Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

 

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

 

If I could say from the onset that I am asking due to a desire to understand Allah and to have faith in Allah due to an informed understanding rather than `blind` faith. I fully understand that there is a information that may not be comprehendable to the human mind and that to ask `why` of Allah is on some levels not permitted. The fact that you have these questions and answers, (I hope) suggests to me that you have a belief in the value of asking questions and how it is a vital part of holding to any faith.

 

I have a question that is causing me much anguish and pain. To breifly explain the nature of my work: I work with children that have experienced the most horrendous forms of abuse (sexual, physical, mental). These children are born to individuals who use them in ways that I would much rather not describe to you but I`m sure you can imagine. From an outsider point of view (and please believe that I do not for second consider it my place to judge others)it appears to me that had these people gone through any vetting process, for example in the way that you have to adopt a child, there would have been no possible way that these individuals would be allowed to raise a child. My question is about the conception of a child and if it is definded merely by the physical act. I need to understand that with all the knowledge that Allah has about people

, why are these individuals permitted to reproduce and cause such pain to children who are so innocent?

 

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

 

Answer:

 

Children a trial

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

 

Beloved brother in Islam, never ever hesitate or apologize for asking any questions in the deen; for the deen or ‘way of life’ called Al-Islam is based on the Perfect Wisdom and Knowledge of the All Knowing Lord, and every single command of the All Wise Lord is abundant in common-sense and logic.  Asking any type of questions in Islam to gain more knowledge, or to confirm the Truth so that one’s heart is more content, or to understand and thus follow with more conviction the dictates of the deen is not only permissible, but absolutely encouraged in Islam.  It is the right of the brother or sister to ask anything they wish to clarify in the deen; and it is the responsibility and duty of the good scholars to address the question asked to the best of their knowledge and ability, and in the most polite and humble manner.

 

What is discouraged in Islam is if one asks questions for the sake of asking, or arguing to ridicule the Truth with absolutely no intention of obeying or following when the Truth is made clear to them, etc.   But if one asks questions to clarify and seek knowledge so that one may better follow the deen; such seeking of the Knowledge of Truth is absolutely encouraged in Islam

 

Your Question: I need to understand that with all the knowledge that Allah has about people, why are these individuals permitted to reproduce and cause such pain to children who are so innocent?

Allah says in the Holy Quran in Chapter 67 Surah Al Mulk verse 2:

He (Allah) created death and life that He may test you,  to see which of you is the best in deeds.

 

Dear and beloved brother in Islam, first and foremost one must comprehend that the life of this world is but a situation and a condition of tests and trials; and it is only in the Hereafter where the results of these trials will be Judged and Declared by the All-Knowing, All-Just Lord of the Worlds. 

 

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 8 Surah Anfaal verses 27-28:

27      O ye that believe! Betray not the trust of Allah and the Messenger, nor misappropriate knowingly things entrusted to you.

28      And know ye that your possessions and your children are but a trial; and that it is Allah with whom lies your highest reward.

 

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 64 Surah Taghabun verse 15:

14      O ye who believe! Truly among your wives and your children are (some that are) enemies to yourselves: so beware of them! But if ye forgive and overlook and cover up (their faults), verily Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

15      Your riches and your children are but a trial: but in the Presence of Allah is the highest Reward.

 

In light of the above absolutely clear guidance of the Glorious Quran, one’s wealth and one’s children are no more than a trial.

 

Most parents and guardians go to one extreme and so love their children, that they are willing to do anything, even transgress the boundaries of Allah in fulfilling their excess love for their children.  Some amongst mankind so love their children and so wish to fulfill all their desires, that if they cannot fulfill them with their halaal earnings, they resort to stealing, lying, or taking bribes to increase their livelihood to spend on their children.

 

Some parents and guardians go to the other extreme, believe that their children are a burden upon them, blame their existence for every evil that afflicts them, and vent their anger by verbally and physically abusing, and in some extreme cases even killing their innocent children!!!

 

Islam guides the parents and guardians who are bestowed with children under their care to take the golden medium route and love and cherish them, instill in them the fear of Allah and the Last Day, spend upon them from their lawful earnings, and nourish them to become good citizens of this world so that they may serve the Cause of their Lord Who Created and also serve their fellow human beings to the best of their ability.

 

Beloved brother, rest absolutely assured that if some amongst the parents and guardians have abused their innocent children which had been bestowed upon them as a trust and a trial from their Lord…..Allah is our witness, these innocent children will get their full and due recompense for the abuse they suffered at the hands of those who were entrusted to protect and cherish them on that Inevitable Day of Resurrection when none other than the Lord Most High will be the Judge! 

 

Beloved brother, one amongst the many reasons related in the Glorious Quran regarding why the Lord Most High Declares that there needs to be a Day of Judgment is so that the innocent child who suffered at the hands of their parents and guardians may get a full recompense for their ill-treatment!

 

In the pre-Islam days of ignorance, it was customary for the pagan Arabs to bury their infant girls alive so that they may be relieved of the shame of having given birth to a female!  The Lord Most High Declares that one of the reason there has to be a Day of Judgment is so that that innocent soul who was killed for no sin of hers gets her full and due recompense for the injustice done to her! 

 

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 81 Surah Takweer verses 1-14:

1        (At the eve of the Last Day) When the sun is folded up;

2        When the stars fall losing their luster;

3        When the mountains vanish (like a mirage);

4        When the she-camels ten months with young are left untended;

5        When the wild beasts are herded together;

6        When the oceans boil over with a swell (…the Day of Resurrection will be established);

7        When the souls are sorted out;

8        When the female (infant) buried alive is questioned

9        For what crime was she killed;

10      When the Scrolls are laid open;

11      When the World on High is unveiled:

12      When the Blazing Fire is kindled to fierce heat;

13      And when the Garden is brought near

14      (Then) shall each soul know what it has put forward.

 

Your Question: I need to understand that with all the knowledge that Allah has about people, why are these individuals permitted to reproduce and cause such pain to children who are so innocent?

Beloved brother, if Allah Subhanah were to bestow children or any good only on those who would fulfill their rights towards the gifts of their Lord to absolute perfection….then the children or the life of this world would no longer be a test and a trial…..and the very purpose and wisdom behind this test of life would be in jeopardy!

 

For the period of only one life-time and only as a test and trial, the All-Knowing Lord puts every individual through good and/or evil conditions…..to see who amongst them, of their own free will, chooses to do good; and who amongst them, of their own free will, chooses to do evil.  Then all will be returned to their Lord Creator and He Will Judge between them all with His Absolute and Perfect Knowledge and Justice.  On that Inevitable and Tumultuous Day none who had been wronged and unjustly treated in the life of this world will be left un-recompensed; and none who did wrong and usurped the rights of another will be left without paying retribution! 

 

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone.  Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

 

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

 

 

Burhan