New Essay: With Faith Suffering Has Meaning: Gaza and the Turning to God

It is a regular, repeated source of enquiry and interest that emerges amongst laity of all backgrounds that if indeed there is a God – and indeed there is – then what is His role in the current genocide and carnage unleashed on the peoples of Gaza and Palestine? The matter of evil and its consequences is one frequently raised by atheists and this has been covered at length in another article which responds to C.S. Lewis’ works on the problem of pain.[1] This article will not reproduce what has been covered in the aforementioned work, but draw on a point hitherto less considered by atheists and other sceptics, centring on the juxtaposed face of goodness that emerges from a paradigm of evil. This does not espouse that evil should exist so that currents of goodness can emerge, since goodness can exist counter to the presence of a preceding evil, but that the face of goodness can counterbalance evil, and the thrust of a prevailing goodness as a response to evil can emerge counter to an evil.

The genocide in Gaza has violated all standards of humanity; not only is a continuation of decades of occupation and oppression on the Gazan and Palestinian peoples an affront to any need to abide by international standards of legal and political national cohesion, but such a theatrical display of murder and mayhem undercuts something more palpable in the world’s human fabric. Dr Tanya Haj-Hassan voiced clearly on CNN the scale of suffering in Gaza: “every single person who does this for a living will tell you the same thing, that this is different. This is not a humanitarian crisis…this is genocide. When 70% of the population that are killed are women and children; when the population is starved of food, of water, of medicine; when you have repeated attacks on all the hospitals, the clinics, the aid distribution sites, the humanitarian aid agencies that try to help; more UN aid workers have been killed in Gaza that in UN’s history; when you have over 900 families that have been exterminated – that have been taken off the civil registry; when you have over 17000 children that have lost one or both parents; when you have bakeries, aid distribution sites, churches, mosques, schools, and in the last 24 hours… History books will be written on this, and countries will have to reckon, media agencies will have to reckon with their major role in the genocide of an entire population, and in the destruction of humanitarian law and rule of order.”[2]

The Qur’ān states that in the killing of one innocent person there is something that tarnishes the entire human apparatus, as if the life lost symbolises a collective life lost; we lost something in ourselves at the same time:

“That is why We ordained for the Children of Israel that whoever takes a life—unless as a punishment for murder or mischief in the land—it will be as if they killed all of humanity; and whoever saves a life, it will be as if they saved all of humanity. ˹Although˺ Our messengers already came to them with clear proofs, many of them still transgressed afterwards through the land.”[3]

Gaza and Epistemic Limitations: A Qur’ānic Framework

 

A pivotal Qurʾānic narrative that highlights epistemic limitations – that we are not fully aware of the full knowledge nor the full wisdom behind events – mentions a divine declaration, followed by angelic questioning, followed by angelic inability, followed by angelic admission:

“And when thy Lord said unto the angels, “Lo! I am about to place a viceroy in the earth,” they said, “Wilt thou place therein one who will do harm therein and will shed blood, while we, we hymn Thy praise and sanctify Thee?” He said, “Surely I know that which ye know not.” And He taught Adam all the names, then showed them to the angels, saying, “Inform Me of the names of these, if ye are truthful.” They said, “Be glorified! We have no knowledge saving that which Thou hast taught us. Lo! Thou, only Thou, art the Knower, the Wise.”¹³

The divine attributes al-ʿAlīm [the All-Knowing] and al-Ḥakīm [the All-Wise] appear together more than a dozen times in the Qurʾān, reinforcing the point that only God knows all things and only He knows the wisdom behind occurrences. Man, of course, can be impulsive and hasty in assigning causality to events and circumstances, but man is, of course, limited by the vantage point from which he experiences and understands things. This concept finds further profound expression in Chapter 18 of the Qurʾān, Sūrah al-Kahf. A passage therein illuminates the limits of human comprehension regarding motivations and explanations for events and how these occurrences fit into a divine plan.:

“… and I did it not upon my own command. Such is the interpretation of that wherewith thou couldst not bear.”¹⁴

This narrative instils a profound sense of epistemic humility, revealing that a human’s understanding of events is limited to their fleeting, temporal perspective. The fuller reasons and consequences often align with a set of divinely intended outcomes, initially beyond human comprehension and about which Prophet Mūsā was initially unaware. In the story of Prophet Sulaymān and the hoopoe bird, recounted in Chapter 27, Sūrah al-Naml this is further emphasised:

I have encompassed [a thing] that thou encompassed not, and I come unto thee from Sheba with sure tidings.²⁹

The Qurʾānic accounts elegantly illustrate a profound precept of understanding: the journey from not knowing to knowing, and then to associating that knowledge with one’s purpose. It underscores three key principles: [1] the inherent limitations of human knowledge; [2] the diversity of vantage points, each offering unique scopes of understanding based on individual positions and experiences; and [3] the necessity of a God-centric approach to synthesise these varied determinants into a coherent, transcendental framework.

The Qur’ān points to the two characteristics of patience and gratitude as embodying experiential learning through sufferings and pleasures in life, but there are also others that stem from patience and gratitude such as newfound strength, courage, empathy and mercy. Following a hardship, suffering, pain, people can be propelled to alter things in their lives, and in their surroundings. People are forced to make decisions and changes perhaps they wouldn’t have made otherwise. There are many examples of people who have undergone loss only to find greater happiness, newfound opportunities and greater purpose in life. Fulfilment and thankfulness too, therefore, require critical reflection since a ‘having’ when ‘not having’ could have also been a possibility, or to know what not experiencing pain is – the state of earthly āfiyah (preservation) – when having experienced pain the first time, will undoubtedly produce feelings of thankfulness. In this light, when believers enter into heaven, a caller will cry out:

“’You will be healthy and will never fall sick; you will live and will never die; you will remain young and will never grow old; you will feel ease and will never be miserable.’”⁴¹

All that was experienced and preserved in life will mean so much more in the next life. The losses, disabilities, ailments that we carry in this life will not be so in the next life. For every affliction in life, every trouble and pain, the reward from Allāh, out of His love and appreciation, is to expiate those who suffer with forgiveness and recompense: “No fatigue, nor disease, nor sorrow, nor sadness, nor hurt, nor distress befalls a Muslim, even if it were the prick he receives from a thorn, but that Allāh expiates some of his sins for that.”⁴² Those who had suffered in this life, once they experience heavenly bliss will be unable to  remember their previous suffering. The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) said:

“Then, the most miserable people in the world among the people of Paradise will come on the Day of Resurrection to be dipped in Paradise, then it will be said: O son of Adam, did you see any hardship? Did you have any distress? He will say: No, by Allāh, my Lord! I did not once see hardship or distress.”⁴³

While Jewish theologians struggled to understand why God did not aid them in the Holocaust (1933-45), the reaction from Gazans to their suffering is all the more different and telling.  Victims of the Holocaust, predominately European Jews, grappled with the ultimate test of faith. Though we cannot assume a homogenous approach that surviving Jews adopted to their faith – as Lassley notes that, “while some Jewish survivors have discovered a newfound strength in their faith, others have abandoned their beliefs entirely. Some Jews entered the camps as atheists and reemerged with an even deeper recognition of their disbelief.”[4] Wenn es einen Gott gibt muß er mich um Verzeihung bitten was the phrase carved into the prison cell walls of the Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria. The phrase translates to “If there is a God, He will have to beg my forgiveness.” Andre Marosy said attributed his disbelief in God to his loss of faith in humanity: “I don’t believe in God. After this experience, I see that the human animal wouldn’t change. Selfishness, you know, in the earth more and more, could accumulate.”[5] Holocaust survivor Leon Wells came to question the covenant he believed God had made with the Jewish people. He writes, “It was because of this that we passed from downfall to downfall, and every day was more accursed than that which came before it.”[6] The Jewish people explored notions such as God is dead; the Eclipse of God; the Distant God; a Limited God, Free will and God, a Suffering God, the Gazans instead have shown the world that the answer of the Gazans tallies with the words of the Prophet Musa when he faced the legions of the Pharaoh behind him and the rough sea ahead of him, “Indeed with me is my Lord, and He will guide me.” For the Gazans, Allāh is always with them. Those who have failed them are not of God. Gaza, “is not only a school of humanity, it will go down in history as its own school of theology and ethics… It is the most striking embodiment of Islamic virtues the modern world has ever seen.”[7]

Gaza and Revolutionising Faith with Gratitude

 

Whilst it is undoubtedly true therefore that we have perhaps never seen before such a mayhem of murder unleashed on the people of Palestine, that we have not witnessed such a collective global outrage, a reminder to Holocaust survivor Stephane Hessel’s Time for Outrage (“The greatest indignation I have is for what is happening to the Palestinians”) it is perhaps also true that we have never witnessed such a display of deep-seated faith, patience and resolve than from the people of Gaza. Such tenacity of spirit and steadfastness, and faith in God, has led many to want to know more about Islam, to try and understand what could cause such unshakeable faith in the Muslims of Gaza, leading many to embrace Islam.

One recent convert, Hunter Graves, a 21-year-old college senior in Nashville, spoke about the way such strong belief drew him to learn more about Islam: “You see women running out of rubbled buildings holding their lifeless child, and the first thing they do is thank Allāh.”[8] Such a life approach to thank Allāh as the first point of call in any situation sits at the heart of the Islamic paradigm. Such an enthusing of belief in which Allāh is perpetually deserving of praise and thankfulness is something that resonates strongly, since it pushes back on nihilistic approaches to life in which a purposeless pervades. Being thankful to God, despite the circumstances that ensue in life and their outcomes, is a prophetic approach and the Qur’ān is a continuous reminder that only by adopting an akhirah-centric vision in which everything one encounters in this life and every response to that encounter is measured in the next life. This approach is more rigorous than finding moments in a life lives that can help to provide meaning for what one currently undergoes, or what one might undergo later on in life. This latter approach, is profoundly expressed in Surah al-Ḍuḥa.

Another convert, Nefertari Moonn, a 35-year-old resident of Tampa, Florida US, said she converted to Islam after being influenced by Palestinians’ commitment and stance against Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip. She said. “I wouldn’t necessarily say that Israel had anything to do with me turning to Islam. It was solely the Palestinian people, and their courage and their faith that had me look into Islam…To see all the devastation that the Palestinians are going through… and to see those still call out to Allāh is devastatingly beautiful…I feel like if you see these people in what they’re going through in them being able to still keep their faith. You have to look into it and see what was contributing to people still holding on to God and holding on to their faith in calling now in their last words.” She described Palestinians as some of the “strongest resilient people” that she has ever seen in her life: “You’re seeing mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters lose their entire families in somehow, they’re still thankful for the small things they have. So, like others I was very intrigued.”[9]

Gaza then presents the world a formidable God-centric teleological framework. When people in such difficulty do not think about where God is, but instead use a situation facing them to turn towards God it is a cause of admiration and wonder. As El-Sharif describes, “What we are witnessing now is nothing short of a miracle in the modern age: an experiential reality of a lived, collective faith, activated in its power and agency, en masse, that no amount of billions spent by way of military and security expenditure can undo or defy. No 2000-pound bombs can remove this faith from the chambers of peoples’ hearts.”[10] The repeated statement amongst the Gazans is, Ḥasbī-Allāhu wa niʿm al-wakīl [Sufficient is Allāh, and the Best Disposer of Affairs]. The statement is a recurring declarative that cognitively and spiritually reframes one’s approach to understanding evil in order to transcend such evil and understand it in light of a God-centric and akhirah-centric paradigm. Such an approach is familiar in the Qur’ān so that the believer is well prepared to expect a test, to consider how one can frame a difficulty in the context of self-development, of expected ease and rewards in the after-life and in the context of a broader paradigm of individual epistemic limitation and a belief in the transcendence of God who is all-Knowing and All-Wise.

“We will certainly test you with a touch of fear and famine and loss of property, life, and crops. Give good news to those who patiently endure”[11]

“We will certainly test you ˹believers˺ until We prove those of you who ˹truly˺ struggle ˹in Allāh’s cause˺ and remain steadfast, and reveal how you conduct yourselves.”[12]

“Do you think you will be admitted into Paradise without being tested like those before you? They were afflicted with suffering and adversity and were so ˹violently˺ shaken that ˹even˺ the Messenger and the believers with him cried out, “When will Allāh’s help come?” Indeed, Allāh’s help is ˹always˺ near.”[13]

As these verses reveal, the Qur’ān in many places cognitively and spiritually reframes us to understand suffering so we can better transcend it. The Qur’ān reminds those who engage with its verses to stand in the possibility that, no matter how intense the suffering is, the meaning we are giving such difficulty is not the only meaning. The aforementioned verse from 2:214 concludes with a strong appeal from believers accompanying a Messenger, “When will Allāh’s help come?” The test upon such believers and the Messenger would have been grave and intense in its magnitude for such an exclaim. But the assuring response, “Allāh’s help is ˹always˺ near”, is reflective of the spiritual armament of trust and hope in Allāh that the state of the believers is soon to change. This finds its place in the early reminder Allāh gave the Prophet in Surah al-Duha: “and the future will be better for you than the past.”[14] The verses don’t only console during moments of difficulty but comprehensively outline that Allāh is always in full control. The events that one undergoes have a future consequence that is known only to Allāh, reminiscent of the divine declarative when the angels asked about the purpose behind the human creation, citing corruption and murder as a consequence of that human creation’s disposition – Allāh replied to the angels, “I know what you do not know.”[15] To be told by their Messenger that “Allāh’s help is ˹always˺ near” enables believers to reassert their commitment to a struggle in which truth will always triumph over falsehood (“The ultimate outcome belongs ˹only˺ to the righteous.”[16]); to reframe their struggle as one embodying a truth vs falsehood paradigm in which they play a crucial role; the emboldening of positive attributes of faith, patience and resolve which harness individual strength and remain crucial for divine support.

What the world has been taught by Gaza is thus to give suffering the meaning Allāh and His Prophet have given to it, in order that we better learn how to transcend the suffering in some way. To elucidate how this is underscored as a pivotal Islamic paradigm, the Qur’ān talks about other attributes such as gratitude, which, if well understood will reframe our entire reality. The Qur’ān states: “and given you some of everything you asked Him for. If you tried to count God’s favours you could never calculate them: man is truly unjust and ungrateful.”[17] A person, of whatever ethnicity, race or religion, ability or disability, would never dispense with something as valuable as his or her eyesight. The myriad, indescribable, of sights that can take in the visual aesthetics of beauty, formulate memories etched into our consciousness; the array of colours, of people, of places, of things visually encountered and so much more, is a treasure that a person would not give up. Imagine a scenario wherein you were gifted 10 million pounds. Naturally a deep state of elation would ensue. But if it was then proposed by the donor that the 10 million would be granted on the condition that one’s eyesight needs to be exchanged for the hefty sum, reluctance to accept the money would ensue. Our eyesight however forms a substantial part of every conscious moment we live in and live through, though it is gifted to us without cost, a blessing we neither own, earn or deserve.

“Have We not made for him two eyes?”[18]

“And a tongue and two lips?”[19]

Such blessings are bestowed on us from God so that we can become thankful, have a deeper reverence and love for him, and further understand the need to turn to Him in worship. Another example is to think about the passing of the Prophet Muhammad’s (peace and blessing be upon him) son, Ibrahim. What transpired is a sequence of insults heralded by the enemies of the Prophet which included calling him abtar (the one cut off). When Allāh soon enough revealed Surah al-Kawthar (108) it cognitively and spiritually changed how the Prophet was to frame the issue of the loss of a child, and all cases of injury:

“Indeed, We have granted you ˹O Prophet˺ abundant goodness[20]

So pray and sacrifice to your Lord ˹alone˺.[21]

Only the one who hates you is truly cut off ˹from any goodness˺.”[22]

The opening verse highlights the encompassing support of God in all of the Prophet’s ordeals. It called on him to be in a constant state of gratitude. The chapter does not draw on the theme of loss or bereavement but instead begins by reminding the Prophet that he will be the recipient of an abundant and persistent goodness. The focus on what is to be a measure of gratitude in the Prophet serves as a reminder that, though suffering still exists and even though life’s tragedies continue to unfold, God always facilitates goodness for believers and in serving Him alone will the faithful find succour and the promise of an abiding resolve.

Similar verses which carry with them a related outlook include the following:

“So be patient ˹O Prophet˺ with what they say. And glorify the praises of your Lord before sunrise and before sunset, and glorify Him in the hours of the night and at both ends of the day, so that you may be pleased ˹with the reward˺”[23]

“So be patient ˹O Prophet˺ with what they say. And glorify the praises of your Lord before sunrise and before sunset.”[24]

In the life of the Prophet the instruction to remain in the remembrance of Allāh found its place in times of both ease and hardship. It is in Him and for Him that all actions are intended, make sense and come to fruition. In the Prophet’s early time in Makkah antagonistic disbelievers from the Prophet’s own community who opted to remain in their paganistic traditions were primarily intended in the Qur’ānic verse: “We are well aware that your heart is weighed down by what they say. Celebrate the glory of your Lord and be among those who bow down to Him: worship your Lord until what is certain comes to you.”[25] Such a verse revealed in the Prophet’s early Makkan time draws on finding solace in the face of such derision.

The Qur’ān calls on him to “Be patient O Prophet with what they say. And remember Our servant, David, the man of strength. Indeed, he constantly turned to Allāh. We truly subjected the mountains to hymn Our praises along with him in the evening and after sunrise. And We subjected the birds, flocking together. All turned to Him echoing His hymns.”[26]

Conclusion

The focus on remaining in Allāh’s remembrance is paramount for the one with baṣīra. His or her strength, both physical and spiritual, is a culmination of that spiritual attention.[27] For a people who undergo such horrific slaughter, who have had to move place to place more than ten times in a matter of months; people who have had to bury their children’s body parts in bags – an indescribable scale of horrific mass murder – are still able to teach the world through the magnanimity of their responses to the genocide unleashed on them, is a matter that underscores the strength of Islam’s teleological outlook. One’s internal strength, which is the most powerful inner weapon is reflected through Allāh’s remembrance in which mindfulness of Him is part of our essential cognitive and spiritual transformation.

The Qur’ānic paradigm, emerging from a statement found more than a dozen times in the Qur’ān is “laʿAllāhum yarjiʿūn [so that they might return]. The Qur’ān therefore calls people to self-reflect and turn to God in the event of both a success and failure. Sometimes a letdown can open up new doors and so too can a point of success be a reason to express more thankfulness and reverence to God. As a response to those who question equivocations with other genocides, El-Sharif highlights how any previous examples cited cannot ‘claim God’. That any claim to God must be left for the people of Gaza: “Whether one understands it or not, their immovable faith is the only thing that has allowed them to withstand living under this unspeakable horror for over a year and a 75-year long brutal occupation.”[28] In essence, those who have betrayed Gaza have died and the true winners have emerged in Gaza:

“Verily! [During the worldly life] those who committed crimes used to laugh at those who believed.

“And whenever they passed by them, used to wink one to another [in mockery]; and when they returned to their own people, they would return jesting; and when they saw them, they said: ‘Verily! These have indeed gone astray!’

“But they [disbelievers, sinners] had not been sent as watchers over them [the believers]. But this Day [the Day of Resurrection], those who believe will laugh at the disbelievers. On [high] thrones, looking [at all things].

“Are not the disbelievers paid [fully] for what they used to do?”[29]

Gaza has shown the world that, despite the suffering unleased on them, their belief in a Supreme, Just, Transcendent God is unshakeable. They have challenged godlessness and faithlessness in our world. It is belief in God, turning to Him, remembering Him, that sustains them. They have challenged global indifference through the most remarkable acts of kindness, empathy and mercy for those suffering with them, and, as El-Sharif writes, “They are bringing God back to a godless world.”[30]

 

References

[1] Osman Latiff, ‘The Problem of Pain: A Muslim Response’ – https://sapienceinstitute.org/the-problem-of-pain-osman-latiff/ (As a common response to atheists and detractors, an Islamic worldview underscores that there are undoubtedly important experiential learnings that arise from pain and suffering. This can be observed, felt, witnessed at many levels, and there are many events and happenings one can point to in their own individual lives as well as in prominent examples from human history.)

[2] CNN Called Out LIVE For ‘Gaza Genocide’ Lies – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVYu9hdSEb0; “Not A Humanitarian Crisis, This Is Genocide” CNN Schooled By Gaza Doctor – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJvl2UDnT30&t=621s

[3] Al-Qur’ān. Chapter 5, verse 32

[4] Jennifer Lassley, ‘A Defective Covenant: Abandonment of Faith among Jewish Survivors of the Holocaust’, International Social Science Review, Vol. 90, No. 2 (2015), pp. 2-3

[5] Andre Marosy, interviewed by Deborah Miller, June 8, 1998, interview code 42545-2, video recording,

Visual History Archive, USC Shoah Foundation, Southfield, MI, Segment 30

[6] Leon Wells, The Janowska Road (London: Macmillan, 1974), p. 97.

[7] Farah El-Sharif, ‘God and the Concentration Camp

Where is God from all this suffering? A Palestinian-Muslim perspective.’ – https://sermonsatcourt.substack.com/p/god-and-the-concentration-camp

[8] How the Gaza War Inspired a Wave of Muslim Conversionshttps://mashriqtv.pk/en/2024/01/24/how-the-gaza-war-inspired-a-wave-of-muslim-conversions/; Unstoppable Rise of Islam in Europe Since Gaza War  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLB_cn3nQDI;

[9] Enes Taha Ersen, ‘Inspired by stance of Palestinians against Israel, US influencer converts to Islam’ – https://www.aa.com.tr/en/world/inspired-by-stance-of-palestinians-against-israel-us-influencer-converts-to-islam/3070593

[10] Farah El-Sharif, ‘God and the Concentration Camp

Where is God from all this suffering? A Palestinian-Muslim perspective.’ – https://sermonsatcourt.substack.com/p/god-and-the-concentration-camp

[11] Al-Qur’ān. Chapter 2, verse 155

[12] Al-Qur’ān. Chapter 47, verse 31

[13] Al-Qur’ān. Chapter 2, verse 214

[14] Al-Qur’ān. Chapter 93, verse 4

[15] Al-Qur’ān. Chapter 2, verse 30

[16] Al-Qur’ān. Chapter 7, verse 128

[17] Al-Qur’ān. Chapter 14, verse 34

[18] Al-Qur’ān. Chapter 90, verse 8

[19] Al-Qur’ān. Chapter 90, verse 9

[20] Al-Qur’ān. Chapter 108, verse 1

[21] Al-Qur’ān. Chapter 108, verse 2

[22] Al-Qur’ān. Chapter 108, verse 3

[23] Al-Qur’ān. Chapter 20, verse 130

[24] Al-Qur’ān. Chapter 50, verse 39

[25] Al-Qur’ān. Chapter 15, verses 97-99

[26] Al-Qur’ān. Chapter 38, verse 17-19.

[27] Osman Latiff, Characteristics of the Caller (Sapience Institute, 2023), p. 62.

[28] Farah El-Sharif, ‘God and the Concentration Camp

Where is God from all this suffering? A Palestinian-Muslim perspective.’ – https://sermonsatcourt.substack.com/p/god-and-the-concentration-camp

[29] Al-Qur’ān. Chapter 83, verses 29-36.

[30] Farah El-Sharif, ‘God and the Concentration Camp

Where is God from all this suffering? A Palestinian-Muslim perspective.’ – https://sermonsatcourt.substack.com/p/god-and-the-concentration-cam