Why Did Allah Create a World of Suffering?

And their will is woe to us Indeed, we were in clear air. We were clearly misguided. Clearly, upon disbelief, clearly wrong. and this articulates a level of a level of regret that they are saying we were wrong but regret, yes, regret is repentance. The prophet said, regret, contrition is repentance. And repentance is contrition. That's how it is epitomized. And a person's repentance will not be accepted by Allah if they do not have contrition and regret for what they've done. They have to acknowledge that what they've done is wrong and that they regret this, this occurred, that this happened. did this. However, the contrition is correct. The statement is correct. Indeed, we were clearly upon wrong. We were clearly misguided. However, the timing is incorrect. Too little too late as we say. because a person who repents to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala when Allah's punishment is upon them, in the final thrashes of death, everyone believes in Allah at that point. Everyone repents to Allah unanimously. The good and the bad and the ugly, everyone of us is going to leave this world with the feeling, with the overwhelming feeling of, indeed, I was upon clear air. Everyone, everyone of us is going to that feeling. Some will have it more intensely than others. But no matter what we do, we're always going to feel we could have done better. So, a believer and a disbeliever, they have this. They have this similar Similar emotion in times of difficulty. The difference between the believer and the disbeliever is when People usually fall asleep, usually ignore Allah subhanahu.

[Arabic recitation]

Are ungrateful to Allah, the believer, is constantly vigilant of Allah is constantly repenting to Allah. not because they are in discomfort, they are repenting to Allah because he is owed repentance and he is owed gratitude and he is owed patience in time of hardship. and so the believer repents to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala in times of ease and in times of hardship. However, every person would repent to Allah in times of hardship. Now, this is not to say that a a believer's death and a disbeliever's death is the same. Of course, it is radically different. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentions that a disbeliever when they are or or a person of wickedness when they are swept up by death, the angels of punishment will come to collect their souls. and the believer, the angels of mercy will come to collect their souls. The experience of death is much different. However, the thrashes of death, the throws of death are very difficult and the fear and anxiety a person will experience and their retrospection into their past, we will all have an overwhelming feeling of of regret for what we have, what we have passed up. has collected in his with an acceptable chain of narration that the prophet said.

[Silence]

Old age. On the day of resurrection, he will look at it with a level of belittlement. Say, I could've done better. I should have done more. I should have done better. That is due to the terror of the day of resurrection and due to thee, overwhelming of what Allah is really do that people are asleep and when they die, they wake up And they see reality and see things for what they truly are. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentions that their call of Woe to us, indeed, we were upon error will continue to be there. Announcement until we make them as a harvested burnt out crop. This is to articulate the the way that these towns, these places are after Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Has ravaged them with punishment. Due to their misdeeds. But Allah The.

[Silence]

Between in any type of play or just This is an important statement here that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala does not create anything in play or for no good reason or ingest or idly and we see this a lot. We see this ascribed to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala by idolaters throughout history even in some of the Hindu text mention in some of the Hindu texts of Leela that the Gods created the earth and humanity for play, for sport, Likewise, we find this in other pagan cultures. Such as Greek mythology, Roman mythology, Persian mythology. Where the gods are running around and playing games and playing sports. and it's all just a big game and fun that the gods are amused by the suffering of mankind Likewise, in other religions such as Christianity and Judaism, there are things ascribed to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala of this nature. such as the notion that as they say in America, things god has a sense of humor, right? When something inexplicable happens or something that seems ironic. See, god has a sense of humor. This is incorrect. is a major misconception to ascribe to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to have willed let alone created anything without any good reason, anything in idle, ingest, for fun, just for sport, just because you know, it's fun. No. This is not the description of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Furthermore, if Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala wanted to create anything for sport, for fun, for amusement. Would this be the creation that was for amusement? Murder and tragedy and pain and suffering, and hunger, and poverty, and illness, and disease, and war, and would this be the amusement? What kind of sadistic amusement would that be? Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala refutes this. He says, and we have not created the heavens and the earth and all that is in between, in play, in sport. but had we desired sport, such sport if we had desired any amusement, we would have taken that amusement from that which is closest to us. Amusement of that which is in paradise, that which is good, that which is pleasureful pain and suffering and disease and illness and insanity and how can these things be taken as some kind of sport, some kind of fun, some kind of sick joke. Now Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala refutes that anything was created for play and if it were to have been created for play, it would not have been in this way. He says, Subhanahu wa ta'ala expressing the purpose behind this world and all that it contains and everything that he has created. Because a person may say, Yeah, okay. He doesn't create anything ingest, anything in play, anything for sport, for amusement then what is with all of these tragedies around us? What is with all this pain and suffering that's in the earth? What is with thee? The great, the great realities of of life, illness, or death, or or old age. What is with all of this? Why would Allah create this? The Greeks in their mythology the Hindus and their mythology, the Romans as well. They couldn't believe that. A good god would create all of this. So, they came up with this idea that there were many gods and they were constantly fighting with each other which Allah will address in a few verses. That they are constantly fighting with each other and this is the tragedies that place on this Earth because this is kind of the battleground for the gods. and so they come up with all these, you know, the Titans and the Olympians and they're fighting and clashing and all kinds of very bizarre stories that come out of this. Trying to make sense of volcanoes and earthquakes and tornadoes and lightning and right? So, they come up with all these things. And so, if this is their belief, they must come to the conclusion that, well, this is all for fun, for amusement. That's why all of this pain and suffering has been, has been created, and this is why we find a thread of sadism throughout, throughout these mythologies. We see the gods that they depict are gloating. in the suffering of men. They enjoy it. So, you have for instance, Aries and Hera and these these, you know, these gods, they punish the people on the earth and then Hercules comes along and this one comes along and he saves the day because he's always protecting humanity from from, the evil of these sadists. very twisted and if a person were to take these beliefs to heart, they would be a very terrible person Rather Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says, we have not created anything in the heavens and the earth. for the purpose of amusement or sport and had he desired to create something for amusement or sport it would not be this here. It would not be in this form. Allah then tells us the reason why he subhanahu wa ta'ala truly created this world in the way that it is with all that it has in it of good and bad, pleasure, and pain. He says, rather, Everything from the heavens to the earth to all that is in between has been created in order that the truth may overcome evil in order that the truth may overcome evil. In order that those who worship him, worship him in this environment, an environment of choice. and that the justice of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is imposed, and likewise the mercy of Allah is graced upon his creation.

[Arabic recitation]