The never ending battle between good and evil

8th of Ramadhan 1441 Hijriah (1st May 2020)

Evil exists in this world. It is apparent in all the things that happen around us. Be it from the common liar, cheating merchant, to the sociopath murderer we see in the news. It might not even be too far-fetched if this whole COVID-19 pandemic was planned and the virus was intentionally released to the environment by evildoers. It is often frustrating that the evil we see doesn’t always get checked and rectified. This has been the case throughout history. Including in spiritual struggle, symbolized by the Prophets and Messengers.

In the Islamic tradition, evil can appear in many forms. It can be in the form of people, or in the form of the unseen. The unseen can be in the form of the jinns (unseen beings) or other physically intangible objects such as systems (monetary, societal, political) that oppress people, be it on the physical or spiritual level. 

In this time and age, the line between good and evil is as blurred as ever. The things that apparently seem good, might in truth be evil, and vice versa. The confusion is amplified even further with our excessive use of social media. I remember quitting (deactivating rather) Facebook a couple of years ago because of this. In which there were Muslims who perceive themselves as religious who intimidate and even accuse other Muslims of heinous things. 

I would argue that this self-righteousness of believing to be better than others (albeit maybe being in a different level of belief) is more evil than good, as it taints the love between each other within the community. While in truth, the essence of the Islamic tradition is love. Love to God, love to the Prophets, and love to all of the creation.

Thus, we need tools to identify which is truly good and which is not. One of the best tools that many of us are deprived of is a sound intellect, that can differentiate between the two. We also need knowledge and understanding on religion and the nature of this world. The last tool is level-headedness (or a sound heart), a state in which a person is considerate and not quick to judge/act (write a status, blog post, tweet, etc.) before 100% sure of the consequences/ramifications of one’s action. People who are quick to accuse or shoot down other people often lack these tools and unconsciously become agents of (subtle) evildoing. 

Fortunately, despite the overwhelming evil we see around us, there is still a lot of good. Granted it is not easy to see, there are still people who are genuinely generous to the poor, help the oppressed, just in their trade, and have other good qualities. However, just like what has been symbolized by the Prophets, these good qualities can only be attained and practiced by making a lot of sacrifices and struggles. And in the end, we need to have certainty that good will prevail and evil will succumb to the Truth. If not in this world, definitely in the next.

-Fendrri

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