When we read this verse in English, it is unclear who created the weakness for the human being. If we say it is God, then this conflicts with other verses where God said that God created the human perfect.
64:3 He created the heavens and the earth for a specific purpose, designed you and perfected your design, then to Him is the final destiny.
82:7 The One who created you, designed you, and perfected you.
ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَكَ فَسَوَّىٰكَ فَعَدَلَكَ
The answer to this conundrum can be understood through the following verse.
4:79 Anything good that happens to you is from GOD, and anything bad that happens to you is from you. We have sent you as a messenger to the people, and GOD suffices as witness.
God created the human being perfect, yet there is something we did to ourselves that caused this deficiency that made us vulnerable to Satan’s persuasions. Therefore, God creates the situations for this self-imposed imperfection to come out so it can be fixed.
95:4 We created man in the best design.
95:5 Then turned him into the lowliest of the lowly.
95:6 Except those who believe and lead a righteous life; they receive a reward that is well deserved.
So when it states that “we turned him (the human being) to the lowliest of the lowly, I understand this to mean that God creates situations where our moral deficiency is exposed so we can redeem ourselves, much like what happened to Adam in Paradise with the tree.
The Test
In this world, every soul will have to be tested in order to confirm their true convictions.
29:2 Do the people think that they will be left to say, “We believe,” without being put to the test?
29:3 We have tested those before them, for GOD must distinguish those who are truthful, and He must expose the liars.
God creates the conditions for each person to have their true convictions come to light so they can see for themselves why they end up where they do in the Hereafter.
29:10 Among the people there are those who say, “We believe in GOD,” but as soon as they suffer any hardship because of GOD, they equate the people’s persecution with GOD’s retribution. But if blessings from your Lord come your way, they say, “We were with you.” Is GOD not fully aware of the people’s innermost thoughts?
47:31 We will certainly put you to the test, in order to distinguish those among you who strive, and steadfastly persevere. We must expose your true qualities.
3:154 After the setback, He sent down upon you peaceful slumber that pacified some of you. Others among you were selfishly concerned about themselves. They harbored thoughts about GOD that were not right— the same thoughts they had harbored during the days of ignorance. Thus, they said, “Is anything up to us?” Say, “Everything is up to GOD.” They concealed inside themselves what they did not reveal to you. They said, “If it was up to us, none of us would have been killed in this battle.” Say, “Had you stayed in your homes, those destined to be killed would have crawled into their death beds.” GOD thus puts you to the test to bring out your true convictions, and to test what is in your hearts. GOD is fully aware of the innermost thoughts.
3:186 You will certainly be tested, through your money and your lives, and you will hear from those who received the scripture, and from the idol worshipers, a lot of insult. If you steadfastly persevere and lead a righteous life, this will prove the strength of your faith.
2:214 Do you expect to enter Paradise without being tested like those before you? They were tested with hardship and adversity, and were shaken up, until the messenger and those who believed with him said, “Where is GOD’s victory?” GOD’s victory is near.
The second kind of tests are brought upon because of our sins and transgressions and is meant to fix our dificencies and to purify and redeem our souls.
42:30 Anything bad that happens to you is a consequence of your own deeds, and He overlooks many (of your sins).
An exception to this is if we fall in sin out of ignorance. In such a case God may overlook our transgression.
4:17 Repentance is acceptable by GOD from those who fall in sin out of ignorance, then repent immediately thereafter. GOD redeems them. GOD is Omniscient, Most Wise.
16:119 Yet, as regards those who fall in sin out of ignorance then repent thereafter and reform, your Lord, after this is done, is Forgiver, Most Merciful.
On the otherhand if someone knows what they are doing is sinful, yet they persist God informs us that their must be a payment for these kinds of transgressions.
25:68 They never implore beside GOD any other god, nor do they kill any soul—for GOD has made life sacred—except in the course of justice. Nor do they commit adultery. Those who commit these offenses will have to pay.
Another form of restitution for sin is through righteous works that can wipe out previous sins.
11:114 You shall observe the Contact Prayers (Salat) at both ends of the day, and during the night. The righteous works wipe out the evil works. This is a reminder for those who would take heed.
But if we do not atone for our sins, then God may have us go through trials and tribulations in order to return to the right path and turn appreciative.
16:112 GOD cites the example of a community that used to be secure and prosperous, with provisions coming to it from everywhere. But then, it turned unappreciative of GOD’s blessings. Consequently, GOD caused them to taste the hardships of starvation and insecurity. Such is the requital for what they did.
Therefore, God imposes hardship for the good of the people so they can turn back to belief and appreciation and avoid the eternity of Hell and instead enjoy the eternity of Paradise.
4:147 What will GOD gain from punishing you, if you became appreciative and believed? GOD is Appreciative, Omniscient.
The Quran informs us that while God is Omnipotent, His law is that He will not change any people’s condition until they decide to change. Therefore, the events one experiences in one’s life are instituted by God to get people to change.
13:11 Shifts (of angels) take turns, staying with each one of you—they are in front of you and behind you. They stay with you, and guard you in accordance with GOD’s commands. Thus, GOD does not change the condition of any people unless they themselves make the decision to change. If GOD wills any hardship for any people, no force can stop it. For they have none beside Him as Lord and Master.
Believers are put through ordeals to have them increase their faith and remove their deficiencies. We see this in the example of Moses, such that when he was first asked to go to Pharoah, he was unsure of himself.
26:10 Recall that your Lord called Moses: “Go to the transgressing people.
26:11 “Pharaoh’s people; perhaps they reform.”
26:12 He said, “My Lord, I fear lest they disbelieve me.
26:13 “I may lose my temper. My tongue gets tied; send for my brother Aaron.
26:14 “Also, they consider me a fugitive; I fear lest they kill me.”
26:15 He said, “No, (they will not). Go with My proofs. We will be with you, listening.
Then, by the time the ordeal was about over and it appeared that Pharoah and his troops were about to get them, his response was the following.
26:60 They pursued them towards the east.
26:61 When both parties saw each other, Moses’ people said, “We will be caught.”
26:62 He said, “No way. My Lord is with me; He will guide me.”
26:63 We then inspired Moses: “Strike the sea with your staff,” whereupon it parted. Each part was like a great hill.
26:64 We then delivered them all.
26:65 We thus saved Moses and all those who were with him.
26:66 And we drowned the others.
26:67 This should be a sufficient proof, but most people are not believers.
26:68 Most assuredly, your Lord is the Almighty, Most Merciful.
On the other hand, people of iniquity are shaken up through ordeals to encourage them to leave their straying and return to guidance.
7:94 Whenever we sent a prophet to any community, we afflicted its people with adversity and hardship, that they may implore.
7:95 Then we substituted peace and prosperity in place of that hardship. But alas, they turned heedless and said, “It was our parents who experienced that hardship before prosperity.” Consequently, we punished them suddenly when they least expected.
Yet, what happens that despite the hardship being imposed, one never chooses to return to God and never implores Him for forgiveness?
6:42 We have sent (messengers) to communities before you, and we put them to the test through adversity and hardship, that they may implore.
6:43 If only they implored when our test afflicted them! Instead, their hearts were hardened, and the devil adorned their works in their eyes.
We are given the following example in the Quran of a metaphor of one who is lost at sea.
17:67 If you are afflicted in the middle of the sea, you abandon your idols and sincerely implore Him alone. But as soon as He saves you to the shore, you revert. Indeed, the human being is unappreciative.
31:32 When violent waves surround them, they implore GOD, sincerely devoting their prayers to Him alone. But as soon as He saves them to the shore, some of them revert. None discards our revelations except those who are betrayers, unappreciative.
Being lost at sea is like being lost in our moral decision-making. Interestingly, the word for “the shore” is “al-bar” ( ٱلْبَرِّ). This is the same root as the word for “righteousness,” which is “al-bir” ( ٱلْبِرِّ). Also, the word for unappreciative is “kafūran” ( كَفُورٍ), and this is the same word as for disbelief. So it is almost like someone goes astray, so God guides them back to righteousness, yet they revert to disbelief.
In another example from Abraham, we see that it is at these crucial junctures that a person who is astray can momentarily see the truth and has to make a critical decision that will determine their eternal destiny.
21:58 He broke them into pieces, except for a big one, that they may refer to it.
21:59 They said, “Whoever did this to our gods is really a transgressor.”
21:60 They said, “We heard a youth threaten them; he is called Abraham.”
21:61 They said, “Bring him before the eyes of all the people, that they may bear witness.”
21:62 They said, “Did you do this to our gods, O Abraham?” Abraham Proves His Point
21:63 He said, “It is that big one who did it. Go ask them, if they can speak.”
21:64 They were taken aback, and said to themselves, “Indeed, you are the ones who have been transgressing.”
21:65 Yet, they reverted to their old ideas: “You know full well that these cannot speak.”
21:66 He said, “Do you then worship besides GOD what possesses no power to benefit you or harm you?
21:67 “You have incurred shame by worshiping idols beside GOD. Do you not understand?”
So, despite experiencing the moment of clarity and recognizing the truth, the people of Abraham doubled down in their disbelief and continued with their straying.
22:46 Did they not roam the earth, then use their minds to understand, and use their ears to hear? Indeed, the real blindness is not the blindness of the eyes, but the blindness of the hearts inside the chests.
This is why, at a certain point, there is no redemption for certain people. They have gone so astray that even when they are given a lifeline of forgiveness, they choose never to take it.
3:90 Those who disbelieve after believing, then plunge deeper into disbelief, their repentance will not be accepted from them; they are the real strayers.
3:91 Those who disbelieve and die as disbelievers, an earthful of gold will not be accepted from any of them, even if such a ransom were possible. They have incurred painful retribution; they will have no helpers.
4:137 Surely, those who believe, then disbelieve, then believe, then disbelieve, then plunge deeper into disbelief, GOD will not forgive them, nor will He guide them in any way.
This is because they are presented with the two paths and choose to go to the path of straying, and thus ally themselves with the devil.
4:138 Inform the hypocrites that they have incurred painful retribution.
4:139 They are the ones who ally themselves with disbelievers instead of believers. Are they seeking dignity with them? All dignity belongs with GOD alone.
How Do We Know If We Reached The Moral Event Horizon
If anyone reaches the moral event horizon, they will not be able to be redeemed, but how would anyone know they have reached it and thus are irredeemable? In the following verse, the Quran provides a clue to this in another allegory of being astray in the form of being lost at sea.
24:40 Another allegory is that of being in total darkness in the midst of a violent ocean, with waves upon waves, in addition to thick fog. Darkness upon darkness—if he looked at his own hand, he could barely see it. Whomever GOD deprives of light, will have no light.
It is interesting that despite the total darkness, in the middle of a violent ocean, with waves upon waves, in addition to thick fog, and darkness upon darkness, it does not say that the person can not see their hand, but instead says they can “barely” see it. This shows that as long as someone has the least bit of light to see the truth, then God can guide their heart and redeem them.
The Quran informs us that God’s forgiveness is infinite and that there is no sin that He cannot forgive.
39:53 Proclaim: “O My servants who exceeded the limits, never despair of GOD’s mercy. For GOD forgives all sins. He is the Forgiver, Most Merciful.”