How Can I Understand the Verse “Allah Perfecting Creation” in Light of Imperfections in Human Biology?
Answered by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat
Question
The verse about Allah perfecting all things troubles me as I study medicine. If Allah perfected creation, why do we have design flaws in our bodies, like wisdom teeth, hernias, and autoimmune conditions? How should I understand this verse in light of these issues?
Answer
This issue isn’t difficult to understand. Allah has created us here in this life so He can test us. The types of tests we are given vary because of the wisdom in each of us having different circumstances, strengths, weaknesses, etc.
Allah told us of this in His beautiful book: “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…” [Quran, 2:155]
So, this worldly life, with all of its difficulties and intricate tests, is perfectly made to test us. It teaches some to turn to Allah; it teaches others to yearn for the Afterlife; and some only see the pleasures it has and then chase after them. All are tested in this perfectly designed test.
The form and ultimate potential of the human being is beautiful and we have been honoured with it. This does not negate the inherent qualities in the human body that leave on with a propensity for one type of illness or another. That is due to the test.
What you assumed perfection should be here is actually what is planned for Paradise. We will have bodies that will not tire, age, get sick, or die, in sha’ Allah. That will be the perfect manifestation of Allah perfect design for rewarding His servants, just as this life is the perfect design for testing them.
May Allah make us all of those who please Him with all we do in this life and the next. Amin.
[Shaykh] Abdul-Rahim Reasat
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat began studying Arabic Grammar and Morphology whilst studying for a degree in English and History. After graduating, He traveled to Damascus and studied Arabic, Hanafi Fiqh, Usul al-Fiqh, Theology, and Logic with Shaykh Adnan Darwish, Shaykh ‘Abd al-Rahman Arjan al-Binsawi, Shaykh Husayn Darwish, Shaykh Muhammad Darwish, the late Shaykh Rashad Shams, and others. He then moved to Amman to continue his studies in those fields, as well as in Tafsir, Quranic Sciences, Hadith Methodology and Commentary, Prophetic Biography, Prophetic Perfections and Traits, Rhetoric, Arabic Literature, and Tajwid. His teachers include Shaykh Ali Hani, Dr. Hamza al-Bakri, Dr Salah Abu al-Hajj, Dr Mansur Abu Zina, Shaykh Ahmad Hasanat, Shaykh Ahmad Jammal, and others.
