Islamic Worldview (29): Are the L.A. Fires Truly Divine Justice?

Many people see the L.A. fires as "Divine Punishment" for enabling and being complicit in the genocide in Gaza. While this might seem like a compelling conclusion, it oversimplifies the concept of Divine Justice in Islam.

If Divine Justice operated in such a direct manner, we would witness miraculous interventions daily—especially given the oppression that has plagued the Muslim World over the last century. Yet, the reality is far deeper, rooted in a system Allah has embedded in creation.

Divine Justice: Cause and Consequence

The Quran teaches us that every action carries its own natural consequence:

"And whatever strikes you of disaster - it is for what your hands have earned; but He pardons much." (Quran 42:30)

This principle mirrors the third law of motion in physics: for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. In Islam, your choices carry inevitable outcomes, just as seeds planted in a garden yield fruit according to their nature.

Consider this verse:

"Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves." (Quran 13:11)

It underscores personal accountability. The fires, earthquakes, or societal breakdowns we witness aren’t acts of divine intervention in the simplistic sense but consequences of the choices humanity collectively makes—moral, environmental, or social.

A Lesson from Crime and Punishment

Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment offers a vivid depiction of this truth. Raskolnikov, the protagonist, commits murder under the guise of intellectual superiority but is tormented by guilt. His suffering comes not from external punishment but from the crushing weight of his conscience.

This aligns with the Quran’s perspective:

"And they were not wronged, but they were [only] wronging themselves." (Quran 2:57)

Injustice does not merely harm others; it diminishes the perpetrator’s soul. Every decision to commit wrong is a decision to plant the seeds of personal torment.

Shaping the World: A Garden Metaphor

Imagine life as a garden. Your actions are seeds, and the care you give—whether nurturing the soil or neglecting it—determines the harvest. If weeds take over or the plants wither, can you blame the soil? The Quran reminds us:

"Whoever does an atom’s weight of good will see it, and whoever does an atom’s weight of evil will see it." (Quran 99:7-8)

This metaphor shifts the focus to accountability. Your choices determine the life you lead and the world you shape.

The Reality of Divine Justice

When calamities strike, it’s not an external imposition but the natural result of choices humanity has made. Oppression, environmental destruction, and moral decay are all seeds with predictable harvests.

Rather than misplacing blame on others—or misunderstanding Allah’s wisdom regarding the state of the world, we should reflect on our choices. If the harvest is bitter, the solution lies in planting different seeds.

The next time you face a choice, remember this: in doing harm to others, you are ultimately victimizing yourself. As the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:

"As you treat others, so will you be treated." (Sunan al-Tirmidhi, 1425)

Divine Justice is not about random punishment but the system Allah has set to ensure accountability and fairness. Let us plant the seeds of righteousness, for they alone yield peace and prosperity.