I know this may be my second question, but why did God Almighty introduce disease, poverty, disease to the creatures of the earth? What is the disease? Sickness. Lack of health. Yes. So it is health which God gave us. By misbehaving, by not caring for our health, we fall ill. You see, this air which we are breathing today, now here, all of us together, is polluted with all sorts of bacteria. If we were not healthy, we’ll all die, we’ll catch 101 types of diseases.
So it is, what disease is, is essentially lack of health. If human beings had behaved correctly and in the light of the teachings of Allah had framed their way of life, I believe there would be very little misery, there would be very little disease. Still, disease cannot be wiped out, even if we behave well. Why? Because it has other objectives to achieve. According to Allah, according to the scheme of things, this life on earth is a life of trial, happiness and sorrow, pleasure and pain, health and disease.
So life continues to oscillate between these two extremities. And in each of the two, we are tried. And it is like an examination hall, where the boys are asked questions and they are not permitted the use of books. While all the year round, if they don’t use books, they will be punished for not using books. But in the examination hall, the rules are changed. You are punished if you consult your books there in the examination hall.
So the world, the life on earth here is like a huge examination hall, where we are tried, both in health and in sickness. So when you’re sick, and you become restless and impatient, and you start complaining to God, why have you made mistake, and this and that, then you have failed your examination. If in your sickness, you be patient, and you address to God and say, Oh Allah, you created hell. I by my fault, have fallen ill. I’m suffering, but I’m not complaining.
I only beg of you to grant me health. Then you have passed your examination. Such a case of a noble man appearing in such an examination has been mentioned in the Holy Quran. The Holy Quran tells us that once Abraham was tried by Allah, in a case when he fell ill. His reaction, which has been retained in the Holy Quran, preserved for us to take our lessons from, is this, that he says, وَإِذَا مَرِجْتُ فَهُوَ يَشْفِينَ He’s speaking to others, he said, it is I who fall ill, because of my mistakes, and it is Allah who cures.
So, in that short expression, the essence of Abrahamic qualities is contained. And that also teaches us the way to behave in sickness. And when we are happy, when we are affluent, when we are wealthy, when we have all that we desire, that also is a trial. You may forget God, you may forget the poor sections of the society, the suffering humanity, those who are dying of hunger in Africa or elsewhere, and you enjoy yourself and do not care about your fellow human beings, then also you have failed in your trial.
So because of this life on earth here is a life of trials between these two extremes of pleasure and pain and health and sickness, etc. So the question is invalid, why pain? If there is trial of pleasure, there also has to be pain. If there is a trial of health, there also has to be sickness and disease. Got it? Or no? Satisfied? Good.
