When I was a kid, my parents always scolded me for trying to drink my grandfather's whiskey. Imagine, an active and curious little boy, watching his grandfather sip that thick, golden, smooth liquid. I wanted to drink some too! However, every time I tried to secretly drink that tempting beverage, I got into big trouble. I never understood why, and that would be the cause of negative thoughts about my parents running through my mind. As the years passed, I realized why I was not allowed to drink my grandfather's whiskey; it could have poisoned me. An alcoholic beverage with 40 percent by volume would not have been very good for my little stomach or liver. When I was little, I didn't have access to the wisdom on which my parents' decision was based, yet I thought my negativity toward them was justified.

This situation could summarize the atheistic attitude towards God, in trying to understand the evil and suffering that exists in the world. The above story is not intended to belittle the suffering and pain that people experience. As human beings, we should empathize and find ways to alleviate people's difficulties. However, the purpose of the example is none other than to raise a conceptual point.

Out of an arguably genuine concern for human beings and other sentient beings, many atheists argue that the existence of a powerful and merciful God is a matter of concern.¹ is incompatible with the existence of evil and suffering in the world.

If He is truly the Merciful One, He should want evil and suffering to end, and if He is Almighty, He should be able to stop it. However, since evil and suffering exist, it implies that He is either not powerful, lacks mercy, or both.

The argument from evil and suffering has two forms, the logical and the evidential. The logical form attempts to argue that reaching the conclusion that God does not exist is inevitable. It holds that it is impossible for evil and suffering to exist and, at the same time, for a God with the attributes of power, knowledge and goodness to exist.².

However, the logical form does not show us that the above conclusion is necessarily correct. The following logical form seems to lack a premise:³

1. If God exists, then God must be all-powerful and all-knowing and yet allows evil to exist in the world.
2. If God is benevolent, then he would eliminate evil.
3. If God is all-powerful, then he would be able to eliminate evil.
4. If God is all-knowing, then he would be aware of any evil that exists.
5. Therefore, God does not exist.⁴

The missing premise is: "If there is a being that knows all evil, wants to eliminate evil and is capable of eliminating evil, that being would not allow any evil in the world."⁵ This hidden premise attempts to confirm a necessary logical relationship between the previous premises and the conclusion.

To dismantle this claim, all that needs to be done is to provide a possible explanation for the existence of God and evil in parallel. Since there is a range of possible explanations, the hidden premise of the logical form is undermined.⁶

The evidential form holds that, given the nature and abundance of evil, and the apparent unnecessary suffering in the world, it is highly unlikely that there is a God with attributes such as goodness, mercy and power.

This view of the problem of evil and suffering is intellectually weak because it is based on two important false assumptions. The first concerns the nature of God. It assumes that God is only Merciful and Almighty, thus isolating two attributes and ignoring others that the Qur'an has revealed about God. The evidential form includes the knowledge of God, but falsely assumes that we are capable of understanding the totality of God's knowledge, denying the reality that we have epistemic limitations and can never acquire the totality of God's knowledge.

The second assumption assumes that God has not provided us with valid reasons why He has allowed evil and suffering to exist,⁷ which is not true. Islamic revelation does provide reasons why God has allowed evil and suffering to exist, and both assumptions will be addressed below.

 

Is God only Merciful and Almighty?

According to the Qur'an, God is Al-Qadir, meaning the Almighty, and Ar-Rahman, meaning the Merciful, which also indicates compassion. Islam calls upon mankind to know and believe in a powerful, merciful and benevolent God. However, what the atheist does is to grossly misrepresent the integral Islamic conception of God. God is not only the Merciful and the Almighty; for as we have seen, He has many names and attributes. All these attributes are comprehensively understood through the oneness of God.

For example, one of His names is Al-Hakim, which means The Wise One. Since the very nature of God is His wisdom, it follows that whatever He wills is in consonance with that divine wisdom. When something is explained by an underlying wisdom, it implies that there is a reason for its occurrence. However, the atheist reduces God to two attributes and in so doing constructs a straw man, misrepresenting the Islamic conception of God, thus engaging in an irrelevant monologue.

The writer Alom Shaha, who wrote 'The young atheist's handbook'.The author responds to the assertion that divine wisdom is an explanation for evil and suffering, describing it as an intellectual evasion:

"The problem of evil really puzzles most ordinary believers. In my experience, they usually respond with an answer like, 'God moves in mysterious ways.' Sometimes they say, 'Suffering is God's way of testing us,' to which the obvious response is, 'Why do we have to test ourselves in such evil ways? ' To which the answer again is, 'God moves in mysterious ways."⁸

Alom, like many other atheists, commits the fallacy of argumentum ad ignoratium, arguing from ignorance. The fact that he cannot access divine wisdom does not mean that it does not exist. This type of reasoning is typical of small children. Many children are scolded by their parents for something they want to do, such as eating too much candy. Young children usually respond by crying or throwing tantrums because they think mom and dad are being mean to them, but they don't realize the wisdom behind their objection (in this case, too much candy is bad for the teeth).

Furthermore, this argument misunderstands the definition and nature of God. Since God is transcendent, knowing and wise, it logically follows that we limited human beings cannot fully comprehend the divine will. Even the mere suggestion that we can appreciate the fullness of God's wisdom would imply that we are like God, which denies the fact of His transcendence, or suggests that God is limited, like a human being. This argument does not appeal to any believer, since the Muslim does not believe in a created and limited God.

Referring to divine wisdom is not an intellectual evasion, since it does not refer to something mysterious and unknown. Rather, it is about truly understanding the nature of God and drawing the necessary logical conclusions. As I pointed out earlier, God has the image and we only have a pixel, if that.

As I have mentioned in other articles, the problem of evil and suffering exposes a cognitive bias known as "egocentrism." Such a person cannot see any perspective on a particular issue other than his own. Some atheists suffer from this cognitive bias. They assume that since they cannot understand any good reason to justify evil and suffering in the world, everyone else, including God, must also have the same problem. That is why they deny God, because they assume that God cannot be justified for allowing evil and suffering in the world. If God has no justification, then God's mercy and power are illusions, and thus the traditional concept of God is nullified. Yet all atheists do is superimpose their perspective on God. It is like trying to argue that God must think the way we humans think, which is wrong, because humans and God cannot be compared, since God is transcendent and has the totality of wisdom and knowledge.

At this point, the atheist might respond by describing the above as a clever way of evading the problem: if the theist can refer to God's wisdom as something so great that it cannot be understood, then we can explain anything 'mysterious' by referring to a divine wisdom. Personally I might say that I have some empathy with this argument; however, in the context of the problem of evil and suffering, it is a flawed argument.

First and foremost, it is the atheist who refers to God's attributes; His power and mercy. Atheists should refer to God as who He is, not as a being limited to only two attributes. If they were to include other attributes such as wisdom, their argument would already have validity. If they agreed to include the attribute of wisdom, they would then have to show how divine wisdom can be incompatible with a world in which there is suffering and evil, something that would be impossible to prove, because we ourselves admit our intellectual inferiority, as happens in many examples in our intellectual and practical life. In other words, there are cases in which we rationally submit to a wisdom and realities that we cannot comprehend. For example, when we visit the doctor, we assume that the doctor is an authority. We trust the doctor's diagnosis with this very idea in mind. We are even willing to take the medicine the doctor prescribes without a second thought. This and many other similar examples clearly show that referring to God's wisdom is not about trying to avoid the problem. Rather, it is to demonstrate precisely who God really is, and not simply to say that God has only two attributes. Since He is Wise, and His names and attributes are completely perfect, we deduce that there is wisdom behind everything He does, even if we do not come to know or understand that wisdom.

Many of us do not understand how diseases work, but just because we do not understand something does not mean we should deny its existence. The Qur'an uses stories and profound narratives to instill this understanding in us. Take, for example, the story of Moses and a man he encountered on one of his journeys, known as Khidr. Moses observed him doing things that seemingly appeared to be unjust and evil, but by the end of his journey, that wisdom to which Moses did not initially have access later came to light:

"He said, 'That's what we were looking for,' and they retraced their steps by tracking.

Thus they came upon one of Our servants to whom We had granted a grace from Us and whom We had taught a knowledge from Us.

Musa said to him: May I follow you to teach me a straight guide to what you have been taught?

He said: You really won't be able to have patience with me.

How could you have patience with something you can't understand what it hides?

He said: "If Allah wills, you will find me patient and I will not disobey you in anything.

He said: If you follow me do not ask me about anything if I do not mention it to you.

So they set off until, when they had climbed into a boat, he cut a hole in it.

Then said he, Hast thou done it to drown them that are in it?

You have really committed something serious.

He said: Didn't I tell you that you couldn't have patience with me?

He said: Do not take my forgetfulness into account nor impose something difficult on me.

And they set out on a journey until they came upon a boy whom he killed, and he said, "Have you killed a pure being without having been in exchange for another? You have indeed committed a reprehensible deed.

He said: Didn't I tell you that you couldn't have patience with me?

He said: If I ask you for explanations again in the future, do not let me accompany you anymore, my excuses to you have been exhausted.

And so they departed until they came to the people of a city to whom they asked for food, but they refused to give them hospitality.

There they found a wall that was threatening to collapse and straightened it.

He said: If you wanted to, you could ask for payment for it.

He said: This is the difference between you and me.

I am going to tell you the interpretation of what you have not been able to be patient with:

As for the boat, it belonged to some poor people who worked at sea and I wanted to spoil it because they were being chased by a king who was forcibly appropriating all the boats.

The boy had believing parents and we feared that he would force them into rebellion and unbelief.

And we wanted their Lord to give them in return one better than him, purer and more prone to compassion.⁹

And as for the wall, it belonged to two boys of the city who were orphans and under it was a treasure that belonged to them. Their father had been of the righteous and your Lord willed that they should come to maturity and be able to bring out their treasure as a mercy from your Lord; I did not do it on my own. This is the interpretation of that with which thou couldst not have patience."¹⁰ (Qur'an, Chapter The Cavern)

In addition to contrasting our limited wisdom with God's, this story also provides some key lessons and spiritual insights. The first lesson is that in order to understand God's will, one must be humble. Moses approached Khidr and knew that he had divinely inspired knowledge that God had not given him. Moses humbly asked to learn from him, but Khidr doubted his ability to be patient; nevertheless, Moses insisted and wanted to learn. (Moses' spiritual status is very high according to Islamic tradition. He was a prophet and messenger, but still he approached the man with humility).

The second lesson is that patience is required to deal emotionally and psychologically with suffering and evil in the world. Jidr knew that Moses could not be patient with him, as he was going to do things that Moses would understand as evil. Moses tried to be patient at first, but he always questioned the man's actions and expressed his displeasure at the evil he perceived. Finally, Khidr explained to him the divine wisdom behind his actions after realizing that Moses could not be patient.

What we learn from this story is that in order to deal with evil and suffering in the world, starting with admitting our inability to understand it, we must be humble and patient. Commenting on the above verses, the classical scholar Ibn Kazir remarked that Khidr was the one to whom God had given knowledge of the reality behind perceived evil and suffering, and that same knowledge had not been granted to Moses. Referring to the meaning of the statement, "You will not be able to be patient with me," Ibn Kazir wrote: "You will not be able to accompany me when you see me doing things that go against your law, because I have knowledge of God that He has not taught you, and you have knowledge of God that He has not taught me."¹¹

In short, God's wisdom is unlimited and complete, while we have limited wisdom and knowledge. Another way of putting it is that God has the totality of wisdom and knowledge; and we can only come up with some details. We see things from the perspective of our fragmentary point of view. Falling into the trap of egocentrism is like believing to be able to have the picture of the whole puzzle by seeing only one piece of it. That is why, Ibn Kazir explaining the verse, "How could you be patient in matters beyond your knowledge?" which shows that there is a divine wisdom that we cannot access, comments, "... For I know that you will justifiably denounce me, but I have a knowledge of God's wisdom and hidden interests that have been shown to me, and not to you."¹²

The view that everything that happens is in line with a divine wisdom is empowering and positive. This is because God's wisdom does not contradict other aspects of his nature, such as his perfection and goodness. Therefore, evil and suffering are ultimately part of a divine purpose. Like many other classical scholars, the 14th century scholar Ibn Taymiyyah summarizes this point well: "God does not create pure evil. Rather, in all that He creates there is a wise purpose, by virtue of what is good. Nevertheless, for some people there may be some evil, but this is a partial and relative evil. As for total evil or absolute evil, the Lord is free from it".¹³

We are not thereby denying the concept of objective moral truths that we mentioned in the previous chapter. Even if everything is consonant with goodness and evil is "partial," it does not undermine the concept of an objective evil. As discussed, objective evil is not absolute, but is evil based on a particular context or set of variables. So something can be objectively evil due to certain variables or context, and at the same time it can have a divine purpose, which is good and wise.

Thinking like this evokes positive psychological responses in believers, since all evil and all suffering that occurs has a divine purpose. Ibn Taymiyyah also comments on this point: "God, exalted be He, is Creator of all, He creates good and evil for a wise purpose, so His action is good and perfect."¹⁴

Henri Laoust, in his Essay 'Sur les doctrines sociales et politiques de Taki-d-Din Ahmad b. Taimiya', also explains this position: "God is essentially providence. Evil has no real existence in the world. All that God has willed can only be understood as sovereign justice and infinite goodness, provided it is conceived from the point of view of totality and not from the fragmentary and imperfect knowledge that his creatures have of reality ..."¹⁵

 

Has God given us reasons why He has allowed evil and suffering to exist?

It is sufficient to answer the second assumption by providing an argument, which is sound, that God has informed us of some of the reasons why He has permitted evil and suffering in the world. Many of these have also been provided by the intellectual wealth of Islamic thought.

 

Our purpose is worship

The primary purpose of human beings is not to enjoy a transitory sense of happiness; rather, it is to achieve deep inner peace through the recognition and worship of God. This fulfillment of the divine purpose will provide us with eternal joy and true happiness. So, if this is truly our primary purpose, other aspects of human experience become secondary. The Qur'an says, "I did not create the jinn and man except to worship me."¹⁶

Imagine a person who has never experienced any suffering or pain, someone who has only experienced pleasure and well-being throughout his life. This person, because of his state of comfort, will probably forget about God and, therefore, will not fulfill the purpose for which he was created. Let us compare this person to someone whose experiences, full of hardship and pain, led him to God and thus to fulfill his purpose in life. From the perspective of the Islamic spiritual tradition, the one whose suffering has led him to God is better than the one who has never suffered and whose pleasures have led him away from God.

 

Life is a test

God created us to test us, and part of that test is to experience difficulties that entail suffering and that evil that we perceive. Passing this test will make it easier for us to reach that eternal abode filled with happiness in paradise.

The Qur'an shows us that God created death and life, "to test you and find out which of you is the best in his works: He is the Almighty, the Forgiving".¹⁷

Normally, the atheist often misunderstands the purpose of our existence on Earth. The world is supposed to be an arena of trials and tribulations to test our conduct and for us to cultivate virtue. To give an example, how could we cultivate patience if we do not experience things that test us? How could we become courageous if there are no dangers to face? How could we become compassionate if no one needed it? Life itself, being a test, answers these questions for us. We need challenges to ensure our moral and spiritual growth. We are not here just to party; that is what paradise is for.

Why then is life a test? Since God is perfectly good, He wants each of us to be a believer and, as a result, to experience eternal happiness in paradise. God clearly shows us that He wants faith for all of us: "And He does not approve of the unbelief of His servants".¹⁸

This verse is a clear indication that God does not want anyone to go to hell. However, if He were to send everyone to paradise, there would be a serious violation of justice; God would be treating Moses, Pharaoh, Hitler and Jesus in the same way. This is why a mechanism is needed to ensure that people who enter paradise do so on the basis of their merits, which explains why life is a test. This life is just a mechanism to see which of us really deserve eternal happiness. As such, life is full of obstacles that act as tests of our behavior.

In this sense, Islam empowers us by making us see that suffering, evil, harm, pain and trouble are but a passing ordeal. Yes, we can have fun, but we must not forget that we have been created for a purpose and that purpose is none other than to recognize and worship God.

The Islamic view empowers us in a way that shows us that trials are considered a sign of God's love. Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم said, "When God loves a servant, He tests him."¹⁹

The reason God tests those whom He loves is because He wants to grant them a way by which they can attain the eternal happiness of paradise, the paradise of love and divine mercy. God says in this regard in the Qur'an: "Do you think that you will enter the Garden without going through what those before you went through? They suffered misfortune and tribulation, and were so moved that even the Messenger and the believers who believed with him said: 'When will the help of God come?' Verily, the help of God is at hand.²⁰

The beauty of the Islamic tradition is to understand the conception that God, who knows us better than we know ourselves, and to know that He has already empowered us and told us that we have what it takes to overcome these trials. "God does not ask anything of anyone beyond their means."²¹

However, if we fail to overcome these trials, after having tried our best, God's mercy and justice guarantee that we will be rewarded in some way, either in this life or in the eternal life that awaits us.

Knowing God, difficulties and suffering, allows us to recognize God's attributes, such as the Protector and the Healer. Consequently, without the pain of illness we would not appreciate God's attributes as the Healer or the One who gives us health. Coming to recognize God in the Islamic spiritual tradition is a greater good, and it is worth experiencing the suffering or pain that this may entail, as it will ensure that we achieve the fulfillment of our primary purpose, which will ultimately lead us to paradise.

 

A greater good

Suffering and evil enable a greater good, also known as the secondary good. The primary good is physical pleasure and happiness, and the primary evil is physical pain and sadness. Examples of secondary good include courage, humility and patience. However, to obtain a secondary good, such as courage, there must be a primary evil, such as cowardice. According to the Qur'an, a sublime good, such as courage and humility, cannot have the same value as evil: "Say (O Prophet), evil is not the same as good, though you may be astonished at the abundance of evil. Be conscious of God, O people of intellect. Perhaps, thus, you will prosper".²².

 

Free will

God has given us free will, and this includes the ability to choose to commit evil acts. This explains why there is personal evil, which is the evil or suffering committed by a human being.

One may come to ask: And why has God given us free will? Well, for tests in life to be meaningful, there must be free will. A test is meaningless if the student is obligated or is being forced to answer every question correctly. Similarly, in the test of life, human beings must have adequate freedom to do what they choose. Right and wrong would lose their meaning if God always made sure that we chose the right. Take into consideration the following example: someone points a loaded gun at your head and asks you to give in charity. You end up giving the money, but does your action really have any moral value? Clearly not, since it would only have value if a free person chose to do so of their own free will.

 

Detachment from the world

According to Islamic tradition, God has created us so that we can worship Him and draw close to Him. A fundamental principle in this regard is that we must spiritually detach ourselves from the ephemeral nature of the world, known as dunya, which means something inferior or belittled. The ephemeral world is the place of limitations, suffering, loss, desires, ego, excess and evil. Suffering shows us how truly low is the dunyaThis will facilitate our detachment, and thus, we will be able to get closer to God.

It was narrated that Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم said: "Love for the dunya is the root of all evil.²³ Therefore, the detachment of the dunya is necessary to reach the ultimate spiritual goal, closeness to God and, subsequently, paradise.

The Koran confirms that the dunya is ephemeral and a deceptive enjoyment: "Know that worldly life is nothing but play, distraction, enchantment, ostentation and rivalry in wealth and children. Its example is like that of a rain, which generates plants that please the sowers; then it withers and you see it yellowing; then, it becomes dry straw [scattered]."²⁴

The concept of the dunya should not be confused with the positive aspects of creation, known in Arabic as 'álamy jalq. These concepts relate to the beauty and wonder of what God has created. They are meant to call people to reflect and understand, which serves as a means to conclude that there is divine power, mercy and wisdom behind it.

 

The suffering of innocent people is temporary

Although we know that behind suffering there are secondary goods, we can observe that some people suffer without experiencing any relief. That is why in Islam, God not only provides justifications for evil and suffering in this world, but also rewards it. In the end, all believers who suffered, being innocent, will be granted eternal happiness, and all the suffering they had, even if it dragged on for their entire life, will be forgotten forever. Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم said:

"... the person who had suffered the greatest affliction in the world among those destined for Paradise will be brought and will be immersed in Paradise for an instant. Then he will be asked: " O son of Adam, have you ever suffered? Have you ever experienced hardship in your life? " He will answer: " No, my Lord, by God. I have never felt suffering. I have never seen any hardship.'"²⁵

 

Spiritual perspectives

According to atheism, evil has no purpose. It is one of those blind forces in the world that indiscriminately chooses its prey. Those who are victims of suffering and evil cannot make sense of their experiences in an emotional or rational way in order to alleviate their suffering or put their experiences in context. Someone could have suffered all their life until they end up in the grave, and all their suffering, sacrifice and pain would have absolutely no meaning. They consider that evil occurs because of prior physical processes, and those who experience evil have no recourse to alleviate it. They cannot attribute to these events any kind of will, whether human or divine, because, in the end, it all boils down to blind, random, non-rational physical events. Therefore, the stark reality is that the logical implications of atheism are quite depressing.

The Islamic tradition has a source of concepts, principles and ideas that facilitate the believer's journey during his life. Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم empowered the believers through hope and patience. All the suffering we face is a means of spiritual purification, which makes it easier for us to reach paradise, where we will forget all the suffering we have experienced:

"No calamity befalls a Muslim, but God atones for some of his sins because of it, even if it is the prick he receives from a thorn."²⁶

"Amazing is the affair of the believer, indeed his whole affair is good for him, and it is but for the believer. If something good/happy happens to him, he is grateful and that is good for him. If something bad happens to him, he is patient and that is good for him."²⁷

Even natural disasters and fatal illnesses are perceived in Islam through hope, mercy and forgiveness. The Islamic perspective on sickness is that it is a form of purification, which facilitates eternal bliss in paradise for those who are sick. That is why Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم encouraged visiting the sick:

"Feed the hungry, visit the sick, and set the captives free."²⁸

Those who care for the sick are rewarded with mercy and forgiveness, and ultimately paradise.

There are many prophetic traditions that elaborate on these points. For example, Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم said that, if a believer dies of a plague or a stomach disease, he is considered a martyr²⁹and all martyrs go to paradise.³⁰ There are inspiring narrations full of mercy, reward and blessings for those who visit and care for the sick; Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم teaches us that whoever visits a sick person "enters into mercy, until he sits down, and when he sits down he immerses himself in it."³¹A moving and powerful narration from Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم teaches us that those who visit the sick will find God with them:

"Verily, God, the Exalted and Glorious, will say on the Day of Judgment: 'O Son of Adam! I fell sick, but you did not visit me.'" The person will ask: "O my Sustainer, how could I visit you when you are the Sustainer of the Worlds? And how could you fall sick? ". He, the Almighty, will say: "Did you not know that such a servant of mine was sick, but you did not visit him. But you did not visit him; did you not know that, if you had visited him, you would have met Me with him? '"³²

Even in the case of natural disasters such as tsunamis, believing victims are considered people of paradise as death by drowning is considered martyrdom in Islamic tradition. Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم said in this regard, "Anyone who dies by drowning is a martyr."³³ Islamic scholars conclude that if a believer dies as a result of the collapse of a building during an earthquake (some even extend this to an airplane or car accident), he is considered from among the people of paradise. Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم said that one of the categories of martyrs includes "one who dies in a collapsed (building)."³⁴

But God could create a world without suffering

Despite all that we have discussed so far, a key objection that is usually raised is: "but God could create a world without suffering". This argument is just a repackaging of the original argument we have presented above; the same question in other words would be: Why has God allowed evil and suffering to exist? Therefore, the same answer that we already gave at the time applies; because of divine Wisdom.

Whoever makes this objection does so because he cannot understand why evil and suffering occur in the first place, and believes that a merciful and powerful God should be obligated to prevent all evil and suffering. However, the answer has already been addressed in this chapter. The "problem" of evil and suffering is not a problem for the believer, since evil and suffering are understood as functions of God's profound wisdom, perfection and goodness. The spiritual teachings of Islam create in us a sense of hope, patience and tranquility. The logical implication of atheism is that, one is plunged into a state of despair without finding any answer as to why evil and suffering exist. This ignorance is mainly due to an egocentrism that causes atheists to fail in their ability to see things from another perspective, just as I was, when I thought my parents were malicious when they prevented me from drinking my grandfather's whiskey.

 

Author: Hamza Andreas Tzortzis

Translator: Sh. Mohammad Idrissi

Article taken from Sapience Institute

 

References:

¹ The argument of the problem of evil and suffering has been expounded in various ways. Some of the arguments use the words benevolent, merciful, loving or good interchangeably. Despite the variable use of the words, the argument does not change. Instead of using the word good, terms such as merciful, loving, kind, etc., could also be used. The problem of evil assumes that the traditional concept of God must include an attribute which implies that God does not want evil and suffering to exist. Therefore, the use of alternative words such as merciful, loving and good do not affect the argument.

² Diapositivas El problema del mal, Universidad de Notre Damme. Disponible en: https://www3.nd.edu/~dpattill/Courses/Intro%20Fall%2015/Slides/Problem%20of%20Evil%20Slides.pdf [Consultado el 1 de octubre de 2020].

³ Ibid.

⁴ Ibid.

⁵ Ibid.

⁶ Ibid.

⁷ This assumption has been adapted from Professor William Lane Craig's approach to the problem of evil. Moreland, J. P. and Craig, W. L. (2003). Philosophical foundations for a Christian worldview. Downers Grove, Ill, InterVarsity Press. See chapter 27.

⁸ Shaha, A. (2012). Young Atheist's Handbook, p. 51.

⁹ This part of the story shows us God's mercy. All children enter paradise, which is eternal happiness, regardless of their beliefs and actions. Therefore, the fact that God inspires man to kill the child must be understood through mercy and compassion.

¹⁰ The Koran, Chapter 18, Verses 65 to 82.

¹¹ Ibn Kathir, I. (1999). Tafsir al-Qur'an al-'Adhím. Vol 5, p. 181.

¹² Ibid.

¹³ Ibn Taymiyyah, A. (2004). Majmu 'al-Fatawa Shaykhul Islam Ahmad bin Taymiyyah. Vol. 14, p. 266.

¹⁴ Ibn Taymiyyah, A. (1986). Minhay al-Sunnah. Edited by Muhammad Rashad Salim. Riyadh: Jami'ah al-Imam Muhammad bin Saud al-Islamiyah. Vol 3, p142.

¹⁵ Quoted in Hoover, J. (2007). Ibn Taymiyya's theodicy of perpetual optimism. Leiden: Brill, p.4.

¹⁶ The Koran, Chapter 51, Verse 56.

¹⁷ The Koran, Chapter 67, Verse 2.

¹⁸ The Koran, Chapter 39, Verse 7.

¹⁹ Narrated by Tirmidhi.

²⁰ The Koran, Chapter 2, Verse 214.

²¹ The Koran Chapter 2, Verse 286.

²² The Koran, Chapter 5, Verse 100.

²³ Shuʿab al-Iman of Al-Bayhaqi, goes back to Al-Hasan Al-Basri, who attributes it to Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم. Scholars have qualified this prophetic tradition as hasan; its level of authenticity is good.

²⁴ The Koran, Chapter 57, Verse 20.

²⁵ Narrated by Muslim.

²⁶ Narrated by Bukhari.

²⁷ Narrated by Muslim.

²⁸ Narrated by Bukhari.

²⁹ Anyone who commits a suicide bombing or engages in terrorism and dies as a result is not considered a martyr. Such evil acts are totally forbidden in Islam.

³⁰ Narrated by Muslim.

³¹ Narrated by Ahmad.

³² Narrated by Muslim.

³³ Ibid.

³⁴ Ibid.