There is some question as to whether evil exists in the...

There is some question as to whether evil exists in the world in the real sense of the word. If we look carefully, we will see that the evil of things is not a true attribute; it is a relative one. Fire arms in the hands of my enemy are an evil for me, and firearms in my hands are an evil for my enemy. Setting aside me and my enemy, firearms are in themselves neither good nor bad.

The course of nature can be said to be mathematical; that is, its system has been established in such a way as not to answer all of our needs. We, however, wish to fulfill all our countless desires without encountering the least hindrance, and the forces of nature do not answer the limitless wishes we cherish, wishes which are in any event worthless from the point of view of our essential nature. Nature pays no attention to our desires and refuses to submit to our wants.

So when we encounter unpleasantness in our lives, we become unjustifiably upset and we term the causes of our discomfort as "evil." If someone wants to light his lamp when there is no oil in it, he will not start sighing and complaining or curse the whole universe! Creation is constantly advancing toward a clear goal, through unceasing effort and striving.

Specific causes determine each step it takes, and the changes and development it undergoes are not designed to meet men's approval or satisfy their desires. It should be accepted that some of the occurrences of this world will not correspond to our wishes, and we ought not to regard as injustice things we experience as unpleasant. The Commander of the Faithful ‘Ali, peace be upon him, describes the world as an abode of hardship, but nonetheless a good place for the one who knows it properly.

Although he encountered himself all kinds of hardship and unpleasantness, he constantly drew men's attention to the absolute justice of God![^1] Another important point which must not be overlooked is that good and evil do not represent two mutually exclusive categories or series in the order of creation. Goodness is identical with being, and evil is identical with non-being; wherever being makes its appearance, non-existence is also implied.

When we speak of poverty, indigence, ignorance or disease we should not imagine that they have separate realities: poverty is simply not having wealth, ignorance is the absence of knowledge, and disease is the loss of health.