How is the test of life on earth fair

Question

I am not a Muslim, but I am very interested in it. I hope by getting an answer to this question I will take a step closer to maybe accepting Islam.

I understand that Allah gives everyone a chance to live out our lives on earth to test us, even though he knows full well how everyone will do. This is similar to how a legal system allows a convicted criminal to make an appeal in his defense even though everything may be stacked against. I.e. all the evidence. In the day of judgment Allah will use our lives as evidence against us to prove if we did good or bad. To be just Allah allowed us all to live our lives so Allah doesn't have to say to us on the day of judgement "I knew what you would've done if i gave you a life so you go to hell or heaven,etc." Instead Allah can say "you had your chance and you failed to prove yourself etc."

So suppose we have two people both born in say a Christian family and let's say one is very devout to his religion and the other is more casual and doesn't care much, he just happened to have Christian parents. Like your typical teen they go through school not to concerned yet about religion and reach say the age of 20. Still very young and focused on their sorting their future lives not too serious about religion; as most people are in the west at this age.

Now suppose the less religious person suddenly dies due to an accident, very probable and has occurred to many people in the world. The devout religious person continues his life and eventually converts to Islam at say 35, which he practices until death.

The question is therefore, is it unfair that the first person who died early when he was still developing and didn't get a chance to reach full maturity or reach a standard livelihood to be able to pursue say religion? Even if would have remained say a disbeliever till death, wasn't letting him live on earth their to prove he would have died a disbeliever and to avoid having to say "I knew you would have lived to die a disbeliever anyway".

The first person who died can now argue that if I had lived to the same age as person 2 I might have become a Muslim. If Allah was simply going to say to him " I knew you would have lived to die a disbeliever anyway" than why did Allah give him a life on in the first place.

I understand that Allah has said in the Quran that everyone at some point their lives will be introduced or exposed to Islam. But I feel many young people who do are so caught up with problems in their lives and future that they may miss the opportunity to take it seriously. Especially as in this example they may die very young, ignorant of religion having lived a life focused on worldly pleasure. Many Muslim convert's are like this early on and in later life realise they should submit to god and may come across Islam in their search.

I'm not attacking islam I just want this issue cleared up and would appreciate a kind response from someone who might have the answer.

Thank You

Answer 1

@John Bob. The problem is the worldly view that we have that 'death is a bad thing if it happens too early or to good people'.

My friend, Death is only the beginning for everlasting life in the hereafter for everyone. For a sinner, death is beginning for his punishment while for one who did good deeds it is freedom from this world of trials and beginning of tasting fruits of his good deeds he sent forth for the hereafter.

Each soul shall be answerable for what it individually is accountable for according to the capabilities and opportunities given to them. We all have not been created with the same level of intelligence. So we should not expect a simple test for a PHD level guy and a PHD level test for one who is just figuring out. So its fair and custom made for the person (Allah is Just, remember). And Allah has enough mercy to forgive all sins except for associating partners with Him. Shirk is the ultimate sin because it is the most basic and the most extreme violation of being human (Denying who made us and giving credit to some other false deity for all the favours bestowed on us by Allah).

If the guy who died at 20 was still figuring out life and did not worship any idol..he will be given a simple test on Judgment day that shall decide his ultimate fate. That is how Allah will decide for tribals living on remote island not reached by civilisation or any Prophet or message not reaching them and if they had not worshipped any thing else. Allah has promised to us in the Quran that He will show signs to each mature soul on this earth that He is their creator. Even to those tribals. If they reject those signs in their life in this world, they will be answerable. Now whether they die before accepting Allah as their creator or not is the crux.

Time is not the factor here. It is a matter of choice and chance. If you meant that if the guy would have lived longer, he would have more chances to become a muslim ? Then the answer to that is Allah knows that which we know not. We can speculate and complain. He might have sinned more if he lived and never believed. But one thing is for sure. Allah is not unjust. What we think is bad for us might actually be good for us and vice versa. If someone has to die a Muslim he or she would die as one or if they die as pure and innocent they would anyways be forgiven at the behest of Allah's mercy on Judgement Day.

Allah knowing what will happen in the future does not take away anything from our choices. So why, when, what and how becomes meaningless. What matters is whether we follow our natural instinct given by Allah and accept Him as who He is without delay as soon as its clear to us. The longer we take time, the more answerable we will be, don't you think its fair ?. It applies to you too. The next second could be your last. Who knows. So are you willing for your destined time to take over before you make your choice. or will you make the choice in the time you have ? In either case your time is destined. Your choice is known by Allah but not enforced on you. It is only fair that we take the blame for the choices we make. All things will be clear on Judgement Day when no soul shall be wronged and all shall be given Justice. That is the reason there has to be Judgement Day because the worldly life seems unfair due to actions and perceptions of humans. Through Islam and through signs in His creation and within our minds and hearts Allah is reminding us time and again to go back to our fitrah i.e., the innate natural good inclination that man has been created with. We may not know outwardly but many might have died as Muslim believing and acting upon it in their capacity before dying.

Answer 2

Is it unfair that the first person who died early when he was still developing and didn't get a chance to reach full maturity or reach a standard livelihood to be able to pursue say religion?

At some time Allah has to end a person's life. The complaint that "we would have done better if you gave us more time" will happen regardless of however much time is given (reference 23:99-100). There is no way to avoid it. So, Allah chooses each person's time limit differently depending on what he wills. He would not cause a person to die who would have been guided.

If Allah was simply going to say to him " I knew you would have lived to die a disbeliever anyway" than why did Allah give him a life on in the first place.

Allah's reason for creating people is not the test. The test is our reason for existing. There is a difference. Allah primary reason for creating humans we can only guess at. I made a hypothesis in an answer to this question: If God is a perfect being, why does he desire to be glorified?