Is the creation of hell and the devil not contrary to the understanding of a perfect creator (Allah)?
- We say Allah is perfect and He does everything well and appropriately. However, Allah creates a torture chamber like hell to burn people. Now you will say that man has will and volition and that he or she shall not commit sins in order not to burn in hell. Anyway, religious scholars try to explain most of the questions with human will and volition.
- The issue I am stuck with here is not the will of the person. I already know the human will. The subject I am stuck with is the punitive and brutal aspect of Allah. He punishes just like a person, Moreover, He punishes more brutally than a person can do. I think this situation is contrary to the understanding of an excellent and compassionate creator.
- Another point is the devil. As far as I know, the devil wants time from Allah and Allah gives him time. Again, Allah allows evil to interfere with the life of people. Moreover, the devil has the power to give delusion to people. So, Allah allows a creature that has a power of being a rival for Him.
- You perceive some misfortunes in the world as a warning of Allah to man, but there is no misfortune to the devil. I do not want an answer here related to human will again. The thing I am stuck with is that a superior creator, a loving, very benevolent Allah allows the devil to do evil.
I became an atheist because I could not find answers to these questions and similar ones because scholars cannot give logical answers. Most of them explain the issue with will. They try to explain the issues that are not related to will with will too. My question is the evils that Allah has done. If you say hell is bad and If you say I don't want to go there, it means you've also accepted that hell is bad. So, who created hell? Allah. I think the one that creates evil is evil too.
- If I say that Allah has created man and He commits evil continuously, you will say that man has will. That’s okay. I accept that man has will. Does hell have will, too?
Submitted by on Wed, 11/03/2020 - 11:38
Dear Brother / Sister,
On the contrary, the creation of hell and the devil show the perfection of Allah, who created them.
One of the clear proofs that Allah has infinite mercy is that He does not destroy those who disrespect him though He created them out of nothing and granted them so many blessings, does not cut off their sustenance, lull their tongues immediately, blind their eyes, deaf their ears, put them into hell, take their lives and send them to hell.
That the Sublime Creator does not destroy his low enemies immediately, even though the universe witnesses that He has have infinite power can be explained by nothing but His endless mercy.
Allah has not only mercy but also wrath and anger. It is a fact that mercy shows the goodness of people, and the attribute of anger shows people's dignity. Mercy requires goodness. Anger requires glory, compassion requires reward, and anger is a qualification that requires punishment. The quality to have self-esteem in the human community does not necessarily indicate mercy. On the contrary, it reveals the solemnity, dignity and perfection of anyone who reveals their reaction to wrong deeds.
Similarly, the fact that Allah has given everyone His blessings irrespective of their friends or enemies is a reflection of His infinite mercy.
On the other hand, Allah's punishing those who show disrespect to Him indicates His infinite power, glory, greatness and that He is the sole god and lord.
Both reward, which is the reflection of endless mercy, and punishment system, which is the reflection of infinite power, indicate that He is a perfect being.
There is no state or king that equates those who obey with those who rebel because such an attitude will cause that king to be accused of being so fool and naïve as not to know his own dignity, not to have self-respect, and not to notice good and evil. And that accusation is absolutely right because a perfect person does not equate good people with bad people; he does not put his friends and enemies in the same boat.
Now, while these facts are obvious, it is the most outdated nonsensical talk, the most sophisticated slander and the most ancient lie in the world, to claim that Allah does not have mercy and is not a perfect being, by using it as an excuse that Allah punishes his enemies.
There is no civilized state that believes in the rule of law today that does not operate a penalty mechanism for those who are anarchists, terrorists and bandits and that does not build a prison and not punish criminals. Who can oppose this system other than anarchists such as thieves, murderers, snatchers and rapists who are crime machines? Who can blame it with mercilessness?
We are sure that everyone who reads the golden expressions of Badiuzzaman Said Nursi without prejudice will be in favor of the existence of hell. We present his views in a nutshell:
“There is no contradiction between the existence and ghastly torments of Hell, and infinite mercy, true justice, and wisdom with its balance and absence of waste. Indeed, mercy, justice, and wisdom require its existence. “
“For to punish a tyrant who tramples the rights of a thousand innocents and to kill a savage animal who tears to pieces a hundred cowed animals, is for the oppressed a thousandfold mercy within justice. While to pardon the tyrant and leave the savage beast free, is for hundreds of wretches a hundredfold pitilessness in place of that single act of misplaced mercy."
"Similarly, among those who will enter Hell is the absolute disbeliever. For through his disbelief and denial he both transgresses the rights of the Divine Names, and through denying the testimony of beings to those Names, he transgresses their rights, and by denying the elevated duties of glorification of creatures before the Divine Names he violates their rights, and through denying their being mirrors to and responding with worship to the manifestation of Divine dominicality, which is the purpose of the universe’s creation and a reason for its existence and continuance, he transgresses their rights in a way."
“His disbelief is therefore a crime and wrong of such vast proportions it may not be forgiven, and deserves the threat of the verse, God forgives not the sin of joining other gods with Him اِنَّ اللّهَ لاَ يَغْفِرُ اَنْ يُشْرَكَ بِهِ . (Qur’an 4:48 116) Not to cast him into Hell would comprise innumerable instances of mercilessness to innumerable claimants whose rights had been transgressed, in place of a single misplaced act of mercy. Just as those claimants demand the existence of Hell, so do Divine dignity and majesty, and tremendousness and perfection most certainly demand it…” (see Şualar (Rays) p. 250)
The existence of Satan is one of the main elements of the test of our life. Allah does not struggle against anyone, including Satan... He does not regard any being as a rival. If Allah struggled against what He had created, and regarded them as rivals, why should He create them? He would not create them.
We definitely learn from the Qur'an that Allah has given mind and free will to the people, Jinn and Devils that He has tested. The Devils rebelled based on their free will, did not follow Allah's commands, and declared that they would mislead the servants of Allah as long as they lived.
Allah sent prophets and books in order to guide mankind to the straight path to advise them not to fall into the traps of these devils, who nurtured enmity towards their father Adam, and to regard these devils, who work all the time to drag people to hell, as eternal enemies.
Likewise, Allah created heaven and hell and started a test. The test has to include both winning and losing factors to be meaningful. The existence of bad and good feelings in humans, the creation of the soul and blind feelings as well as mind-intelligence serve this purpose.
Similarly, in order to serve this purpose, He created angels that inspire the good and the right on the right side of the human heart, and demons that inculcate the evil and the wrong on the left side. In addition, He assigned the prophets as guides and mentors to ensure that this test works properly, to help them to answer the questions correctly by decoding the cyphers of the heavenly books, along with assigning the mind as an element to distinguish between the bad and the good.
To criticize the actions of Allah requires having a mind that encompasses His infinite knowledge and wisdom. Since this is impossible, criticizing him only leads one to ignorance, brings him closer to hell, and provides no other scientific value. So;
- On the one hand, you will believe in an Allah, whom you believe to have created the universe with infinite knowledge, wisdom and power, and on the other hand, you will argue that He held a wrong test...
- On the one hand, you will believe that Allah does not need anything and that He created the whole universe and people only as a reflection of His mercy, and on the other hand, you will regard it odd that He declared Satan as an enemy...
- On the one hand, you will believe in heaven and hell and you will believe that good people will go to heaven and bad people will go to hell as a requirement of a just test; on the other hand, you will try to criticize the form of this test...
For God’s Sake, does all this not seem strange to you?
As for the will of hell, fire in the world has no will; similarly, fire in hell has no will, either. The fire in this world does not mind fulfilling the task assigned by Allah; similarly, the fire of the eternal prison will not mind fulfilling its duty.
Questions on Islam
- Why were devils and evil beings created? Is it not bad to create what is bad and is it not evil to created what is evil?
- What is the wisdom behind the creation of the people of Hell?
- How can the problem of evil be solved?
- Why does Allah want to be known and His attributes to be manifest? Does it give Him a divine delight?
- Do we not have the right to perish forever after we die? Why do we have to exist forever?
- Why do we come to this world since our end is definite?
- How can it be justice for unbelievers to remain in Hell eternally? Why should torture in Hell be eternal? Why did Allah create Hell though His compassion is more than that of a mother?
- What is the wisdom behind the creation of Satan? Is it not the fault of Satan?
- What is the aspect of the secret of testing related to Allah?
- The Twelfth Letter explains why Adam was expelled from Paradise, why some people will go to Hell, why Satan and evil things were created, and why calamities and tribulations are inflicted on even the innocent people and animals.