-i alāl-Itlāq, Rahīm-i Mutlaq, and Rahmān-i bil-Haqq permit and allow the emergence of such immense ugliness and terrible calamities? Many have asked this question, and it occurs to many minds.

The answer: although the existence of Satan entails limited evils, it also entails many universal purposes of good, such as human perfections. Indeed, just as there are many stages of growth between a seed and a mighty tree, the development of the human being’s spiritual capacities has many stages, even more varied than those between a seed and a tree. The development of these capacities requires movement, and this movement is initiated and continued through struggle, which can take place only through the existence of devils and harmful things. Otherwise, the rank of human beings would remain fixed, as is the case with angels. In that case, mankind would consist of a single uniform type and would not possess the diversity that, as it were, comprises thousands of kinds of human beings. To abandon thousands of good results in order to avoid one limited evil is contrary to wisdom and justice.

It is true that, through the influence of Satan, most people go astray. Nevertheless, the value of a thing is generally determined by its quality; quantity often has little significance, or none at all. Suppose a person possesses one thousand and ten seeds, and causes those seeds to undergo a chemical process beneath the earth. If ten of those seeds grow into trees while the remaining thousand perish, the benefit arising from the ten trees will certainly outweigh the loss of the thousand seeds that perished.

In the same way, ten perfected human beings, through struggle against the nafs and the devils, elevate and illumine mankind. The benefit, honour, and value they bring to the human species are so great that the harm caused by the unbelief of misguided people, who lower human value beneath that of animals, is reduced to nothing and becomes invisible. This shows that the existence of devils and their influence over human beings is not contrary to the mercy, wisdom, and justice of Allah, but rather proceeds from them.

O believers! Your armour against these dreadful enemies is taqwā woven on the loom of the Qur’an. Your shield is the Sunnah of the Prophet (saw), and your weapon consists of repentance to Allah, seeking refuge in Him, and asking His forgiveness.

The Third Sign

The question: the overwhelming complaints, repeated emphatic warnings, and very severe threats in the Qur’an against those who have gone astray seem, at first sight, not to accord with its just and measured eloquence, nor with the moderation and balance of its manner of expression. It is as though armies are being mobilized against a powerless individual, and for a simple act he is threatened as though he had committed thousands of murders.

And although he possesses no power or share in the dominion of Allah, he is treated as a destructive partner and complaints are made against him. What is the wisdom and mystery behind this?