Questions Raised by Natural Disasters

Written by Mr Ayub A. Hamid and received via Mr Ejaz Asi

On seeing the heart wrenching scenes and hearing the tales that fill the eyes with tears and make the hearts bleed, many questions come to people's minds. Many are wondering aloud, others in their minds. Some are ignorantly likening it to Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala's punishment that came to previous ummahs and others are even saying things that should not be said.

Are you working to succeed in this test or are you letting yourself to be among those who have opted for miserable failure when the Big Calamity strikes?

Because the world is temporary, Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala has built some faults in its physical make up of this universe. At the appointed time, on Israafeel's[1] call, one of these faults will instantly trigger the end of the world. In the meantime, the faults in the earth and its atmosphere cause devastations here and there. These calamities are part of the test of hardships and fulfill the following purposes:

1. The pious people are freed from the world and taken to the luxuries of the hereafter; the wicked are taken to the prison of the hereafter.

2. The affected survivors are tested for their faith in Allaah and their attitude to the hardship.

3. Those survivors and all other people of the world are tested to see whether:

a. These calamities make them learn a lesson and focus on preparing for the big calamity that will end this world and bring on the hereafter, or they remain oblivious, continuing their life as usual.


b. They are shaken to remember and submit to Allaah, or their focus remains in this world;

c. They realize that human beings do not have power, but Allaah has the ultimate power, or they remain proud of their own power or impressed with the power of other human beings;

d. They understand the reality that this world and all its sufferings and comforts are temporary and a means of testing, or they expect perfection in the temporary world so that there are no disasters or tests.

e. They complain about the misery that they see, or they seize it as an opportunity to repent, reform, and submit to Allaah in obedience;

f. The best of human qualities overtakes them and they take care of those suffering with love, kindness, compassion, generosity and care, or the worst of their nature shows and they engage in more crimes, provingthemselves to be worse than beasts.