If God is So Merciful Why is There So Much Pain?

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Shaykh Muhammad bin Saaleeh al-'Uthaymeen [May Allaah have Mercy on him and Purify his soul] said:

Allaah, the Most High, said about the Kuffaar that when they will ask to leave the Hellfire, they will seek to supplicate to Allaah by His Lordship. They will recognizing their sin and mistake:

"Our Lord! Bring us out of this; if ever we return (to evil), then indeed we shall be Zalimun: (polytheists, oppressors, unjust, and wrong-doers, etc.)." [al-Mu'minoon 23: 107]

However, the Mercy of Allaah will not reach them, rather the Justice of Allaah will (T.N:  i.e. the universal Decree is connected to His Justice and Wisdom and not to the idea; 'If he was so Merciful then why…').

Allaah, the Glorified and the Exalted, said thereafter:

"He (Allah) will say: "Remain you in it with ignominy! And speak you not to Me!"" [al-Mu'minoon 23: 108].

[Taken from Majmoo' al-Fataawaa (8/28)]

He also said:

"And among His Signs is that the heaven and the earth stand by His Command, then afterwards when He will call you by single call, behold, you will come out from the earth (i.e from your graves for reckoning and recompense)." [ar-Room 30: 25]

This shows the universal Decree of Allaah, because when He Orders He Does it with Wisdom, Mercy, Justice and Goodness (T.N:  i.e. universal Decree is not dependent on Mercy alone).

"And if the truth had been in accordance with their desires, verily, the heavens and the earth, and whosoever is therein would have been corrupted! Nay, We have brought them their reminder, but they turn away from their reminder." [al-Mu'minoon 23: 71].

So had the universal Decree been dictated by the desires of people (TN: i.e. likewise the doubts they raise like this one) then the Heavens and the Earths would have been corrupted. This is the complete opposite of the objective of the universal Decree of Allaah.

So the Heavens and the Earths is upheld by the universal Decree of Allaah and had the truth (that Allaah Decrees with) been defined by the desires of the creation then the Heavens and the Earths, and everything within them, would have been despoiled.

[Taken from Majmoo' al-Fataawaa (8/458)]