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Our cause for meeting in this brief lecture that I'm going to be giving is actually a cause that is distressing to all of us.

It is something that is hitting home for all of us.

And that is seeing the images of the suffering of our own people in Pakistan and seeing the reality of what has happened with these floods.

And of course our goal today is inshallah with the Allah to help alleviate and to be able to do what we can in order to bring about some comfort and mercy.

You know I'm going to give a talk that is a little bit atypical so that inshallah we will rethink through how we are doing these fundraisers.

I'm going to ask a very difficult question.

And there is a question to be honest that many people think about when these tragedies happen.

It is a very deeply philosophical and theological question.

It deals with philosophy and with our akhida and iman and theology.

And it is a question that does not have an easy answer.

And I'm telling you from now that I'm not going to give you a solid answer in you know 10, 15 minutes that I'll be speaking to you.

The question is as follows.

How can we as believers in a merciful God and an all-powerful God?

How can we understand this type of tragedy in light of our God?

Allah Azza wa Jalla bin Ar-Rahman and Ar-Rahim and Al-Wadwud and Al-Karim?

How does one reconcile between an all-powerful and an all-merciful God?

And this is a question that has plagued the minds of the most ancient philosophers.

Actually, if you look at some of the writings of, you know, even Aristotle and Plato and whatnot,

you find them trying to come to grips with this actual question.

In fact, the question is so deep that there is an entire branch of philosophy that deals with just this one question.

And that is the question, the topic is called the Odyssey.

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