Divine Wisdom and the Problem of Evil: A Scientific Response to the Objection, “If God Were Merciful, Evil Would Not Exist in the World”

In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy. All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds, and may peace and blessings be upon the noblest of messengers.

One of the questions that troubles some people—especially in times of hardship and crisis—is: “If God truly exists, and if He is merciful and all-powerful, then why does evil exist in the world? Why do the innocent suffer pain and calamities?”

This question may come to mind when one witnesses injustice and suffering. But the error lies in using this legitimate question as proof against the existence of Allah, or as a challenge to the perfection of His attributes.

Although this objection may appear logical and convincing at first glance, it is based on major methodological and logical errors that collapse under careful thought and honest reflection. It is worth pausing with this objection calmly and fairly, uncovering where the flaw lies, and showing the profound divine wisdom in the governance of this universe.

First Error: The False Dilemma

The first problem with this objection is that it rests on a logical fallacy known in logic as the “false dilemma.” The skeptic assumes only two possibilities: either a perfect God with no evil in the world, or evil in the world with no God.

But this narrowing of options is false, because sound reason fully accepts the existence of a perfect, merciful, and wise God who nevertheless creates a world containing trials and hardships—trials that exist for higher purposes, some of which we may understand, while others remain hidden from us.

A skilled physician may cut off a patient’s limb or pierce his body with a scalpel. On the surface, this looks like harm and pain, but in truth the doctor does this out of mercy and concern for the patient’s healing. Would any rational person say the physician is not merciful because he caused pain? Or does reason recognize that true mercy sometimes requires what outwardly seems harsh?

Similarly, a wise parent may deny their child certain desires or discipline them when they err. This may cause the child immediate pain, but the parent knows that such discipline is, in reality, mercy and wisdom in upbringing. Would anyone then say the parent is unmerciful toward their child?

Second Error: Begging the Question

Another fundamental flaw in this objection is that it begs the question. It assumes from the start the very point it seeks to prove. It begins by assuming that the existence of evil contradicts the existence of a merciful and wise God, then it concludes from this unproven assumption that God does not exist.

This is a textbook case of circular reasoning: the conclusion rests on a claim that itself needs proof. The correct approach is to say: the existence of evil requires explanation and reflection on its wisdom—it does not serve as evidence to deny the Creator altogether. Sound reason seeks to understand the wisdom behind trials, not to deny the One who decreed them.

Third Error: A Conclusion That Does Not Follow

A further strangeness in this objection is that, even if we hypothetically granted it, the conclusion would not logically be atheism. At most, it could claim doubt about some divine attributes, such as mercy or wisdom.

But this alone collapses the objection, because doubting a physician’s skill does not mean denying that he is a physician, and not understanding an engineer’s decision does not justify denying that he is an engineer.

How, then, could one deny the very existence of Allah simply because we do not grasp the wisdom in some of His decrees? This is irrational, as though one said: “Because I don’t understand the doctor’s actions, there must be no doctor at all! Because I don’t perceive the engineer’s purpose, there must be no engineer!”

Do Not Abandon the Known for the Unknown

One of the basic principles of sound reasoning is that we build on what we know, and we do not destroy certainty because of what we do not know. If you saw a surgeon cutting into a patient and blood flowing, would it be reasonable to deny his medical skill or his mercy simply because you did not understand what he was doing?

If a part in your car stopped working and you did not know its function, would you deny it has a purpose or throw it away?

So why then, when we see an instance of evil whose wisdom we cannot grasp, do we deny the existence of Allah or His wisdom? How can we judge the Creator of our intellects by our limited intellects, when He knows the bounds and capacities of our minds better than we do?

Faith in Allah is not built on understanding one single wisdom or one single event. It is built on a multitude of proofs: within ourselves and in the horizons, in the miracle of our creation, in the perfect design of the universe, in the truth of revelation and prophethood, and in the testimony of both innate nature and reason. Shall all of this be dismissed simply because we do not understand why one disease occurred or why one child suffered?

In daily life, we already live by this logic. We trust medical experts, engineers, and specialists in various sciences, even though we do not fully understand their fields or perceive the wisdom behind every one of their decisions. So why do we accept this with created beings in matters we do not comprehend, but refuse to accept it with the Creator—who is greater, more perfect, and more wise than all of them?

The Qurʾān pointed to this very human tendency, describing those who worship Allah on edge—without firm conviction. If they receive good, they are content, but if a trial or test comes upon them, they turn back and abandon faith. Allah says: “And among mankind is he who worships Allah upon the edge. If good befalls him, he is content with it; but if a trial befalls him, he turns on his face. He loses this world and the Hereafter—that is the clear loss.” [Sūrat al-Ḥajj: 11].

Notice how Allah describes this stance as “clear loss,” because such a person gains nothing: denying God does not negate the countless proofs of His existence and perfection, nor does it remove evil from the world. On the contrary, it only adds to the world’s evils, as will be explained further.

The Stark Contradiction: Denying God Necessitates Denying Evil

One of the strangest contradictions in this objection is that its proponent denies the existence of God because of the existence of evil, yet such a denial—if taken seriously—would also require denying evil itself! This is an obvious contradiction that no rational person can miss.

What the skeptic calls “evil”—natural disasters, disease, death, and the like—in an atheistic worldview is nothing more than the natural outcome of blind physical laws that neither intend humanity nor care for its existence. Consequently, they have no concern for human pain or feelings. Everything that happens in the universe, from this perspective, is merely the unfolding of nature itself. The same laws that govern winds and rivers also govern disasters and disease—so how can any of this be called true “evil”?

As for what are called human evils—crime, injustice, aggression—these too cannot be called true “evils” within an atheistic worldview, for three clear reasons:

The end is the same for all. According to this view, the ultimate fate of all people is absolute nothingness. Therefore, there is no real reason to prefer the righteous over the wicked, or the kind over the cruel, since all alike end in the same oblivion. The one killed unjustly and the one who dies peacefully, the one who lived in comfort and the one who lived in misery—all alike return to dust. What difference remains between them in the end?

The triumph of the strong is permitted. In this view, the strong may crush the weak if they can escape consequences. There is no rational obligation to restrain oneself or to sacrifice personal interest for those whose existence has no ultimate value in a blind universe without goal or purpose.

No higher moral standard. Atheism recognizes no standard of morality above man himself. Humanity is the judge of what is “good” or “evil.” If people differ in defining these terms, there is no higher reference to settle the dispute. Morality then becomes like taste preferences—no one has the right to condemn another’s view of good and evil, just as no one can object to another’s favorite color or food.

Thus, whoever denies God denies the supreme moral reference by which good and evil can be defined, yet then turns around and argues from the existence of evil—a concept that cannot even be coherently defined without that reference. They are arguing with a concept that has no meaning within their framework, undermining their own claim without realizing it.

The Islamic Perspective on the Problem of Evil

Islam not only refutes this flimsy objection, but also presents a comprehensive and profound view of what “evil” means and its place in the universe. This perspective reveals the divine wisdom behind events and guides both mind and heart to the straight path.

Evil Caused by Human Action

Evil that come through human action—such as crime, oppression, and aggression—are, in Islam, the direct result of human choice, a gift and test that Allah has given mankind. Allah says: “Indeed, We guided him to the way, whether he be grateful or ungrateful.” [Sūrat al-Insān: 3].

Man, in the Islamic view, is not a programmed machine or a robot without choice. He is a responsible, rational, and free creature, fully accountable for his actions. He is judged on his choices after truth has been made clear to him through the sending of messengers and revelation of scriptures.

Out of His mercy and wisdom, Allah legislated laws and revealed the Book and the Balance so that people may uphold justice. Allah says: “We sent Our messengers with clear proofs, and We sent down with them the Book and the Balance so that the people may uphold justice.” [Sūrat al-Ḥadīd: 25].

Thus, evil arising from man’s own actions is not proof against God’s existence or His mercy, but proof of His justice and wisdom in granting man free choice and testing him with responsibility. Without this, reward and punishment would have no meaning, obligation would serve no purpose, and the righteous could not be distinguished from the wicked.

Evils Beyond Human Control

As for evils outside human will—such as illness, death, earthquakes, and natural disasters—Islam places them within the realm of divine wisdom that limited human minds cannot fully grasp, though its profound purposes can be seen in their effects:

A test and trial. Allah tests His servants through fear, hunger, loss of wealth, lives, and fruits, distinguishing the sincere from the false, the patient from the impatient. Allah says: “And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give glad tidings to the patient.” [Sūrat al-Baqarah: 155]. Trials reveal people’s true character and raise the ranks of patient believers.

A reminder and admonition. Calamities awaken the heedless and remind the neglectful, for man by nature forgets his Lord in ease but remembers Him in hardship. Allah says: “We do not send the signs except as a warning.” [Sūrat al-Isrāʾ: 59]. And He says: “When harm touches man, he calls upon Us.” [Sūrat Yūnus: 12].

A just punishment. Some disasters are a rightful retribution for oppression, tyranny, and corruption. Allah says: “And how many a city We destroyed while it was committing wrong.” [Sūrat al-Ḥajj: 45]. And He says: “Corruption has appeared on land and sea because of what people’s hands have earned, so He may let them taste part of what they have done, that perhaps they will return.” [Sūrat al-Rūm: 41].

Purification and elevation. For believers, hardships expiate sins and raise ranks. The Prophet ﷺ said: “No fatigue, illness, worry, sorrow, harm, or distress befalls a Muslim, even a thorn that pricks him, but Allah expiates some of his sins by it.” [Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 5462; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 2573].

Temporary and limited. All suffering is confined to this short, fleeting life. In the Hereafter, Allah has promised the patient believers: “No fear will there be upon them, nor will they grieve.” [Sūrat Yūnus: 62]. And He says: “And give glad tidings to the patient—those who, when disaster strikes them, say, ‘Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return.’ Those are the ones upon whom are blessings from their Lord and mercy, and it is they who are guided.” [Sūrat al-Baqarah: 155–157].

Through this wise divine framework, what appears as evil becomes a gateway to good, what seems a calamity becomes a means of purification and elevation, and what is endured as hardship becomes the very cause of salvation and success. Allah says: “And it may be that you dislike something while it is good for you, and it may be that you love something while it is bad for you. Allah knows, and you do not know.” [Sūrat al-Baqarah: 216].

Conclusion: The Clear Truth

Thus it becomes evident that the objection of “the existence of evil” is not in reality proof against the existence of Allah, but rather a sign of confused understanding and the misuse of reason. Evil can only be truly understood when compared with good, and it can only be condemned if we assume the existence of a higher moral standard by which to judge. That standard cannot exist except through the All-Knowing, All-Wise Creator who established it.

If some evil remains beyond our grasp in terms of wisdom, sound reason does not destroy the foundation of faith because of what it has not comprehended. It is foolish for a person to reject an entire building simply because they cannot understand the shape of a single brick, or to refuse the light merely because they were blinded for a brief moment.

Islam’s explanation for the existence of evil—whether caused by human action or occurring outside of human will—presents a framework that is coherent, just, and full of mercy and wisdom, unmatched by any other worldview or philosophy.

Whoever denies Allah because of evil commits a double contradiction: they deny the very standard by which evil is recognized, then argue from the existence of evil to deny the One who established that standard. This is among the strangest of contradictions.

We ask Allah to guide us all to understand His profound wisdom, to grant us good thoughts about Him and trust in His decree, and to make us among the patient in hardship, the grateful in blessing, and the content with His decree in both ease and adversity.

And do not be among those of whom Allah said: “He lost this world and the Hereafter—that is the clear loss.” [Sūrat al-Ḥajj: 11]. Rather, be among those who think well of their Lord, trust His wisdom, and are certain that behind every decree is mercy and wisdom—even if we do not see it immediately.

Allah knows best. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muḥammad, his family, and his Companions.