Summary: Sh. Dr. Yasir Qadhi discusses the 7 wisdoms of calamities, from the perspective of a Believer (Muslim). These are part of a larger list as authored by Al-Izz Ibn Abdus-Salam, a 13th century scholar of Islam. In part II of the khutbah, the people of Al-Ghouta (in Syria) are mentioned, their calamities, Islamic perspective and significance of this land as it is related to the end of times.<br> <br> Topics:<br> <br> * Why is there pain, why is there suffering?<br> * What did Allah say to the angels when they asked such a question?<br> * How do we approach evil and suffering?<br> * If we don't have humility and faith, we may reject God due to arrogance.<br> * By rejecting God due to the existence of evil, you introduce an infinite long list of complex questions you have no answers for.<br> <br> Seven (7) wisdoms of calamities and pain in this world:<br> <br> * Demonstrates lordship - you are not all-powerful, God is.<br> * Appreciate that we are the servants of God, shows who is God<br> * The religiosity, eman, taqwa, du'a and calling to God that comes as a result.<br> * Brings out the best of character (akhlaq) in a person (of patience, generosity, etc)<br> * Allah allows 3rd parties to demonstrate generosity, testing those who are not afflicted (lots of wealth, time, good health, etc)<br> * Appreciating the blessings and ease that we have on a daily basis. We learn to be thankful to Allah.<br> * Blessings of Allah on day of Judgment due to pain in this world.<br> <br> If you don't believe in day of judgment, you won't believe the wisdom of pain/evil in this world.<br> <br> Allah(SWT) mentions in the Qur’an, “There are those people who worship Allah with a condition. If life is good, he’s happy and will happy with Allah. But if life is not good and a Fitnah happens, then he switches his faith in Allah, he ends up losing this world and the next” The wisdom of trying to understand the problems of this world is something that every faith/tradition has struggled with. It is one of the fundamental problems of theology. The question of trying to understanding why there is pain, why is there suffering? Why is there bloodshed? Why is there evil in this world? This is a question that was asked of Allah even before he created us. When Allah(SWT) announced his creation of man in Surah Al-Baqarah, the angels asked: “Why would you do that” Even the angels asked the same question. Remember this is a question that was asked to better comprehend Allah’s wisdom, not to challenge Allah’s authority.
