Why does God allow “cruel” things to happen?

Why does God allow suffering and cruelty? We will answer this in two parts.

Firstly, everything that God has created is beautiful either in itself or in its results. We cannot logically conclude that God is “cruel” due to these seemingly cruel things in life.
Secondly, why does God create things that are ugly on the surface but beautiful in their results?

We will start with the first part. So why does God allow suffering and cruelty and why doesn’t it make sense to conclude that God is cruel by observing seemingly “cruel” things in life.

Now, almost everything in this universe is visibly beautiful to everybody. Suffering is an exception.

Suppose for instance that you lose a loved one. As difficult as this may seem, it is crucial to observe the whole picture. The fact that you have other loved ones whom you did not lose, the fact that you are healthy, the fact that you have food and water and are able to breathe effortlessly are all signs of mercy. Thus, the visible mercy of God far outweighs the suffering. So much so that if we started counting all the blessings of God bestowed upon us we would not be able to finish doing so.

The suffering is thus infinitesimally small as a percentage compared to the visible mercy of God. If God wanted to, He could give you unbearable pain, but He chose not to. So while He did take your loved one away which causes you so much pain, He still showers you with His mercy in other areas of your life. It is therefore unreasonable to believe these acts are out of cruelty; there must be other purposes behind these calamities.

Looking at this universe and concluding that God is cruel (astaghfirullah) comes from pessimism.

When a pessimistic person, for example, loses a loved one; they only focus on losing this person that they loved. They forget the numerous gifts and favors God is giving them at that very moment, like the clothing they wear, the eyes and ears they were given, the food and water they need, a roof over their head and so on. In spite of all the favors that God has given them, this is the only thing they see. This viewpoint causes them to view God as cruel (astaghfirullah).

For example, suppose a mother gives her two year old a bath against his will. The two year old might, in a way, might see this as a cruel act. But this is obviously not the case. The fact that she is feeding him, clothing him, and taking care of him all show that it cannot be out of cruelty that she’s forcing him to take a bath against his will. There is a purpose which the two year old cannot see. If her intention was cruelty, she wouldn’t be showing all of these acts of love like feeding and taking care of him.

So why does God allow suffering and cruelty?

Similarly, the fact that God shows us all these acts of love while putting us to the test in a very particular area shows that there must be a purpose behind these tests and trials in life. They cannot be acts of cruelty but rather acts of wisdom. What kind of wisdom? That’s the topic of the next video.