THE PROBLEM OF EVIL

involve the risk of some people misusing their freedom; and misuse it, they did. This gave rise to the problem of human suffering which results from evil; yet this suffering, or evil, is a very small price to pay for a very precious thing. The only principle to interpret human history is the principle of ‘test’. According to Islam, that person is most precious who leads his life in this world in such a manner that, despite facing all sorts of temptations, he succeeds in overcoming them. Despite having the power to misuse his freedom, he refrains from doing so. Despite the possibility of leading an unprincipled life, he chooses of his own free will to be a man of principle. To identify such individuals, it is essential that an atmosphere of freedom prevail in the world. This is not possible under any other system. Words Can Be False Friends Words, because of their easy accessibility, can be a great source of mis­conception in this world. Equipped with fine words and carried away by slogans, one can be deluded into thinking that one is on the right path. But words alone cannot prove whether or not one’s stand is a right one. Success in the next world will be for those who, having made a critical appraisal of words, hold on to the truth and reality behind them, rather than placing their trust uncritically in hollow, meaningless words.