Approaching the West — Page 123
A pproaching the West—123 child-birth, the Holy Qur’ ā n also acknowledges the existence of human suffering in various forms throughout human experience. First, there are natural disasters—the climatic tragedies like earthquakes, floods, lightening, storms and famines. We can also include in such calamities the outbreak of contagious, epidemic and endemic diseases, plagues and pestilence. Moreover, there are innumerable illnesses and bodily sufferings. These calamities and diseases do occur in consequence of a wider circle of natural laws that are necessary to exist in the vast universe, in which human life is an important but still a very small portion. The laws of nature, that sometimes cause these sufferings, are put in place by God, the Creator, actually to support and evolve life on the earth in its totality. If these natural laws are taken out of the universal design of God, the Creator, the very existence of every living thing will be jeopardized. Therefore, the disasters that are caused by natural laws are no reflection of the Creator’s cruelty over humans. According to the Holy Qur’ ā n, the study of natural phenomenon makes us understand that, despite the devastation suffered by some humans, God’s Mercy (ra ḥ mah) is the most overwhelming attribute in Nature that creates, maintains and evolves all forms of life including human life. Secondly, there are the man-made inflictions that cause other humans to suffer physical pain and mental anguish and sometimes even death, such as, false accusation,