Earthquakes are among the most fearsome natural disasters in the world. Unlike other catastrophes, they come without warning, often causing widespread destruction of life and property. In the Islamic view, an earthquake is a kind of warning from Allah. At such times, people should quickly repent before Allah, pray for safety, remember Him often and seek His forgiveness.
Warning humanity, Allah says in the Holy Quran: “Have the inhabitants of the cities become so fearless that My punishment will not come to them by night, while they are in deep sleep?” (Surah Al-A’raf: 97)
On forgiving His servants’ sins, Allah says: “Whatever misfortune befalls you is due to what your own hands have earned. And He pardons much.” (Surah Ash-Shura: 30)
The Quran uses two words for earthquake: “zilzal” and “daqqa.” “Zilzal” means the shaking of one object by another. “Daqqa” means the shaking or jolting caused by a powerful sound or vibration.
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said about earthquakes: “This community will face earthquakes, deformities and a rain of stones.” A companion asked, “When will that be, O Messenger of Allah?” He replied, “When singing girls and musical instruments appear, and the drinking of wine becomes widespread.” (Tirmidhi: 2212)
Elsewhere it is said that earthquakes are one of the signs of the Day of Judgment. The closer the Day of Judgment, the more earthquakes will increase.
On the horror of earthquakes, Allah says: “O humanity, fear your Lord. The convulsion of the Hour will be terrible. The day you witness it, every nursing mother will forget her infant, and every pregnant woman will miscarry. You will see people seemingly intoxicated, though they are not. But Allah’s punishment will be severe.” (Surah Al-Hajj: 1-2)
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “When wealth is acquired through unlawful means, when entrusted property is misappropriated, when zakat is considered a fine, when knowledge is pursued without religious learning, when a man obeys his wife and disobeys his mother, when a man draws his friend close and pushes his father away, when noise rises in mosques, and when the weakest of people become rulers, then await red winds, earthquakes, landslides, transformations, the rain of stones and other signs following one after another like beads from a broken string.” (Tirmidhi: 1447)
So it can be said that the earthquakes happening today are one of the warning signs sent by Almighty Allah. Through them, He cautions His servants. These are essentially the result of human sin and wrongdoing. Allah has destroyed many nations with the punishment of earthquakes.
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