The million dollar question – if there’s a God, why is there evil? As soon as we hear that question, each of us has some kind of answer. Now whether you are an atheist or a theist, there are several key points you need to be aware of. First – every single person in the world has probably asked him or herself that question. So frankly, if you think you’re the only one who truly, truly has contemplated over it in every single angle, sorry, but you aren’t. Since the beginning of human creation, that question has been asked. As mentioned in the Qur’an:

“And [mention, O Muḥammad], when your Lord said to the angels, “Indeed, I will make upon the earth a successor.” They said, “Will You place upon it one who causes corruption therein and sheds blood, while we exalt You with praise and declare Your perfection?” He [Allah] said, “Indeed, I know that which you do not know.”

[Qur’an 2:30]

And since then, human beings have asked that question. Great philosophers have spoken about it and countless books have been written about it. If you think that a certain aspect of the question has not been addressed and that theists are just clueless to your high level of thinking, think again.

Two – a painful fact one has to accept is that the presence of evil does not disprove God. There’s no correlation. You can say what you want about the nature of God. You can ask, “God is supposed to be all merciful and all powerful, so why is there evil?” You can try to disprove a quality of God, but it does not disprove His existence.

Related article: Reason #45: Explanations for Evil in the World

Related article: Reason #22: Not understanding everything

The Ka’bah is the house of God Muslims face when they make their prayers and also the place millions go to every year to perform Hajj, or the major pilgrimage. Hajj is a once-in-a-lifetime obligation for all Muslims who are physically and financially capable.

A disclaimer is that the house itself is NOT worshipped. It is the House of Allah. It was first created by Prophet Abraham, or possibly even Prophet Adam (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ). Then, in the 7th century, Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) freed it from the polytheists’ hands and made it the place of worship it was initially intended for.

So what makes its location so special? Well, where is it? In the middle of nothing! Just a scorching hot desert; not a place for tourists to go and sight-see. Also, it was not until the Modern Era that oil was discovered. In fact, during the time of Prophet Muhammad, it was so “worthless” internationally, that the Byzantine Empire was to the West of it and the Persian Empire was to the East of it, yet none of them cared to conquer it.

It’s as if, Muslims say, that Allah chose a place with no value and no attraction, and wanted to make it become a place millions would go to regardless for centuries and centuries. Think about it. God could have chosen any other place – a place more green, with more water, perhaps somewhere in Europe or Asia, but nope! He chose a desert.

The picture below says enough: