There is no doubt that if the onerous trial that besets the believer is for a Divine Purpose incomprehensible to Him, the duration of that tribulation also serves a Divine Purpose beyond our understanding. It makes little sense to ask when ‘when’ our minds are too limited to even fathom ‘why’.
Mankind was created in haste. In our impatience, we yearn for the swift arrival of Divine Justice. Our souls instinctively detest injustice, and we are deeply troubled when we witness sin and oppression prevailing around us. We question why the tyrants and wrongdoers seem to enjoy a free pass to disobey the Creator and oppress the weak, and we long for a resolution to the forms of injustice that plague our world.
We see countless people living in abject poverty, struggling to meet their basic needs, while a small portion of society holds unimaginable wealth and resources. We struggle to comprehend the taking of innocent lives through brutal occupation and genocide, such as that the Zionist war machine inflicts on Palestine, leaving families shattered and communities destroyed. We are short-sighted. Such short-sightedness not only impels us to desire seeing causes immediately followed by their effects, but also to see the manifestation of the Divine Promise of truth prevailing over falsehood and justice vanquishing injustice. Allāh, on the other hand, is not.
Such promises of Divine Will prevailing belong to Allāh to begin with. It would not make sense to dictate the terms for His promises to be fulfilled. In fact, even though Allāh guarantees the outcome, He does not provide the specific “schedule” for when it will happen. There is no doubt that if the onerous trial that besets the believer is for a Divine Purpose incomprehensible to Him, the duration of that tribulation also serves a Divine Purpose beyond our understanding. It makes little sense to ask when if, more fundamentally, our minds are too limited to fully fathom why.
In the Qur’ān, Allāh mentions two times when the Pharaoh, who was a despised ruler, committed a great evil act by claiming to be God. He dared to defy his Creator and declared that he possessed what only Allāh possesses. The first time he did this, he gathered his people and made his claim.
“Council, I do not know of any other God for you apart from me.”[1]
On the second, and again in front of a gathering he said:
“I am your Lord Most High.”[2]
We are aware that the punishment inflicted upon Pharaoh for his crimes was truly remarkable, but it was by no means immediate. According to commentators of the Qur’ān, there was a span of up to forty years between the two instances when Pharaoh declared himself as a deity.
Throughout these forty long years, Allāh granted Pharaoh numerous opportunities to feel remorse and seek redemption. However, when Pharaoh adamantly persisted in his wickedness and refused to repent, Allāh ultimately caused him to be submerged in the very waters he falsely claimed dominion over. Despite the delayed retribution, it is specifically Pharaoh’s subsequent and prior acts of defiance that Allāh refers to.
“So Allāh seized him with punishment for his last and first transgression.”[3]
Allāh is not a passive observer. No are His actions impulsive or reactionary, Glory is His. When Allāh delays, he does so out of his supreme knowledge. Allāh gives chances and opportunities for repentance even to the evillest of people. And He delays and postpones punishment for whatever duration he sees fit. But be warned that He never, ever forgets.
References:
[1] Qur’ān 28:38
[2] Qur’ān 79:24
[3] Qur’ān 79:25
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