Qur’anic Verses on Problem of Evil

•  “˹Remember˺ when your Lord said to the angels, ‘I am going to place a successive ˹human˺ authority on earth.’ They asked ˹Allah˺, ‘Will You place in it someone who will spread corruption there and shed blood while we glorify Your praises and proclaim Your holiness?’ Allah responded, ‘I know what you do not know.’” (Quran 2:30)

·         “We will certainly test you with a touch of fear and famine and loss of property, life, and crops. Give good news to those who patiently endure—who say, when struck by a disaster, ‘Surely to Allah we belong and to Him we will ˹all˺ return.’ They are the ones who will receive Allah’s blessings and mercy. And it is they who are ˹rightly˺ guided.” (Quran 2:155-157)

·         “Do you think you will be admitted into Paradise without being tested like those before you? They were afflicted with suffering and adversity and were so ˹violently˺ shaken that ˹even˺ the Messenger and the believers with him cried out, ‘When will Allah’s help come?’ Indeed, Allah’s help is ˹always˺ near.” (Quran 2:214)

·         “Allah does not require of any soul more than what it can afford. All good will be for its own benefit, and all evil will be to its own loss. ˹The believers pray,˺ “Our Lord! Do not punish us if we forget or make a mistake. Our Lord! Do not place a burden on us like the one you placed on those before us. Our Lord! Do not burden us with what we cannot bear. Pardon us, forgive us, and have mercy on us. You are our ˹only˺ Guardian. So grant us victory over the disbelieving people.” (Quran 2:286)

·         “If you have suffered injuries ˹at Uḥud˺, they suffered similarly ˹at Badr˺. We alternate these days ˹of victory and defeat˺ among people so that Allah may reveal the ˹true˺ believers, choose martyrs from among you—and Allah does not like the wrongdoers—and distinguish the ˹true˺ believers and destroy the disbelievers. Do you think you will enter Paradise without Allah proving which of you ˹truly˺ struggled ˹for His cause˺ and patiently endured? You certainly wished ˹for the opportunity˺ for martyrdom before encountering it, now you have seen it with your own eyes. Muḥammad is no more than a messenger; other messengers have gone before him. If he were to die or to be killed, would you regress into disbelief? Those who do so will not harm Allah whatsoever. And Allah will reward those who are grateful. No soul can ever die without Allah’s Will at the destined time. Those who desire worldly gain, We will let them have it, and those who desire heavenly reward, We will grant it to them. And We will reward those who are grateful. ˹Imagine˺ how many devotees fought along with their prophets and never faltered despite whatever ˹losses˺ they suffered in the cause of Allah, nor did they weaken or give in! Allah loves those who persevere.” (Quran 3:140-146)

·         “Never think of those martyred in the cause of Allah as dead. In fact, they are alive with their Lord, well provided for—rejoicing in Allah’s bounties and being delighted for those yet to join them. There will be no fear for them, nor will they grieve.” (Quran 3:169-170)

·         “Every soul will taste death. And you will only receive your full reward on the Day of Judgment. Whoever is spared from the Fire and is admitted into Paradise will ˹indeed˺ triumph, whereas the life of this world is no more than the delusion of enjoyment. You ˹believers˺ will surely be tested in your wealth and yourselves, and you will certainly hear many hurtful words from those who were given the Scripture before you and ˹from˺ the polytheists. But if you are patient and mindful ˹of Allah˺—surely this is a resolve to aspire to.” (Quran 3:185-186)

·         “Those who disbelieve should not think that living longer is good for them. They are only given more time to increase in sin, and they will suffer a humiliating punishment.” (Quran 3:178)

·         “Indeed, Allah never wrongs ˹anyone˺—even by an atom’s weight. And if it is a good deed, He will multiply it many times over and will give a great reward out of His grace.” (Quran 4:40)

·         “Indeed, We have sent messengers before you ˹O Prophet˺ to other people who We put through suffering and adversity ˹for their denial˺, so perhaps they would be humbled. Why did they not humble themselves when We made them suffer? Instead, their hearts were hardened, and Satan made their misdeeds appealing to them. When they became oblivious to warnings, We showered them with everything they desired. But just as they became prideful of what they were given, We seized them by surprise, then they instantly fell into despair!” (Quran 6:42-44)

·         “So let neither their wealth nor children impress you ˹O Prophet˺. Allah only intends to torment them through these things in this worldly life, then their souls will depart while they are disbelievers.” (Quran 9:55)

·         “Whenever someone is touched by hardship, they cry out to Us, whether lying on their side, sitting, or standing. But when We relieve their hardship, they return to their old ways as if they had never cried to Us to remove any hardship! This is how the misdeeds of the transgressors have been made appealing to them.” (Quran 10:12)

·         “Indeed, Allah does not wrong people in the least, but it is people who wrong themselves.” (Quran 10:44)

·         “For each one are successive [angels] before and behind him who protect him by the decree of Allah. Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves. And when Allah intends for a people ill, there is no repelling it. And there is not for them besides Him any patron.” (Quran 13:11)

·         “Do not think ˹O Prophet˺ that Allah is unaware of what the wrongdoers do. He only delays them until a Day when ˹their˺ eyes will stare in horror.” (Quran 14:42)

·         “If Allah were to punish people ˹immediately˺ for their wrongdoing, He would not have left a single living being on earth. But He delays them for an appointed term. And when their time arrives, they cannot delay it for a moment, nor could they advance it.” (Quran 16:61)

·         “When you are touched with hardship at sea, you ˹totally˺ forget all ˹the gods˺ you ˹normally˺ invoke, except Him. But when He delivers you ˹safely˺ to shore, you turn away. Humankind is ever ungrateful. Do you feel secure that He will not cause the land to swallow you up, or unleash upon you a storm of stones? Then you will find none to protect you. Or do you feel secure that He will not send you back to sea once again, and send upon you a violent storm, drowning you for your denial? Then you will find none to avenge you against Us.” (Quran 17:67-69)

·         “Every soul will taste death. And We test you ˹O humanity˺ with good and evil as a trial, then to Us you will ˹all˺ be returned.” (Quran 21:35)

·         “And there are some who worship Allah on the verge ˹of faith˺: if they are blessed with something good, they are content with it; but if they are afflicted with a trial, they relapse ˹into disbelief˺, losing this world and the Hereafter. That is ˹truly˺ the clearest loss.” (Quran 22:11)

·         “Surely in this are lessons. And We ˹always˺ put ˹people˺ to the test.” (Quran 23:30)

·         “Do people think once they say, ‘We believe,’ that they will be left without being put to the test? We certainly tested those before them. And ˹in this way˺ Allah will clearly distinguish between those who are truthful and those who are liars.“ (Quran 29:2-3)

·         “If Allah were to punish people ˹immediately˺ for what they have committed, He would not have left a single living being on earth. But He delays them for an appointed term. And when their time arrives, then surely Allah is All-Seeing of His servants.” (Quran 35:45)

·         “And remember Our servant Job, when he cried out to his Lord, ‘Satan has afflicted me with distress and suffering.’ ˹We responded,˺ ‘Stomp your foot: ˹now˺ here is a cool ˹and refreshing˺ spring for washing and drinking.’ And We gave him back his family, twice as many, as a mercy from Us and a lesson for people of reason.” (Quran 38:41-43)

·         “So when you meet the disbelievers ˹in battle˺, strike ˹their˺ necks until you have thoroughly subdued them, then bind them firmly. Later ˹free them either as˺ an act of grace or by ransom until the war comes to an end. So will it be. Had Allah willed, He ˹Himself˺ could have inflicted punishment on them. But He does ˹this only to˺ test some of you by means of others. And those who are martyred in the cause of Allah, He will never render their deeds void.” (Quran 47:4)

·         “We will certainly test you ˹believers˺ until We prove those of you who ˹truly˺ struggle ˹in Allah’s cause˺ and remain steadfast, and reveal how you conduct yourselves.” (Quran 47:31)

·         “Know that this worldly life is no more than play, amusement, luxury, mutual boasting, and competition in wealth and children. This is like rain that causes plants to grow, to the delight of the planters. But later the plants dry up and you see them wither, then they are reduced to chaff. And in the Hereafter there will be either severe punishment or forgiveness and pleasure of Allah, whereas the life of this world is no more than the delusion of enjoyment.” (Quran 57:20)

·         “O believers! Indeed, some of your spouses and children are enemies to you, so beware of them. But if you pardon, overlook, and forgive ˹their faults˺, then Allah is truly All-Forgiving, Most Merciful. Your wealth and children are only a test, but Allah ˹alone˺ has a great reward.” (Quran 64:14-15)

·         “˹He is the One˺ Who created death and life in order to test which of you is best in deeds. And He is the Almighty, All-Forgiving.” (Quran 67:2)

•     Now, whenever a human being is tested by their Lord through ˹His˺ generosity and blessings, they boast, “My Lord has ˹deservedly˺ honoured me!”But when He tests them by limiting their provision, they protest, “My Lord has ˹undeservedly˺ humiliated me!” Absolutely not! In fact, you are not ˹even˺ gracious to the orphan, nor do you urge one another to feed the poor. And you devour ˹others’˺ inheritance greedily, and love wealth fervently. Enough! When the earth is entirely crushed over and over, and your Lord comes ˹to judge˺ with angels, rank upon rank, and Hell is brought forth on that Day—this is when every ˹disbelieving˺ person will remember ˹their own sins˺. But what is the use of remembering then? They will cry, “I wish I had sent forth ˹something good˺ for my ˹true˺ life.” (Quran 89:15-24)