If Allah Loves Us, Why Is There Evil in the World? A Merciful Perspective
If Allah is loving and merciful, why does He allow evil and suffering? Explore how Islam explains suffering, divine wisdom, and the deeper purpose behind life’s trials.
Blog post summary:
- Dear God, Why Does Hate Still Exist?
- Why Is There Sin and Suffering If God Is Merciful?
- What is Evil?
- Why Do We Do Evil? Why Do We Do Evil?
- The Role of Suffering
- Why Do We Blame God?
- Need someone to talk to?
🔍Dear God, Why Does Hate Still Exist?
Sometimes, we question the existence of God because of the pain we see around us. But what if the presence of suffering doesn’t prove God’s absence… but rather reflects our distance from Him?
Human: I don’t believe in God.
God: May I ask why?
Human: There’s so much pain in the world — wars, hatred, suffering. If You truly existed, wouldn’t there be peace on Earth?
God: That’s a fair question. Let me ask you something — you’re a dentist, correct?
Human: Yes, I am.
God: Then how do you explain the millions of people with toothaches and broken teeth? By that logic, shouldn’t they all have perfect smiles?
Human: Well… not everyone comes to me. Some ignore the pain or delay treatment.
God: Exactly. I exist — just as surely as you do. But not everyone turns to Me. Not everyone listens to My guidance.
If humanity followed the path I set — with love, mercy, and justice — imagine the peace that would fill the Earth.
🕊️⚖️ Why Is There Sin and Suffering If God Is Merciful?
Common Questions
Someone asked me the other day,
“If God is All-Merciful, then why is there so much suffering in the world?”
And I did what most of us do—I reached for the classic answer:
“Because of our sins. We mess up, and suffering follows.”
And at first, that seemed to make sense. Actions have consequences, right? Humanity has free will. We make bad choices, and those ripple out into the world—pain, injustice, chaos. Karma, consequences, the butterfly effect… sure, I get that.
Free Will
If it’s already written that someone will die in a car accident, then no matter what they do, they will die that way.
And if it’s written that someone will go to hell, then it feels like no matter how hard they try, that’s where they’ll end up.
So… how is that fair? It doesn’t feel like it’s their fault. Wanna know more about free will? Click here.
But then they asked the harder question:
“What about children? They haven’t sinned. They haven’t made bad choices. Why do they suffer?”
And I’ll be honest—I didn’t have a good answer right away.
Because really, what does a 4-year-old do to deserve leukemia?
What cosmic crime did a toddler commit to be born into famine or war? These are little ones who are just trying to learn how to walk straight and color inside the lines.
And the numbers hit even harder:
🧒 Over 25,000 children die from leukemia every year.
👶 Around 4.8 million kids under 5 die globally each year.
That’s about 13,100 innocent lives lost every single day.
So I heard another answer. One I’ve heard before.
“Well, the world is broken. Not because of them, but because of us.”
That suffering exists not because of a single child’s sin, but because of the collective brokenness of humanity—our neglect, our greed, our failure to care for one another and the earth.
But something about that still didn’t sit right with me.
Like—really? I forgot to recycle, or someone somewhere chose war or wealth over mercy, and now a child halfway across the world has to suffer?
That doesn’t feel like mercy. That feels like injustice.
If God is all-knowing and all-merciful, isn’t there something off here?
And that’s when I realized—we’re trying to judge the whole picture by looking at one torn piece.
We’re like children ourselves, standing in a dentist’s office, scared of the drill and blaming our parent for the pain.
Our limited Knowledge
Kid: “Ow, my tooth hurts!”
Dad: “No worries, champ—let’s hit the dentist.”
Kid (after the whirring drill feels like a mini jackhammer): “Dad, you’re EVIL! You said you’d fix my pain, not crank it up to eleven!”
Just as your dad isn’t plotting evil with that scary drill, God isn’t doing this whole to hurt us.
We see our pain, we feel our suffering—and sometimes, it makes us question.
But God, who sees the whole picture, knows what we don’t. His knowledge is complete. His love is constant. And sometimes, what we interpret as harsh or unloving is actually the beginning of a deeper healing.
P.S. Next time you see that dentist’s drill, think of it as a “tough love” treatment plan—just like God’s, only with better grip on the Novocain 😉
The dieing kids
I understand—it really does feel unfair.
Children passing away so young, and their parents left behind in pain and grief… it’s one of the most heartbreaking things we can witness in this world.
But if we try to step back and see the bigger picture, there’s a deeper hope hidden in that pain.
These children, in reality, are among the most successful souls.
They didn’t have to struggle through the tests and hardships of this world. By the mercy of Allah, they went straight to the ultimate destination—Paradise.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said:
“There is no Muslim who has three children die before reaching the age of puberty but Allah will admit him to Paradise by virtue of His mercy toward them.”1
And even for fewer than three children, the mercy still applies. These young ones are not forgotten—they are honored.
Maybe that child, sitting peacefully in Jannah, is praying right now for his mother and father.
And maybe—because of that child’s pure, sincere prayer—Allah will ease the hearts of the parents, forgive their mistakes, raise their ranks, and reunite them as a family once again in the gardens of Paradise.
Because that’s the kind of mercy our Lord gives. Beyond what we can imagine.
😈 What is Evil?
Evil is like darkness — it only shows up when there’s no light. Evil is not something that is created. It is the absence of good (Just like darkness. Darkness is nothing but the absence of light).
So if you’re feeling upset or frustrated, it’s just because you’re missing some good energy. Life’s like a body: take away all the love and kindness, and negativity will sneak in. Want to get rid of the bad stuff? Spread a little good, and watch the negativity disappear like it never existed. It’s all about bringing the light, one small act of kindness at a time!
😈 Why Do We Do Evil? Why Do We Do Evil?
Let’s be real — nobody does evil just to be evil. Like, no one wakes up and says, ‘Hmm, how can I ruin the world today?’ We usually do dumb stuff chasing something good — love, money, respect, maybe a little attention.
The goal isn’t bad… we just take the wrong (sometimes really stupid) road to get there. It’s not evil we’re after — we just mess up trying to find the good
🤕➡️💪 The Role of Suffering
A caterpillar shows up—eww, nope, not today! But when it turns into a butterfly? Suddenly you’re a wildlife photographer.
See mud? You’re walking like it’s lava. But throw a lotus in there and now it’s “OMG, nature is so deep.”
Coal? Touch it and your hands look like you fixed a car. But turn it into a diamond? You’re selling a kidney to buy it.
Ugly things just need time… and maybe a little glow-up. Life is weird, messy, and awesome. So chill—your butterfly moment is coming! 🐛➡️🦋💎. It is a promise from the Greatest:
“So, surely with every difficulty, there is relief.”2
Plus Allah is all merciful and He doesn’t burden a soul. Wanna read more? Click here.
🙇♂️💭 Why Do We Blame God?
Isn’t it a bit of a coward’s way out? To look at the pain in this world and say, ‘Ah, it’s not my responsibility — it’s God’s.’ What happened to us? We were meant for more than this. We are better than this. Why is it so hard to admit that we — not God — are the source of so much of the evil we see? Why can’t we just face that truth… and change?
“You will remain the same until the pain of remaining the same is greater than the pain of change”2
Need someone to talk to?
If you want to talk about anything, need any advice or motivation, just email me. ayhianali@gmail.com
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