pamuk, one
In class right now, we're having a free hour and were told to catch up on our reading. One of the books I am currently going through is Snow by Orhan Pamuk.
It's an... Interesting read. I guess. There's plenty of politics going on. Some suspense and mystery. A bit of romance. All melded together subtly. And religion too. I'm still trying to figure it out and also figure out whether I like it.
So... I just found a quote that struck me profoundly and I felt like I should share it right now.
Usually the believer of any faith gets this question from those who are reluctant to believe or practice outright disbelief, "If God really exists then why does he allow so much evil and negativity to perpetuate in this world? If He exists and He is All Powerful why doesn't He just eradicate poverty, misery and sufferings?"
The usual answer we give for this question is that the sufferings are what make Heaven worth it. That this world isn't perfect. The usual proofs we give for the existence of God are the sky, the mountains, the rivers and lakes and seas, the human body and all of the myriad creation out there bearing His stamp.
But when I read this statement made by Necip (pronounced Nejib), a young teenage boy in the book... I had to take a minute to process it. I was in awe of it. I don't know if Orhan Pamuk is a believer or not, but this statement sure is one of the most beautiful I've read proclaiming the existence of God.
Essentially it carries the same meaning as the explanation we generally give to people. That Heaven is a reward, an eternal one for all the miseries that we go through in this world as believers.
But what astounded me was that it cited poverty and sorrow and sufferings as the proof of God's existence. On a physical, tangible, sensory level, yes the creations serve as clear proofs. When it comes to the emotional level... Do we not feel our faith becoming more refined when we are in hardship? Don't the most staunchest of atheists find themselves calling out to a Greater Entity when they're in dire need of help and are despairing?
It's like my HoD called it, every person has a 'Night of the Scorpion', and that's when all rationality flies out of the window and all that remains is faith. "Night of the Scorpion" is a beautiful poem by Nissim Ezekiel. The title is a metaphor for a period of crisis faced by people. And at that time even the most methodically thinking person would find themselves doing anything and everything to get out of their trial, especially relying on faith.
All these struggles and evil in the world are a clear sign that God exists. He has allowed shaitan to whisper in our hearts. And that is proof that He exists. Because these are the touchstones that decide who is a true believer like pure gold, and who has been corrupted by the world. Just as sometimes we find a bit of copper mixed in with gold.
And these either make or break our faith in God. He wants us to attain Jannah. He wants us in paradise. But the path to Heaven isn't easy, fraught with difficulties. If there are no struggles, there is no Heaven to attain. It's easy for Allah to create a utopian world free of miseries and monstrosities. People question His existence because He hasn't created such a world. But the existence of trials and tribulations necessitate the existence of Heaven and Justice by an Entity that isn't human. He Who isn't bound by human limitations. He Who is above and beyond them. If there were no trials and struggles and people lived an easy life in this world then what makes Jannah worthwhile?
There is an ease in the trials we face. And that is the refinement and strengthening of our faith in God.
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