That's six for those of you counting at home. All within a span of two months. All in (or close to) densely populated areas.
First there was the 7.0 magnitude earthquake in Haiti (1/12), then 7.0 Japan (2/26), then 8.8 Chile (2/27), then 6.4 Taiwan (3/4), then 6.5 Sumatra (3/5), and now 6.0 Turkey (3/8).
And of course the priests of our time, the scientists, are allaying people's fears by constantly telling us that earthquakes aren't on the rise according to their data.
"According to long-term records (which exist since about 1900), the U.S.G.S. expects that about 17 major earthquakes (magnitude 7.0 - 7.9) and one great earthquake (8.0 or above) will affect the world in any given year."
Sure the frequency may not be increasing but the location of these earthquakes, in populated areas, is definitely noteworthy.
"In an average year, the geological survey estimates that several million earthquakes occur around the world. However, many go undetected because they hit remote areas or have very small magnitudes."
So how come the location of these recent earthquakes is not being considered in the analysis? These quakes aren't taking place in remote parts of the Pacific Ocean - they are affecting millions and millions of people.
So what to make of this?
Regardless of what one may or may not conclude from these earthquakes, there must remain a place for the Divine in any related discussion. The fact that God has been removed from our discourse of these 'natural phenomenon' exposes our lacking epistemology, which places value only on the observable while turning a blind eye to role of the sacred. Worse yet, when God is injected into any explanation of these earthquakes, the response invariably is drenched in mockery and derision.
I say that Muslims buck this unfortunate trend and bring back other-worldly considerations to this-worldly occurrences. As Muslims, who place our Creator at the epicenter (pun intended) of our lives, such a callous attitude must be outrightly rejected.
I have a feeling that many of us are fearful of being lumped together with the right-wing fanatics (such as Pat Robertson) who are extremely loud in condemning the victims as sinful and thus deserving of the 'punishment'.
But it needn't be the case that the role of God is solely as Punisher. It isn't either you make calls for the Armageddon or you remove God completely from the picture. These quakes can serve as a reminder of the raw power of God or that one day we will face the same fate as those who perished or a Divine call to arms to help those suffering in the wake of the tragedy or so on.
But one thing is for sure - explanations of and discussions on these events must not be devoid of Allah (swt), even if the only result is a burst of pure emotion culminating in a reminder that we all have come from Him and to Him we shall all return.
WAW
5 days ago
8 comments:
With secularisation, God has been removed from discussion - either to be something that's private (and therefore should remain the the private realm, away from public discussion); or - as is common - ridiculed and taken lightly by comedians and cynics in the media...both of which influence the masses that consume their 'news'/writing/material.
For us, we need to see it as a reminder of how fragile we really are - when compared to Allah's power. I mean, it's just like the verse about the spider's 'house' (i.e. web): how the spider thinks he's got a strong house, but in reality, he's got the weakest of houses.
In modern public discourse, there's arrogance about the 'power' of humans. As if we're a superior race that is destined to conquer and control all of creation. And that, through science, we must defeat nature and/or prevail.
Take the storyline of the movie "2012", for example. Humans must prevail - no matter what.
You know - natural disasters like Haiti, the Tsunami, etc bring out the best in people: we have massive co-ordination and shows of mercy when so many people worldwide all donate and contribute to help those afflicted. It's amazing how united humanity can be at times like that. But then the disaster fades away, and we all go back to our normal lives; and we're divided again.
It's sad that, largely, we can't remain united for the good causes...it only comes in spurts.
The increase in earthquakes (and other natural disasters like tsunamis, hurricanes, cyclones, etc) remind me of the Prophet's (SAWS) hadiths regarding the Last Day such as this one:
The Hour (Last Day) will not be established until...earthquakes will be very frequent (Bukhari).
In relation to what you mention in your post about the tendency of some people to take out the remembrance of Allah when discussing about these profound events I read another hadith narrated by Aisha (RA) that whenever a strong wind bringing dense clouds started blowing, the Prophet's (SAWS) face turned pale with the fear of Allah. He became restive and would go in and out in perturbation, and would recite the following prayer:
O, my Allah! I ask Thee of the good out of this wind, and the good out of that which is the outcome of this wind. I seek refuge in Thee from the evil of this wind, from the evil out of that which is in this wind, and from the evil out of that which is the outcome of this wind.
She says:
And further when it began to rain, signs of delight appeared on his face. I said to him once, "O Prophet of Allah when clouds appear everybody is happy as they foretell rain, but why is it that I see you so much perturbed at that time? He replied, "O Aishah! How can I feel secure that this wind does not portend Allah's wrath? The people of 'AD were punished with the wind. They were happy when they beheld the gathering dense clouds, believing that they brought rain; but actually those clouds brought no rain but utter destruction to 'Ad.
The Prophet (SAWS), the best of all creation, feared Allah so much that a strong wind reminded him of the destruction of the people of the past. We feel no fear of natural events of greater magnitude like earthquakes, hurricanes, etc. and take no heed of Allah's immense power, but instead harbor a voyeuristic urge to view images of the aftermath and even "joke" about when such things will happen to us (I've actually seen people doing this online where they jokingly claim that an earthquake will strike the US next!)
So how come the location of these recent earthquakes is not being considered in the analysis? These quakes aren't taking place in remote parts of the Pacific Ocean - they are affecting millions and millions of people.
Actually, the location of earthquakes is almost always the first thing considered in the analysis. For almost all of the earthquakes you listed, only one (Taiwan) is not located on a major fault line. With all of the other countries (except for Haiti), each is earthquake-prone with varying degrees of frequency (Japan and Sumatra - very frequently; Turkey - somewhat frequently; Chile - not so often). Even Taiwan gets a fair number of major earthquakes. There was even a major earthquake this past week out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, at the islands of Vanuatu (but this is also an earthquake-prone region because it's located at the boundary between two tectonic plates). That millions of people have been affected by these quakes is no surprise either; millions of people live everywhere. And even if one were to move the masses away from earthquake zones, there are other natural disasters happening elsewhere.
That's not to say that I disagree with your argument that Allah (swt) should be divorced from the discussion. I've always wondered about the timing and magnitude of the December 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake off the coast of Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia, and the October 2005 Kashmir earthquake. Both my wife and I wondered whether this was some form of divine retribution for the various conflicts in that part of the world. But I don't necessarily think that there's anything to make of the recent spate of 7.0+ earthquakes.
AA-
@Dreamlife, "For us, we need to see it as a reminder of how fragile we really are - when compared to Allah's power. I mean, it's just like the verse about the spider's 'house' (i.e. web): how the spider thinks he's got a strong house, but in reality, he's got the weakest of houses."
Excellent reminder! Another lesson to take from these earthquakes.
@R, "The Hour (Last Day) will not be established until...earthquakes will be very frequent (Bukhari)."
Thanks for the reference, I was thinking about this hadith.
While the scientists may argue that millions of quakes take place each year, it is the affect of these quakes on millions of people that will create the perception that quakes are becoming more frequent.
So either more and more people are living close to these fault lines or more and more quakes are taking place near populated areas.
Either way, the quakes are a reminder for all of us.
AA- JD,
When I mentioned the location, I wasn't referring to the geological placement of the tectonic plates. I was speaking of the fact that these quakes are not occurring in the middle of some ocean where no one feels it. These recent quakes have all taken place near populated areas. After all, that's why they are newsworthy, no?
The bottom line is that millions of people are feeling these quakes and so they differ from the countless other quakes that no one is affected by.
"That millions of people have been affected by these quakes is no surprise either; millions of people live everywhere."
But it IS a surprise, because if millions live there and, according to the geologists, millions of quakes take place *each year*, then how come we've never see such a spate of earthquakes before?
I love this post especially since I'm one of those "God-is-not-your-friend-and-should-never-be-underestimated" advocates.
Standing on middle ground as a Muslim (ie. not "fanatical" aka terrorist, and not "liberal" aka Muslim-in-name-only), I strongly believe in advocating God Consciousness in our lives, because it's easy to become so consummed with the daily mundane that we forget we're not the ones in control of certain things (as we humans tend to be rather self-centred like that).
And each of these catastrophes is testiment to The Almighty's power... something that we cannot even begin to fathom. But we would be foolish to ignore hmm?
There was some earthquakes in Lahore too...and bombings.
Man tries to be a force of nature with bombs and Allah is putting him in his place.
AA- Azra,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
"I strongly believe in advocating God Consciousness in our lives,"
Exactly. That's why *every* single possible event in our lives must be reflected upon in a way to bring us closer to our Creator.
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