Dr. FIAZ MAQBOOL FAZILI
Strong earthquake hits Turkey and Syria. It’s miserable. The screams of people still trapped in the rubble are filling the freezing nights, occasionally the silence of death and destruction is broken with desperate cries, relatives weep for their loved ones and worsening conditions for people trapped under rubble or left homeless. As earthquake rescues go one, till this piece meets readers the death toll in Turkey and in neighboring northwest Syria may have crossed more than 30000. We cannot prevent earthquakes. Earthquakes do not kill people, but structures do. It is very difficult to save people by post-event countermeasures, such as search and rescue operations. Today’s poor-quality structures will be a negative inheritance for next generations to come and a threat to the society.
While commenting on Islamic perspectives on disaster many religious scholars believe earthquakes in Turkey can be a test or punishment from Allah (SWT), besides social consequences of the recent earthquakes in Turkey worldwide appeals cutting across barriers of religion, ethnicity, nationality all ask,”Please donate to help people affected by the earthquakes.”
Trials and tribulations are part of this earthly life, and no nation or an individual can escape from them when Allah the Almighty tests by afflictions, whoever He wishes of His servants, with whatever He wishes, whenever He wishes and however He wishes. A person’s life in this world is never uniform, periods of happiness and dismay, strength, and weakness, wealth and poverty, health and sickness etc fluctuate. An immediate depressed (sad) mood is a normal reaction to disappointments or losses, as sons of Adam are born weak. Many of us think, “These afflictions”, “Why Me”? So time to hold your soul to account, review your slate; zakat, sadaqas, prayers, fasting, disobediences and mistakes, etc.
Syedna Umar ibnul khattab (RA) used to say, “call your souls to account before you are called to account and weigh your actions before you are weighed (on the Day of Judgment) for that will make the accountability easier for you tomorrow if you call yourselves to account today.” When problems start afflicting to any one of us, he is expected to, “seek aid in patience and prayer”, and “those who are patient will be given their reward in full, beyond reckoning.” (Quran) The ignorant person due to lack of Imaan (faith) finds himself in misery, fear and grief and helplessness. He or she forgets Allah (SWT) has decreed these matters to occur and the decisions are His, and His alone. One can never feel completely at ease unless he has firm belief that whatever has afflicted him was already pre-ordained.” No misfortune can happen on earth or in your souls but is recorded in the book of decree – before We bring it into existence”(Quran 57; 22). And Allah (SWT) says (which means); ” Certainly, We shall test you with fear, hunger, loss of wealth, lives and fruits; but give glad tidings to the patient – those who, when afflicted with calamity say, “Truly to Allah we belong, and truly to Him shall we return.” it is those who will be awarded blessings and mercy from their Lord; and it is those who are the guided ones.” [ Quran 2:155-157 ]
Praise be to Allah (SWT). Calamities and disasters are a test, and they are a sign of Allah’s love for a person, because they are like medicine: even though it is bitter, despite its bitterness you give it to the one whom you love – and for Allah (SWT) is the highest. In the authentic Hadith it says: “The greatest reward comes with the greatest trial. When Allah loves people, He tests them. Whoever accepts that wins His pleasure but whoever is discontent with that earns His wrath.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi (2396) and Ibn Maajah (4031). Abu Hurayrah (RA) reported that the Prophet (SAW) said: ” Whenever a Muslim is afflicted by harm from sickness or other matters, Allah will drop his sins because of that, like a tree drops its leaves.” [Bukhari/Muslim]. Abu Sa’eed al-Khudree (RA) reported that the Prophet (SAW) said: “A Muslim is not afflicted by hardship, sickness, sadness, worry, harm, or depression – even if pricked by a thorn, but Allah expiates his sins because of that.” [ Bukhari/Muslim]
As believers, we have special responsibilities to each and all and that’s not restricted to believers only but towards the whole creation. The Prophet (SAW) stressed upon the believers the importance of helping and easing the hardships of suffering Muslims. “He who relieves a hardship of this Dunya (this earthly life) for a believer, Allah will relieve a hardship of the Day of Resurrection for him; he who makes it easy for an indebted person, Allah will make it easy for him in the Dunya and the Hereafter; he who covers a Muslim (his mistakes and shortcomings), Allah will cover him in the Dunya and the Hereafter; Allah will be in the slave ‘s need, as long as the slave is in his (believing) brother’s need…” [Muslim].
A big hang up of our times — sometimes found even in those involved in socio-religious work — is the focus on doing something big. We want to be associated with big projects and big NGO, s. We want to serve the cause of society or religion in a big way. Big deeds, big names, big rewards, big success, here and in the life after. Who can argue with that? It assumes that the reward for a good deed is based on its value as perceived by us. Islam is a way of life. It teaches its followers the meaning of brotherhood, community, and the responsibilities of the individuals towards their community and to the society at large. In this life, humankind suffers various types and forms of calamities, that which will cause sorrow and depression, especially when such hardships and trials befall and touch large population and involves loss of life or property, or deprives them of food, shelter or clothing with dreadful loss of dear or near ones buried under rubble of huge building debris.
When such difficulties befall a certain creation, his brethren are obliged to rush to his aid without waiting for his call and try to defuse this hardship. We can do things to alleviate his stress and anxiety so that feeling of suffering will subside, as much as can be. The sayings of the Prophet (SAW) also do not specify that the ease of the suffering be done only by money. It means any type of help that a Muslim can provide to his Muslim brother to relieve him from his hardship, even kind reassuring sympathetic words can be soothing in times of distress. Though none of these will make big headlines, all of them can make a big difference in our lives. “Those who help others are truly much blessed,” as the hadith says, “Best people are those who are useful to others.” The Prophet (SAW) said “A Muslim is the brother of another Muslim”, and “A brother does not leave his brother helpless nor does he lie to him nor yet makes false promises, nor treats him with cruelty.” (Tirmidhi). A true believer neither rejoices when he sees or hears their brothers or sisters are in hardships nor can’t become desensitized to appeals for donations. When helping others, your original intentions matter, the authentic hadiths are clear in that the rewards are recorded once you make intentions.
For who knows the true value of a small kindness or small virtue? The Muslim servant of Allah (SWT) cannot be ignored, for serving/helping him is equal to serving/helping Allah (SWT). How will my donation help people in Turkiye (Turkey) and Syria? Worldwide at State level, volunteers are working around the clock in unimaginably difficult conditions to help people who have lost everything. The best way you can help those affected by the earthquakes is to donate to the Turkey-Syria earthquake appeal. Your donation will be used to reach people in urgent need in the aftermath of the earthquakes. It will provide support and aid that includes distributing essentials like food water and blankets, setting up temporary shelters in tents to support thousands of survivors who are facing freezing conditions, providing first aid and crisis support, assisting with the rescue efforts and getting people vital medical aid, providing psychosocial support to those who have been traumatized.
Our local teams from the valley have geared up in this direction and shall continue working to ensure that as many survivors as possible have access to the help they need. Snow and bad weather means that people who have lost their homes are facing freezing temperatures, so warmth, shelter and sustenance are some of our highest priorities. Please donate today and help us reach families and communities who have lost everything.
What disaster could be worse than the silence of humankind, which is duty-bound to support the brethren on the face of the calamity? Helping a person, relieving his hardships and generosity may be small acts in the minds of people but all virtues big and small earn rewards.
(The Author Is a Senior Consultant Surgeon and expert on Disaster management. Email: [email protected])
