Ivan Ilyich Suffering

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In Tolstoy's (1886) The death of Ivan Ilyich, a common theme emerges regarding why God allows people to suffer illness. After living a "most ordinary, and therefore most terrible" (p. 469) life, the title character becomes affected by a non-confirmed, horrible ailment; all the while, he was tormented by thoughts of regret and spent day after day questioning what he had done to deserve all this suffering. Tolstoy (1886) never directly claimed or even insinuated a connection between Ilyich's worldly life, and it condemned him to an agonizing death. A person could argue that it was not Tolstoy's intention to blame Ilyich for his superficial lifestyle, it was to address a much more confusing question that countless people struggle with every …show more content…

But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed (1 Peter 4:12-13, New International Version, 1978).

Because of following this way of life, Christians have learned to see suffering in a different light2, that not only is it temporary and promises great rewards, it is also something that they must endure for the sake of the salvation of the world.

However, Muslims maintain quite a different teaching and conception3 of suffering in the eyes of their god. Allah, the god which the Muslims worship, is not a father figure, he is instead an all-powerful monarch who values justice over mercy. The Al-Qur'an, written by the prophet, Mohammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik (1997) mentions its explanation for the reason people suffer.

If Allah were to punish people according to what they deserve, He would not leave on the back of the (earth) a single living creature: but He gives them respite for a stated Term: when their Term expires, verily Allah has in His sight all His servants (Fatir:45, The …show more content…

Nonetheless, Ilyich's constant regret, examination of his past, and obsession of searching for an explanation eventually led him to a more Christian mindset just before death. Instead of despairing about his past wrongdoings and superficial social customs in his final moments, "He was sorry for [the others]" (p. 505) who would continue to live their lives in pursuit of cosmetic happiness, never learning to hold onto the important aspects of life, such as love and self-fulfillment. Yoho shared his perspective on the fact. "He felt sorry for them because he had learned not to take his life for granted, and that they would never experience that" (Yoho, Class discussion February 6, 2018). Indeed, not only did he develop a more Christian mindset in his final moments, he attempted to ask his wife's forgiveness and spoke the same words as Jesus Christ himself did proclaiming, "It is finished" (p.

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