Some questions

[USResident]

Mashallah! Some very nice answers in this thread by many of our brothers. Can’t think of what more I can add but still wanted to say a few things in addition to what has already been mentioned in this thread.

@Jaanwar

Do I need a disclaimer first? I am a muslim, alhamdulilah. I am an ordinary person and do what ordinary people do - and I am definitely less informed than a lot of you people who have good understanding of religion. There are certain questions that bother me at times, I don’t know if I am not supposed to think about this stuff, but perhaps this is our nature as humanoids. I do believe in Allah, the supreme power, whose existence is evident scientifically and spiritually.

Compared to the universe, or even our planet, my existence is nothing. In the wide array of things, I am just a negligible and insignificant biological being. Why was I created in the first place?

Yes we seem so insignificant compared to the vast creations of Allah SWT and our knowledge is but a drop in an ocean compared to His SWT knowledge of things. We know this.

Yet we are not unimportant. Did Allah SWT not make his angels bow to Adam AS and tell them that they know not of human what He SWT does. He created us to accomplish great deeds and made us vicegerants on Earth. We have been given a responsibility and the free will to carry it out. Allah SWT accorded humans a status, which we should do our best to live up to per his commands. We will always be insignificant compared to Him SWT as will all his other creations, for he is nothing like his creation.

@Jaanwar

Are all my actions, my birth, my death, my fate, my reward and punishment - all pre-decided? What am I doing running around then? Where does my free will fit in?

Some things are pre-decided and many not. Your actions determine your fate yet the fate for actions is pre-decided. We as muslims know defying Allah SWT commandments leads to hellfire yet it is our choice to tread down that path. Reward and punishment are consequences of your actions so take control of your actions. You control the outcome of your fate if you control your actions as long as the fate of some other action does not overwhelm the fate of your actions.

@Jaanwar

Religiously, I am a negligent and defiant person. I am not at all regular at namaz. So am I in for an infinite period of torture and punishment? If I die today, I don’t see many compelling reasons for my forgiveness. Alright, first question would be namaz? So they would be dragging my defiant butt straight to the pits of hell right after the first question. For some laziness and some defiance due to stupid reasons (unfortunate events, pessimistic feeling, just being upset), I would be punished for enernity? Now why would Allah want to do that and how is that fair? Honestly when I hear people talk about the azaab in grave and hereafter, it scares the heck out of me. Like how many more minutes, hours, days, months or years do I have here - struggling to survive - before I am taken away for an eternal chitter parade?

We must fear Allah SWT but we must not also forget that He SWT says that his mercy wins over his wrath. We get rewarded many fold for our good deeds but one-to-one for our bad deeds. So He SWT created a system for us where we are inherently at advantage should we choose to use it. We have been given so many opportunities in the fulfillment of many of our rituals which rease our sins completely, new slate. I would recommend to especially read up on the merits of fasting among ritual forms of worships. We have been given so many different ways to work against the disadvantage sins put us at. Cherish those things and yearn to find the balance.

@Jaanwar

Further, things which perhaps I shouldn’t be thinking about are - why did Allah create insignificant beings like us in the first place? Does he just sit there and keep watching us do our thing? and later he will have the judgement day and then watch us burn in hell or enjoy in heaven? He created all the souls, he created good and evil, so if someone is evil, how is that his fault? What would he be punished for - if it was his fate to do evil and this is what he was made for? How do you informed and educated people satisfy atheists of these questions?

I know some of these questions are plain stupid. If any of you people, who are much more sensible and learned mashallah, can give me any clear answers, I would really appreciate it. If not, I would understand.

Please, do not confuse me further with any complex mumba jumba or links. Thank you.

These questions are not stupid … many os us posting replies here probably already thought about these things for themselves and pondered upon it. I can say that definitely for myself. Don’t feel left out, Allah SWT sustains the whole universe. Everything is in need of Him SWT no matter how insignificant or significant compared to us. Have you ever seen an evil baby, I haven’t. We are pure and innocent in nature when we are born. Same soul we possess as grown ups is the one we had when we were born. Its our own choices of vice or virtue, which put us at fault or not. And yes hellfire was created for those who do not come to the realization of their actions which are contrary to Allah SWT commands. We know it so why waste time thinking about it, lets get involved in what gets us to heaven.