A devastating Cyclone named Sidr hit my beloved country Bangladesh on 15 Nov 2007. Strong wind moving at 150 mph chopped down trees and destroyed houses and crops and killed thousands of cattle and people. Quran and Sunnah teaches a Muslim to have a unique perspective on events which he observes in his daily life. Looking through the lens of Islam –as I understood it- made me get sad how narrow minded many of us are in their observations. Following is an attempt to capture some assorted thoughts before they get lost. This list may grow as thinking process continues.

The Meaning of Rab and the Falsehood of Deism

Allah is the Lord of the universe. Everything is under His control. No event occurs without His knowledge or permission: be it fall of leaves or eruption of volcanoes. Allah is not what the deism suggests of a God who created the universe and abandoned it. We believe of Allah to be the Rab a creator and sustainer and who provides continuous support and guidance. One second of Allah’s absence would cause the universe to collapse. This is why our Allah never sleeps and can not sleep.

   إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُمْسِكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ أَن تَزُولَا وَلَئِن زَالَتَا إِنْ أَمْسَكَهُمَا مِنْ أَحَدٍ مِّن بَعْدِهِ إِنَّهُ كَانَ حَلِيمًا غَفُورًا (41)

Verily! Allâh grasps the heavens and the earth lest they should move away from their places, and if they were to move away from their places, there is not one that could grasp them after Him. Truly, He is Ever Most Forbearing, Oft-Forgiving. [Fater 35: 41]

 اللّهُ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ لاَ تَأْخُذُهُ سِنَةٌ وَلاَ نَوْمٌ لَّهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الأَرْضِ مَن ذَا الَّذِي يَشْفَعُ عِنْدَهُ إِلاَّ بِإِذْنِهِ يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ وَلاَ يُحِيطُونَ بِشَيْءٍ مِّنْ عِلْمِهِ إِلاَّ بِمَا شَاء وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضَ وَلاَ يَؤُودُهُ حِفْظُهُمَا وَهُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْعَظِيمُ (255)

Allâh! Lâ ilâha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He), the Ever Living, the One Who sustains and protects all that exists. Neither slumber, nor sleep overtake Him. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on earth. Who is he that can intercede with Him except with His Permission? He knows what happens to them (His creatures) in this world, and what will happen to them in the Hereafter. And they will never compass anything of His Knowledge except that which He wills. His Kursî extends over the heavens and the earth, and He feels no fatigue in guarding and preserving them. And He is the Most High, the Most Great. (This Verse 2:255 is called Ayat-ul-Kursî.)  

The Power of Allah

Read the story of various nations which have been destroyed in the past and ponder upon the power of Allah. Quran gives evidence of Allah’s punishment of disbelievers through flood, wind, insects, sound, earthquake, and other things. These are all soldiers in the army of Allah, and no one knows the nature of Allah’s soldiers.

  فَكُلًّا أَخَذْنَا بِذَنبِهِ فَمِنْهُم مَّنْ أَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِ حَاصِبًا وَمِنْهُم مَّنْ أَخَذَتْهُ الصَّيْحَةُ وَمِنْهُم مَّنْ خَسَفْنَا بِهِ الْأَرْضَ وَمِنْهُم مَّنْ أَغْرَقْنَا وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيَظْلِمَهُمْ وَلَكِن كَانُوا أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ (40)

So We punished each (of them) for his sins; of them were some on whom We sent Hâsib (a violent wind with shower of stones) (as the people of Lût (Lot)) and of them were some who were overtaken by As-Saihah (torment - awful cry. (as Thamûd or Shu'aib's people)) and of them were some whom We caused the earth to swallow (as Qârûn (Korah)) and of them were some whom We drowned (as the people of Nûh (Noah), or Fir'aun (Pharaoh) and his people). It was not Allâh Who wronged them, but they wronged themselves. [29 Al-Ankabout:40] 

Hardship as a Test for Believers

“Natural Disasters” -as the west calls them- are from Allah and the believer when knows this, his heart fills with emaan and fearness of Allah. He knows the source and submits to His will. He knows that this world is a place of test and hardship. With this attitude, Allah rewards the submitting believer, and the believers is the winner out of this hardship. This unique belief and attitude makes a believer a positive person throughout his life and a winner in the world hereafter. Many of such hear-related worship can not be performed except through hardship. One praises the Lord who has wisdom behind every action.

  وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُمْ بِشَيْءٍ مِّنَ الْخَوفْ وَالْجُوعِ وَنَقْصٍ مِّنَ الأَمَوَالِ وَالأنفُسِ وَالثَّمَرَاتِ وَبَشِّرِ الصَّابِرِينَ (155)  الَّذِينَ إِذَا أَصَابَتْهُم مُّصِيبَةٌ قَالُواْ إِنَّا لِلّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعونَ (156)  أُولَئِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ صَلَوَاتٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ وَرَحْمَةٌ وَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْمُهْتَدُونَ (157)

And certainly, We shall test you with something of fear, hunger, loss of wealth, lives and fruits, but give glad tidings to As-Sâbirûn (the patient). Who, when afflicted with calamity, say: "Truly! To Allâh we belong and truly, to Him we shall return." They are those on whom are the Salawât (i.e. who are blessed and will be forgiven) from their Lord, and (they are those who) receive His Mercy, and it is they who are the guided ones. [2 Baqarah 155-157] 

Torments as Quick Reminders for the Believers

Another level of thinking about disasters and hardship is to consider these events as early warning signs from Allah, so the believers would repent and return to Allah. The pre-requisite for this repentance is to know that the punishment is from Allah for this purpose. However, when the recipients of these disaster does not attribute such torment to be from Allah, but only seek after scientific explanations, then this community is leading towards ultimate destruction.

 ظَهَرَ الْفَسَادُ فِي الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ أَيْدِي النَّاسِ لِيُذِيقَهُم بَعْضَ الَّذِي عَمِلُوا لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ (41)

Evil (sins and disobedience of Allâh) has appeared on land and sea because of what the hands of men have earned (by oppression and evil deeds), that He (Allâh) may make them taste a part of that which they have done, in order that they may return (by repenting to Allâh, and begging His Pardon). [30 Ar-Roum 41] 

The Root-Cause

When scientists explain the natural disasters in terms of physical reasoings, they do only a partial explanation which is appearing from the physical and tangible phenomenon. These explanations can be correct but incomplete. It is fine to explain earth quake in terms of plate tectonics theory, but why the earthquake happened on that particular day in that particular time is beyond science’s explanation. Similarly, why Sidr decided to change direction and get more powerful is also beyond science’s prediction.  Human beings move into the first steps of success when they attribute such events to their own sins, and engage in supplication towards Allah alone. Unfortunately our mindset is not oriented yet towards this cause-effect thinking. That is the cause of disasters by the effect of sins. It is very unfortunate that although Quran –which is the book of guidance for Muslims- speak so clearly on this cause-effect relationship, yet we follow the western atheistic attitude of scientific explanation only forgetting this real cause-effect relationship.

 وَتِلْكَ الْقُرَى أَهْلَكْنَاهُمْ لَمَّا ظَلَمُوا وَجَعَلْنَا لِمَهْلِكِهِم مَّوْعِدًا (59)

And these towns We destroyed when they did wrong. And We appointed a fixed time for their destruction. [18 al-Kahf 59] 

Error in Post-Sidr Assessment

People are ignorant as to know the real-cause of disasters as ignorant as to know the real-cause of favours and blessings. They boil down the cause to natural and environmental reasons, as they boiled down the less-than-expected effect of Sidr to the huge chain of forests of Sunderban. They claim that the series of trees attenuated the effect of Sidr. This explanation is probably right but incomplete. This explanation does not help much in increasing the emaan of a believer, and does not attribute the credit to the real source.

 وَمَا بِكُم مِّن نِّعْمَةٍ فَمِنَ اللّهِ ثُمَّ إِذَا مَسَّكُمُ الضُّرُّ فَإِلَيْهِ تَجْأَرُونَ (53)  ثُمَّ إِذَا كَشَفَ الضُّرَّ عَنكُمْ إِذَا فَرِيقٌ مِّنكُم بِرَبِّهِمْ يُشْرِكُونَ (54)

And whatever of blessings and good things you have, it is from Allâh. Then, when harm touches you, unto Him you cry aloud for help. Then, when He has removed the harm from you, behold! some of you associate others in worship with their Lord (Allâh). [16 an-Nahl 53,54] 

What are the Wrong Doings?

Even if many Muslims are successful in attributing the disaster to our own wrong doings, they might fail to identify the real wrong doings. The greatest sin is to associate deity with Allah (Shirk). This Shirk is manifested in our country in various forms. Probably the traditional Shirk of visting graves of Sufis and asking the dead is the popular form, but it is not the only form of shirk. Considering the effect, there might be greater shirk in modern guise that are manifested in seeking legislative rulings from source other than Allah. In an issue –whatever trifle it may be-, when Allah says something and British or French law say something different, then a Muslim has no option to follow other than the law of Allah. If not then non-Allah law becomes objects of veneration and source of Shirk. This form of shirk is often very lightly taken. It is very unfortunate that Sidr is reaping lives of thousands of Bangladeshis at a time when so-called an elite group is trying to pass policies to prevent Islam from entering into politics. Islam and Quran was never revealed to stay confined inside house or inside personal or family life: Islam and Quran were revealed to be implemented on earth whereby states and nations would reap it’s fruit as the individual and family can reap as well. Islamic lands need to be cleared from all forms of shirk which includes the grave-worshipping as well as secularism-worshippers.  Here is the comprehensive understanding of Allah’s right by the Prophet Yousuf: 

 وَاتَّبَعْتُ مِلَّةَ آبَآئِي إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْحَقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ مَا كَانَ لَنَا أَن نُّشْرِكَ بِاللّهِ مِن شَيْءٍ ذَلِكَ مِن فَضْلِ اللّهِ عَلَيْنَا وَعَلَى النَّاسِ وَلَكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لاَ يَشْكُرُونَ (38)  يَا صَاحِبَيِ السِّجْنِ أَأَرْبَابٌ مُّتَفَرِّقُونَ خَيْرٌ أَمِ اللّهُ الْوَاحِدُ الْقَهَّارُ (39)  مَا تَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِهِ إِلاَّ أَسْمَاء سَمَّيْتُمُوهَا أَنتُمْ وَآبَآؤُكُم مَّا أَنزَلَ اللّهُ بِهَا مِن سُلْطَانٍ إِنِ الْحُكْمُ إِلاَّ لِلّهِ أَمَرَ أَلاَّ تَعْبُدُواْ إِلاَّ إِيَّاهُ ذَلِكَ الدِّينُ الْقَيِّمُ وَلَكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لاَ يَعْلَمُونَ (40)

"And I have followed the religion of my fathers - Ibrâhîm (Abraham), Ishâq (Isaac) and Ya'qûb (Jacob) (peace be upon them), and never could we attribute any partners whatsoever to Allâh. This is from the Grace of Allâh to us and to mankind, but most men thank not (i.e. they neither believe in Allâh, nor worship Him). "O two companions of the prison! Are many different lords (gods) better or Allâh, the One, the Irresistible? "You do not worship besides Him but only names which you have named (forged) - you and your fathers - for which Allâh has sent down no authority. The command (or the judgement) is for none but Allâh. He has commanded that you worship none but Him (i.e. His Monotheism); that is the (true) straight religion, but most men know not. [ 12 Yousuf 38-40] 

The Lost Unity

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