In answer to the video "No Compulsion in Religion"
All creation is due to the only will of Allah 39:62,113:2 and all things were created
32:7"good",ie in proper proportion and adapted for their particular determined 20:50,59:1,80:19,87:2-3 and measured 15:21,25:2 functions. But besides the Lord of creation, every single thing is flawed and hence potentially harmful, whether willingly or not, purposefully or not, hence we seek protection from the possible harm that could come from any of God's creatures, not from God Himself.
The Bible on the other hand, unequivocally states, that God is the creator of evil Deut30:15,Isa45:7,1Sam16:14. Christianity has this evil God creating man with a sinful nature, making him primarily lean towards sin.
Thus, logically, and as reiterated in the Quran, evil, in the negative, sinful and harmful sense isnt directly God's creation. The creation of creatures has been attributed to Allah and of evil to the creatures themselves
113:1-2"Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of the falaq/the entity that breaks forth/the creation (ie all of creation comes to existence through that process), From the evil of what He has created".This shows that Allah has not created any creature for the sake of evil, but sometimes evil, or the way we might perceive it, does appear from them. As to the entities posessing freewill, evil results from them when they misuse the power of freewill granted to them
64:2"He it is Who created you, but one of you is an unbeliever and another of you is a believer; and Allah sees what you do".The purpose of creation as illustrated in the Quran with God's exchange with the angels when he was about to create the first human vicegerent, answers the reason for God "allowing" evil, disbelief, sin to occur sometimes. For the great reward to be achieved, there must be freedom of choice, which also carries the possibility for deviation. When such deviation translates into evil, transgression or crime, God could bring down His judgement immidiately but He has allowed a time of respite during which even the worst sinner can come back to his senses, reform hismelf and grow spiritualy.
The Quran therefore answers the age old question of suffering in the clearest of ways, integrating it as part of God's design since the beginning. It isnt a shackle nor a sign of divine disapproval and punishment. Human suffering plays an essential role in our spiritual and moral development, and in our journey towards God
2:155-6“And We will surely test you with some degree of fear, hunger, loss of wealth, lives and provisions, but give glad-tidings to those who persevere. Those who, when disaster strikes them, say, “Indeed we belong to God, and indeed to Him we will return.”This system of causality is directly linked to the freewill humanity has been endowed with. It is a system bound to result in the creation of evil and suffering sometimes. That suffering then becomes the very means by which humanity is spiritually and morally stimulated to grow nearer to God, develop a relationship with Him
84:6"O Human, indeed you are labouring painfully towards your Lord, but you shall surely meet Him".This painful toil on the path of God manifests the most when one has to show the ability to be merciful to God's creation
90:14-17"Verily, We have created the human being in a state of constant toil and hardship. Does he think that no one has power over him? He says, ‘I have squandered much wealth and riches!’ But does he think that no one sees him? Have We not made for him two eyes? And a tongue and two lips? And shown him the two paths? But he attempts not the uphill climb. And what would enable you to comprehend the uphill climb? It is the freeing of a slave. Or feeding on a day of severe hunger the close orphan or the needy person lying in the dust. Then he will become one of those with faith, who urge one another to have patience and urge one another to show compassion and mercy".So our spiritual ascent towards God involves a moral struggle to alleviate the suffering of others. The universe is based on natural laws that are all good. Man, the vicegerent placed on Earth above all creatures, can through his freewill either use these laws to do good or bad. Man has been given the power of speech 55:4. He can use it to spread the truth or falsehood. In the intricate account of creation, the angels had perceived this evil potential
"Will you place in it one who would spread corruption in it and shed blood while we proclaim Your praise and sanctify You?".They did not consider the extent of mankind's positive potential, which God proceeded to demonstrate.
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