that hitSumatrawith devastating effects whichextended far to the East
African coast, distributingdifferent degrees of damage to nearly 10
countries. This much talk is, no doubt, justified andworth listening
to to some extent. Economists discuss this great event from an
economic perspective, the extent ofloss the quake and its concomitant
'Tsunamis' cost the inflicted countries, how much the reconstruction
of those damaged houses, buildings, green fields and tourist resorts
cost, the potential financial repercussions due to the loss of tourism
on which some countries depend as a source of national income, etc.
Geologists, for their part, highlight the scientific explanations for
such seismic events, focusing on the physical interactions that occur
within the Earth or on its surface that result in earthquakes,
volcanic eruptions and other phenomena that take place on land and in
sea.
Ordinary people, watching TV tearful scenes of floating corpses,
injured women and children, crying people who lost their shelters,
relatives, express their deep sympathy for them and may pray for the
salvation of their humans.
Mass media alert their armies of journalists and correspondents to
spot any late-breaking bits of news on such events, giving the chance
to all of the aforementioned kinds of people )both theinflicted and
the spectators( to express their reactions to the disastrous incidence
being witnessed. Viewersand listeners, worldwide and round the clock,
are now brought to the scene of the Asian tidal wave and its effects,
and informed in each news bulletin about the latest count of death and
injury.
International relief agencies and charitable organizations take their
responsibilities and makearrangements to extend a helping hand to the
afflicted areas with food, medicine, blankets, tents and other
essential relief items that are means to preserve their life, blood
and tears.
To sum up the whole issue, there are two kindsof witnesses on the
stageof the event: first, the people )or the real actors( who are
exposed to the earthquake and tsunami )including the surviving, dead,
and injured people( and second, the people outside the frame of the
disaster, who are spectators )journalists, media viewers/listeners,
analysts and commentators on different aspects of the event, such as
geologists, economists, and politicians, etc.(.
We are informed about the quake through the media, with the physical
reasons being explained by geologists, the financial losses
estimatedby economists, relief plans and procedures by relief agencies
and charitable individuals, and lastly, the heartfelt sorrow and pity
of ordinary people.
But is that all? Is it merelya land or marine slide or volcanic
eruption that caused all these disasters? Is it just an angry reaction
while in a bad temper on the part of 'Mother Nature', a mythical
non-entity? What about the Creator of the universe and all that it
contains: mankind,animals, seas, trees, air, fire, etc?! Does He not
have any say on those matters? Why do people look at nature as Master,
whereas the Real and True Master )Allaah Almighty( is forgotten or
made to rule supreme only in the confines of the Mosque, the church or
the Synagogue?
Yes, it is right to say that volcanoes, quakes, tsunamis, floods,
hurricanes and other catastrophes are caused by certain topographic
orgeologic factors )causes(, but what about the Causer? Why did the
Causer cause this or that catastrophe? Why does a same catastrophe
repeatedly happen in a same place? Why do they rarely take place in
certain places such asArabia, for example?
The Quran, the Muslim's Holy Book, provides answers to these questions
and addresses such disasters from different angles which are never
approached by almost all classes of people mentioned above when
commenting on such disasters in the media )regrettably, including
Muslims(.
The Noble Quran conveys to people the messages and points of wisdom
behind the different disasters that Allaah Almighty inflicts upon
people throughout human history. Volcanoes, hurricanes, earthquakes,
tsunamis, etc, according to the Quran, are soldiers sent by Allaah
Almighty to carry out one of the following duties )to mention only
some of them(:
1-Punishing sinful people:
This is applicable to the people of old who rejected the Divine
message brought to themby Prophets Nooh )Noah(,Luut )Lot(,
Moosa)Moses(, and other Prophets. The Quran states )what means(:"So We
)i.e. Allaah Almighty( punished each )of them- sinful people( for his
sins; of them weresome on whom We sent a violentwind with shower of
stones ]as on the people of Lût )Lot([, and ofthem were some who were
overtaken by an awful cry ]by Angel Jibreel )Gabriel( as a torment[,
and of them were some whom We caused the earthto swallow ]as Qaaroon
)Korah([, and of them were some whom We drowned ]as the people of Nooh
)Noah(, or Fir'awn)Pharaoh( and his people[. It was not Allaah Who
wronged them, but it was they who wronged themselves."]Quran 29:40[
Let us consider the placeswhere those disastrous events take place;
are there not sinful practices in public, especially on seashores and
in tourist resorts?
1-To remind people of the Hereafter so as to be heedful:
Allaah Almighty says in the Quran )what means(:
"And We sent not the signs)volcanoes, hurricanes, earthquakes,
tsunamis, etc,( except to )warn people and( make them afraid )of
destruction(."]Quran 17:59[
2- To show Allaah's Omnipotence and Supremacy:
This is stated in the following Quranic verse)which means(:"Say )O
Muhammad(: "He )Allaah( has power to send torment on you from above
)heavy devastating rain, winds, thunderbolts, etc.( orfrom under your
feet )volcanoes, earthquakes, etc.(, or to cover you with confusion in
party strife,and make you to taste the violence of one another." See
how variously We explain the signs, so that they may
understand."]Quran 6:65[
And the verse )which means(:"So their Lord destroyed them because of
their sin, and made them equal in destruction )i.e. all grades of
people, rich and poor, strong andweak(! And He )Allaah( feared not the
consequences thereof."]Quran 91:14, 15[
Allaah's irresistible Omnipotence is embodied through the vain
attempts by the most advanced countries to curb or evade the
fataleffects of hurricanes, earthquakes and other natural hazards by
alarm systems. What is worth pondering is that while man-made
instruments proved almost helpless inpredicting earthquakes, the case
is completely different with Allaah-made creatures. Many studies have
stated that some animals show unusual behavior before an earthquake
takes place. Studying this behavior, based on manypractical examples,
the researchers came up withthe "Animal Behavior Theory" which assumes
that some animals predict earthquakes.
"The animal-behavior theory for "predicting" earthquakes assumes that
pets leave their homes, places normally secure and comforting, inorder
to escape a disturbance or danger in their surroundings just before an
earthquake. In practice the theory is based on the assumption that
more pets run away from home at such times than at any other time. The
hypothesis states that when quantities of missing pets increase
extraordinarily, there is amarked increase in the probability of a
forthcoming earthquake)Maryanski, 1985; Allstetter, 1986(.
There are reports that turtles, eels, snakes, and catfish display
premonitory anomalous behavior before earthquakes )Quammen, 1985(. The
problem of identifying the actual stimulus of this behavior remains
unsolved, although ultrasonic and electromagnetic phenomena are
suspected )Simon, 1976(. Homing pigeons and geese are now known to
navigate by earth's magnetic field using tiny crystals of magnetite
incorporated in sense organs in their heads)Cooke, 1984(.
Magnetotactic bacteria, tuna, and salmon also contain similar
magnetitecrystals )Kirschvink and others, 1985(. The animal-behavior
theory tested in this study is based on the postulate that dogs and
cats can detect precursory magnetic disturbances from seven to ten
days before earthquakes)Allstetter, 1986(."
Here is a quotation from a report exactly related to this latest Asian Tsunami:
"YALA NATIONAL PARK,Sri Lanka-- Wildlife officials inSri
Lankaexpressed surpriseWednesday that they found no evidence of
large-scale animal deaths from the weekend's massive tsunami -
indicating that animals may have sensed the wave coming and fled to
higher ground.
An Associated Press photographer who flew over Sri Lanka's Yala
National Park in an air force helicopter saw abundant wildlife,
including elephants, buffalo, deer, and not a single animal corpse.
…
'This is very interesting. I am finding bodies of humans, but I have
yet tosee a dead animal,' said Wijeyeratne, whose hotelin the park was
totally destroyed in Sunday's tidal surge. 'Maybe what we think is
true, that animals have a sixth sense,' Wijeyeratne said."
From the Islamic point of view, animals or human beings should not be
saidto "predict" future events, as the knowledgeof the Unseen is
exclusiveto Allaah Alone. Most likely, in such cases, animals sense
something using their extraordinaryAllaah-given senses of smelling,
hearing, tasting, seeing or feeling.
Subhaan Allaah )praised be Allaah( who made those animals behave
likewise to save themselves and to act as alarm systems for their
masters )human beings(!
3- To test the believers:
Allaah, the Exalted, may also inflict some hardships on His
worshippers to test their faith and patience, purifytheir souls and
forgive their sins. He, the Almighty, says in the Noble Quran )what
means(:
"… and certainly, We shall test you with something of fear, hunger,
loss of wealth, lives and fruits, but give glad tidings to
thepatient"]Quran 2:155[.
Last, the question mentioned above: 'Why do they )the natural
disasters( rarely take place in certain places such as Makkah
)inArabia(?' has to be answered, but by whom? It is answered by
Allaah, the Creator, not a geologist. The Quran, the Word of Allaah
Says )what means(:"And )remember( when Ibraaheem )Abraham( said, "My
Lord, make this city )Makkah( a place of security and provide its
people with fruits, such of them as believe in Allaah and the Last
Day." He )Allaah( answered: "As for him who disbelieves, I shall leave
him in contentment for a while, then I shall compel him to the torment
of the Fire, and worst indeed is that destination!"]Quran 2:126[
The history, both old and modern, give evidence that the bliss Allaah
showered on Makkah)security and welfare( hasspread out to encompass
the whole Arabian Peninsula )and almost most of the Islamic world(,
because of the relatively religious commitment and good Islamic spirit
of its inhabitants, which is, at the end, due to the mercy of Allaah.
This comparison can be realized through the scientific assumptions
that nearly one million quakes take place the world over every year.
To conclude, people, believers and non-believers, have to keep in mind
that all the above mentioned 'natural' disasters are acts of Allaah
Almighty, the Creator, not 'Mother Nature', to convey a message to
people. WhenMuslims discuss such matters, they have to approach them
Islamicly, i.e. in the light of the Holy Quran and the Sunnah
)Prophet's tradition(, and not only scientifically, economically, or
socially. Muslim scholars have to have a say, actually the say, on
these matters, so as to make people fully aware of their )disasters(
denotations and indications, and educate them to tackle matters
spiritually and not only physically.
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