1/28/11, Opinion-Editorial, Finger Lakes Times

Oftentimes when a natural disaster strikes, nonbelievers cite the event as an argument against the existence of God and believers label it as divine punishment. In a series of pieces adapted from Mirza Tahir Ahmad’s works, I believe we shall see that the reality is far more complicated than is assumed.

 

First, remember that natural disasters predate humans by billions of years and have played an instrumental role in the progress of life. For example, much of the natural resources man benefits from today are the product of the extinction of dinosaurs millions of years ago. Diseases, too, have continuously improved our immune system, allowing mankind to better adapt to ever changing climates. Recall that a previous article argued that suffering could only be criticized if it played no meaningful role in the scheme of things.

 

The Quran (67:3) states God, “created death and life,” meaning life and death are phenomena continuously struggling against one other. For every human that survives, countless inferior forms of life are sacrificed; for the greater interest, smaller interests are sacrificed. While not sufficient to prove God’s existence, if life is lost in the grand scheme of evolution, it cannot serve as a means to deny God.

 

With that said, what is the philosophy of divine punishment and what are its distinguishing qualities? The Quran (2:30) notes that humans are the supreme life on earth, everything therein created for man’s service. Therefore, if humans ignore the purpose of their existence, they no longer deserve mastery over the rest of the creation. Thus, while a criminal may repeatedly escape punishment, if criminal behavior spreads throughout an entire society that society must be wiped out.

 

Still, every calamity cannot be labeled divine punishment. The Quran (17:16) states that no disaster can be considered punishment unless a prophet has first been sent to such people. This is the primary quality which must be satisfied to even consider labeling a natural disaster as divine punishment. Second, the event must be foretold. Third, the event has a discriminatory quality – the prophet and his followers are largely saved from the calamity while the prophet’s opponents are largely wiped out. This is telling because without a Conscious Force controlling nature, why should any disaster specifically target one group? Fourth, following the event, the prophet’s way of life becomes dominant and the opponent’s way of life disappears. With the prophet’s group most often the weaker party, it is strange that the prophet’s worldview, not his powerful opponent’s, becomes dominant. Fifth, the punishment’s generally increase in severity (Quran 43:49). Again, why should natural disasters exhibit such order? Sixth, the prophet and his followers take the necessary preventive measures to survive the event while the opponent’s, after ignoring the prophet’s message, ignore his pleas to take refuge.

 

The well-known account of Prophet Moses is but one example which fulfills all of these criteria. Prophet Moses’ case is also striking because water not only saved Moses as an infant from the Pharaoh (Quran 28:8) but also saved Moses in adulthood and destroyed Pharaoh (Quran 2:51). In other words, water became a source of refuge for Moses while serving as a means of destruction for Pharaoh.

 

Regarding Prophet Moses, skeptics criticize the “splitting of the sea” for being far too sensational and unscientific. The incidence deserves careful study and will be covered next month.