The Earthquake in Turkey: A Sign of God's Wrath, Mercy or a Test of Patience?
By
Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi, New Age Islam
28 February
2023
The
Earthquake in Turkey, Speculative Theories, and the Illumination of the Holy
Quran
Main
Points:
1. Indeed,
earthquakes are signs from Allah. The Holy Quran also contains a Surah by the
name of Zalzalah.
2. Some claim
that this earthquake happened because the day of judgement is rapidly
approaching.
3. Others argue
that such earthquakes are caused by rising human wickedness.
4. Some contend
that sometimes troubles emerge to show which believers are perseverant and
content with the Will of God Almighty.
5. According to
spiritual observers, the temporary worldly chastisement by God Almighty is
another way for God to demonstrate His mercy.
6. This type of
divine punishment serves as an internal wake-up call that helps us see our
mistakes, which makes it a form of divine mercy.
7. For a Muslim
servant, remembering Allah's punishment is worship just as remembering His
mercy is.
8. Whenever
punishment is stated in the Holy Qur'an, it is always done so to alter people's
attitudes and behaviours.
9. According to
reports, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever Allah wishes good for,
He tests them, He makes them go through challenges.”
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Earthquake
in Turkey: Photo/ BBC
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We chose to
write about the earthquake because of the numerous assumptions some people are
making regarding the recent earthquake in Turkey. Some claim that this
earthquake happened because the day of judgement is rapidly approaching. Others
argue that such earthquakes are caused by rising human wickedness. Others
contend that sometimes troubles emerge to show which believers are perseverant
and content with the Will of God Almighty.
Indeed,
earthquakes are signs from Allah. The Holy Quran also contains a Surah by the
name of Zalzalah. The first verse of this Surah mentions an earthquake.
Allah
Almighty says:
“When
the earth is shaken with its [final] earthquake” (Surah Zalzalah, 99:1)
No part of
the world will be unharmed by the earthquake described in this verse, according
to the interpretation given by commentators, which will take place after the
second trumpet blow on the Day of Judgment.
According
to the hadiths and narrations, before this big earthquake referred to in verse
[99:1], there would still be small earthquakes on Earth, but as the
Resurrection approaches, there will be a large number of small earthquakes and
finally, on the Day of the Resurrection, the same big earthquake will occur.
The Prophet
(peace be upon him) said,
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ،
قَالَ قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم " لاَ تَقُومُ السَّاعَةُ حَتَّى
يُقْبَضَ الْعِلْمُ، وَتَكْثُرَ الزَّلاَزِلُ، وَيَتَقَارَبَ الزَّمَانُ، وَتَظْهَرَ
الْفِتَنُ، وَيَكْثُرَ الْهَرْجُ ـ وَهْوَ الْقَتْلُ الْقَتْلُ ـ حَتَّى يَكْثُرَ فِيكُمُ
الْمَالُ فَيَفِيضُ ".
Translation: "The Hour (Last Day) will not be
established until (religious) knowledge will be taken away (by the death of
religious learned men), earthquakes will be very frequent, time will pass
quickly, afflictions will appear, murders will increase and money will overflow
amongst you." (Sahih Bukhari, Hadith No. 85 Vol 1).
Now because
earthquakes occur so frequently, ordinary Muslims have begun to feel that there
have been too many of them. Somewhere there is quake news. The time of the
Judgment [Qiyamat] has almost arrived. Thus, with this in mind, they must think
back on their deeds and advise others to do the same by telling them to
"meditate, introspect ourselves, mend our deeds inside and outwardly, and
become devoted servants of Allah."
The belief
that it doesn't matter to them because similar catastrophes will continue to
occur as they have in the past and that their life is the height of luxury and
neither the sin nor the compensation concerns them, on the other hand, is a
sign that some people are deprived of the divine blessing.
A believer
should unquestionably consider his sinful actions at such a place, act humbly
while keeping the remembrance of Allah in mind, and pray for pardon. Such a
person should become more humble than anyone else rather than being haughty
about the luxuries of the world because they have committed many sins in the
past.
Since
earthquakes are a common sign of Allah's anger, it is also possible to draw the
spiritual conclusion that He is teaching us through this that "O my
servants, you have disobeyed Me a great deal, now it is enough, now repent and
come to me, ask for my forgiveness, and I will forgive you." It is
uncertain whether this conclusion adequately applies to the most recent
earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria, given the Islamic tradition that
affliction could periodically test a believer's patience and perseverance.
Another
interpretation is that God Almighty wishes to discipline us in this world by
terrifying us with a temporary penalty such as an earthquake or another type of
natural disaster, so that, after disciplining us in this world, we can be
protected from the permanent punishment of the Hereafter.
Also,
according to spiritual observers, the temporary worldly chastisement by God
Almighty is another way for God to demonstrate His mercy. At this level of
spirituality, it is difficult for some to comprehend how temporarily divine
punishment might also be divine mercy.
We believe
that God is showing His mercy upon us in this world when He sends us a
temporary worldly punishment. This type of divine punishment serves as an
internal wake-up call that helps us see our mistakes, which makes it a form of
divine mercy. This serves as divine mercy because it compels people to do good
deed both inside and outside of themselves and to faithfully refrain from doing
bad deeds. We will be exempt from the eternal punishment of the Hereafter
because of our commitment to doing good deeds and refraining from bad deeds. In
order to save us from the punishment of all eternity, this brief divine
retribution actually functions as a sort of divine mercy.
After the
Turkish earthquake disaster, one could see divine mercy within divine mercy.
This was particularly apparent after we saw pictures of young children escaping
from destroyed houses and other structures following the earthquake in Turkey.
How they remained alive and safe despite spending hours buried in the debris.
That was yet another example of divine mercy, I believe. Yes, indeed the order
of life and death is decided by the will of God Almighty.
Some
Muslims quote this verse:
‘‘قل یا عبادی الذین
اسرفوا علی انفسہم لا تقنطوا من رحمۃ اللہ ان الله یغفر الذنوب جمیعا انه هو الغفور
الرحیم)
“Say,
"O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do
not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it
is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful." (39:53)
After
elaborating on these ideas and examining the relevant Quranic verses, Muslims
must decide that it is now imperative that we confess our sins to Allah, ask
for His forgiveness, and begin acting in ways that please Him. We must
encourage everyone to give Sadaqah [charity] to the needy and the impoverished
because doing so pleases Allah, the Most High. He Almighty is greatly pleased
when we support the weak, destitute, persecuted and downtrodden.
It is
narrated in a Hadith as follows:
فان الصدقۃ تطفئی غضب
الرب
This means
that “charity extinguishes the wrath of the Lord” of the world. So, the Muslims
must start their prayer, asking Allah to pardon their transgressions and give
them the chance to conduct good deeds. (Aameen)
In this
regard, it is important to properly cite a tradition that Hazrat Umar bin Abdul
Aziz once issued a message to his governors that read, "Listen! Realize
that earthquakes are a [divine] punishment that occasionally occurs. You people
should carry on doing nice things and asking for forgiveness. Moreover, you
must all say the dua that Hazrat Adam frequently recited (peace be upon him) as
follows:
(ربنا ظلمنا انفسنا
وان لم تغفر لنا و ترحمنا لنکونن من الخٰسرین)
(Urdu
translation: 'O Lord! We have wronged our souls. If you do not forgive us and
show mercy to us, then we will be destroyed) (Cited in Al-Jawaab al-Kaafi Liman
Sa’ala An al-dawaa al-shaafi, p.53, 54)
In the above passages, we have considered that
the big earthquake that the Holy Quran mentions in the first verse of Surah
Zalzalah will happen at the time of the Resurrection after the second blowing
of the trumpet. In the Hadith mentioned above, we have understood that small
earthquakes will take place before the Day of Resurrection. In the statement of
Hazrat Umar b. Abdul Aziz, we have noticed that earthquake comes as a divine
punishment.
Keeping all
these ideas, one question arises in our mind whether all small earthquakes
before the big earthquake come as a result of bad deeds of people, or they come
to test the faith and patience of believers.
It is
imperative to believe in the clear message of the Quran. We must understand
that being a follower of the Islamic faith requires accepting the reality of the
Resurrection. If we examine the Hadith
narrations in this regard, a number of questions arise that we are unable to
entirely accept or reject, depending on the veracity of the relevant Hadiths.
We simply have to believe that Allah Almighty and His Beloved Messenger have
complete and unquestionable knowledge of the Resurrection and its exact timing.
We need to repent of our sins, ask God for forgiveness, and begin doing good
deeds in addition to having good faith.
Examining
ourselves is preferable to viewing the earthquake in Turkey as some sort of
divine punishment against the Turkish people. God loves our humility and hates
our arrogance. The primary argument is that, sometimes, hardship is meant to
try the faith of the devout, as it may have done with the victims from Turkey
and Syria.
The
significance of the hadiths is ambiguous, ranging from the idea that most minor
earthquakes that occur prior to the Day of Resurrection will be caused by human
misdeeds to the idea that the earthquakes strike them to see which believers
are patient, persistent, and appreciative.
It is
essential to comprehend the meanings of the words used in the Qur'an and
hadiths from a heart- and mind-centred perspective. Accepting the Quran is
right; but, presuming that we shall disregard hadiths is incorrect. Despite the
fact that the knowledge we gain from the pertinent hadiths prompts a lot of
queries, some of which are simply speculative in nature. The relevant hadiths
don't rank or demonstrate certainty and absolute knowledge in the same way as
the Holy Qur'an. We cannot, however, simultaneously reject the teachings of the
hadiths because there are still two sides to the speculative arguments—one
makes the topic of discussion conceivable and the other makes it impossible.
Hence, we are unable to assess whether the earthquake in Turkey resulted from
their evil conduct or whether it came to test their tenacity, perseverance, and
faith, or whether it was an indication that they would now make reforms.
Undoubtedly,
one of the signs that Allah has revealed is an earthquake. He sends it on
whoever He pleases on earth. This is the result of divine wisdom, and only
Allah's directives are followed from beginning to conclusion. Everything
happens according to His will. Also, Allah is very kind to His devotees. His
mercy triumphs over His wrath. He covers everything in mercy. All people on
earth, whether they are believers or unbelievers, Muslims or non-Muslims,
members of any caste or community, or inhabitants of any country or both, are
covered in Allah's mercy.
But, this
does not imply that people should just rely on His mercy and ignore His
punishment in this life and the next, or that they should rely on His reward
and ignore His punishment. It also does
not suggest that one should continue to act in evil ways in the hopes of
receiving divine mercy and pardon.
For a
Muslim servant, remembering Allah's punishment is worship just as remembering
His mercy is. The state of the believing servants is that they express
gratitude to Allah for enabling them to do good deeds and avoid bad deeds by
terming it the mercy of Allah. To keep believers on the straight path and to
keep them free from evil conduct and demonic influence, the idea of divine
punishment here must be effective.
The Holy
Quran urges people to think about the possibility of divine punishment as a way
to guide them towards both religion and moral behaviour.
Allah says:
“Then,
did the people of the cities feel secure from Our punishment coming to them at
night while they were asleep? Or did the people of the cities feel secure from
Our punishment coming to them in the morning while they were at play? Then did
they feel secure from the plan of Allah? But no one feels secure from the plan
of Allah except the losing people.” (7:97-99)
These
verses were sent to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) by
Allah, who used them to test the fearlessness of the Makkan disbelievers towards
the punishment of Allah. They might be so unconcerned about incurring divine
wrath, which might happen at any time, as a result of their embracing of
polytheism, infidelity, and the worst crimes and destruction on Earth.
They are
cautioned in these verses that Allah's wrath may come upon them when they are
being careless, such as while they are sleeping at night or playing during the
day, and that they will then have no chance to ask for forgiveness. This is due
to the fact that divine punishment frequently occurs when negligence occurs,
and negligence typically occurs while people are sleeping at night or engaging
in busy tasks during the day.
Before
these verses, Allah Almighty gave a detailed narrative of the disbelievers
among the descendants of Noah, Thamud, and Madyan, among others. In addition to
this Surah, the Holy Quran also mentions these events at various points in
other Surahs. In a nutshell, the story of Noah's people can be summarised as
follows: Some of them obeyed Hazrat Noah (peace be upon him), while others
turned down his call to worship and believe in one God, and rejected his Prophethood.
As a punishment for this, Allah sent a flood and massacred them.
The Thamudi
people are said to have rejected Hazrat Saleh's (peace be upon him) invitation
to worship one God and abstain from causing trouble on earth and instead
continued to commit different crimes. As a result, Allah punished them and
annihilated them.
When Hazrat
Shoaib (peace be upon him) urged the Madyan people to worship one God, abstain
from wrongdoing, and validate his prophecy, they insulted and disbelieved in
Hazrat Shoaib (peace be upon him). As a result, Allah slaughtered them by
sending an earthquake as a punishment.
At this
stage, recall the events of the Pharaohs and the people of Lot, too. The
purpose of Allah Almighty's narration of these incidents to His Beloved Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him) was for all the people of Makkah and others to
learn from the experiences of the earlier countries and amend their conduct and
beliefs.
In these
verses, Muslims of all ages are urged to fear Allah's wrath, to perform good
actions, and to refrain from engaging in wicked deeds, just as the unbelievers
have been warned of His wrath. Allah states in Surah Aale Imran, verse 102:
“O you
who have believed, fear Allah as He should be feared and do not die except as
Muslims [in submission to Him].” (3:102)
Whenever
punishment is stated in the Holy Qur'an, it is always done so to alter people's
attitudes and behaviours.
We were
talking about the earthquake. As the Holy Quran lists earthquakes as one of
Allah's signs, it is now very easy to comprehend this idea and to alter one's
attitudes and behaviour. It is important to remember that the lesson that an
earthquake imparts applies to everyone living in that era, not only people who
live in that country if an earthquake occurs there. This lesson should also be
recalled: If people encounter difficulty, rather than mocking them, one should
learn from it, amend one's views and behaviour by apologising and asking for
divine forgiveness, and uphold both the rights of Allah and the rights of human
beings.
I believe
it is crucial to clarify I do not draw the conclusion from the latest
earthquake that Syrians and Turks must have committed a big sin for this
earthquake to have befallen them. Allah Almighty knows best. I do not have any
concrete information regarding this. Our understanding of the Qur'an and Sunnah
is that sometimes human tragedies are the result of their wicked conduct and
other times they are simply a test of patience.
The
punishments meted out to the pre-Islamic nations were a result of their bad
conduct and beliefs, as was already mentioned. Several verses in the Holy
Qur'an teach us that Allah's genuine servants undergo trials from time to time
to test their patience and righteousness.
Allah
Almighty says,
“And We
will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and
lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient” (2:155)
The story
of Hazrat Ayyub is an amazing example of a severe test that Allah's good slave
had to endure and how he overcame it by exercising patience. Hazrat Ayyub's
patience can be seen in the fact that he never wavered in his belief that Allah
Almighty is the owner of happiness and hardship, Allah Almighty is the owner of
everything, and the owner has complete authority to give his servants whatever
they want and take whatever He wants from them.
Adversity
is in some ways Allah's favour since it is a result of His will, and His loving
followers are always content with whatever the will of the Lord of the world
is, as you will see if you study the Sufi teachings. While enduring a serious
illness for almost 18 years, Hazrat Ayyub (peace be upon him) showed patience.
With the blessing of Allah, he eventually recovered and received everything
that had been taken from him, including his children, youth, health, and
gardens, from Allah Almighty.
We cannot
tell for certain that the earthquake that struck Turkey was brought on by their
wicked conduct or that there are excellent servants among them who were put to
a difficult test of patience and thanksgiving by this catastrophe. Regardless
of this fact, we only need to reform ourselves in accordance with Islamic
teachings.
It would
also be preferable to cite at least two Hadiths at the conclusion.
According
to Sunan Abu Dawud, the Prophet (peace be upon him) stated, "This is my
Ummah, an Ummah that has mercy upon it, an Ummah that has been wrapped in
Mercies; there is no punishment for this Ummah in the Hereafter except their
punishment that they experience in the World—killing and death and dying,
trials and tribulations, earthquakes and the like."
According to
reports, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Whoever Allah wishes good
for, He tests them, He makes them go through challenges. Like a diamond or some
other metal that must be burned before the undesirable components are
eliminated, leaving only the pure diamond, pure gold, or whatever. Put them
through hardships, tests, and challenges."
This Hadith
is cited in the authenticated sources Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim.
May Allah
have mercy on us and grant us the ability to change our behaviour while adhering
to the real teachings of Islam.
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Urdu
Article: The Earthquake in Turkey: A Sign
of God's Wrath or Mercy? ترکی کا زلزلہ: اللہ تعالی کا عذاب یا
اللہ پاک کی رحمت
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-spiritualism/earthquake-turkey-god-wrath-mercy-patience/d/129213
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