Troubles help self-development | The Sunday Guardian | 23rd September 2012 | Page 12 Everyone faces problems in life; he may be rich or poor, learned or illiterate. According to the Quran, these problems are a part of the creation rather than an aspect of evil or forms of suffering. The chapter entitled Al-Balad (The City) of the Quran clearly states this fact: "We have created man into a life of toil and trial" (90:4). Why did God Almighty create trouble? In the world of nature everything is beautiful, everything is problem-free. Then why were problems created for man to deal with? Why is man an exception to this rule? What is the wisdom behind this scheme of creation? This factor is a great blessing for man. It is meant to give man a special status that was not given to other creatures in this world. That is, he has been given the opportunity for self-development. Other creatures' lives are pre-determined in every respect. They have no options of any kind. They are as they were created. But man has total freedom. Man can make his own choices. In human life, troubles are like stepping stones. Man was created with great intellectual potential, but this potential is in a dormant state. In such a situation, troubles are challenges, troubles awaken our mind, troubles activate our nature, and troubles serve as an incentive to turn our potential into actuality. Glaciers melt, but they melt according to the laws of nature. Rivers flow, but they flow according to the shape of the earth, stars and planets move, but their orbits are pre-determined by the law of nature, trees grow, but their growth is also pre-determined. But the case of man is quite different. Every man and woman is a self-made person. Certainly, they were born under the laws of nature, but after birth the development of their personality lay in their own hands.
