Over the holiday period I watched several TV programmes about the Tsunami, it being the anniversary of that event. Most of the victims were in Indonesia and most of the victims were Muslims. All of the Muslims interviewed said that the Tsunami had been sent by God to punish them for decadence and to test them. If God wanted to punish people for none compliance with his wishes, why didn’t he send the Tsunami wave to wash over the lands of kufar killing them and teaching them a lesson? And, if Muslims are Gods chosen people why didn’t he protect them from the Tsunami? If Muslims believe that the Tsunami was the will of God to punish people, could it be that he killed Muslims as opposed to Kufar because the kufar are complying with his will and Muslims are not?
That Terrible Tsunami - Why did Allah let so many people be killed?
by
Ruqaiyyah Waris Maqsood.
Very often, in life, the tragic loss of someone we love can be the very thing that triggers off in us the real urge to find out answers to the ultimate questions. Why did God let this happen to me? Or my mother? Or even my pet hamster? Why did He punish or wipe out that person? Or, those thousands of people? Surely they hadn’t done anything that wrong? How could Allah be so cruel?
And then comes the urge to think even more deeply – maybe God doesn’t really exist? Maybe belief in Him is just a waste of time anyway, if He deals with completely innocent people in such a nasty manner? Why didn’t He answer their cries? Doesn’t this prove that praying to Him is just pointless?
Our questions cannot always be answered by struggling to find answers. Sometimes the best advice is that as Muslims we must just accept everything, because it must be God’s will for us. We must be patient. We must not turn against Allah, or demand an explanation, or become bitter and in the end reject belief in God altogether. But our hearts are in pain, our minds are confused, our brains are outraged, and we do cry out for some sort of explanation, some sort of help that will make us feel better.
Why did that tsunami happen? Why did Allah let so many people be killed? I was interested to read in several Muslim reports of the event that it actually revealed a miracle - Allah had miraculously preserved many mosques of those regions, when everything else had been devastated and laid flat. This was surely a marvellous act of God, and we should be amazed and humbled by this. Now, why can I hear a loud chorus of outraged voices commenting that it would have been far more marvellous if God’s miraculous act had been to flatten all the mosques but save all the Muslims!
Surely it was not fair – these people didn’t get any warning of their impending doom, and maybe if they had, they could have prayed extremely hard and Allah would have averted the tragedy? Or, at least, some of them could have got off the beach.
In fact, no matter how noble people are, no matter how hard they pray, no matter what sacrifices they promise to Allah, no matter how desperately they try to do deals with Him, the laws of Nature are the laws of Nature, and if you live on a flood-plain sooner or later you are likely to be flooded. If you live beside a volcano, sooner or later you will be erupted upon. If you live in a steepsided Welsh valley like Aberfan, sooner or later the steep sides may tumble down and overwhelm you with muddy debris. If you live at the outlet of a river, sooner or later flash-flooding may sweep your village into the sea. If you live on a beach, sooner or later a big wave might snatch your life with no mercy. If you are faced with a villain intending to kill you by firing a bullet at you, it is most likely that it will hit you and you could be killed. Allah will not intervene and catch the bullet.
The Prophet himself (pbuh) once had the nasty experience of someone determined to kill him by hurling a rock at him, and even though our Prophet (pbuh) was the most saintly of men, prayed and believed in Allah more than anyone else, and was clad in full armour including a sturdy helmet, the rock smacked into the side of his helmet with such force it crushed the metal into his jaw, smashed out two of his teeth, and the Companion who struggled desperately to dig the jagged iron back out of the Prophet’s face by gripping it with his own teeth, lost two of his own! I assure you, this did not signify that Allah did not love the Prophet (pbuh), or wanted to punish him for something, or that the Prophet’s (pbuh) faith slipped at that moment.
Allah is not capricious or open to manipulation. Some believers seem to expect that if they are devoted enough, or chant enough phrases, or do enough pious practices, Allah will produce cosmic results and violate the laws of the universe just to oblige them. People with that sort of attitude often act rather like spoiled children; they seem to genuinely believe that if they cry loudly enough or long enough they will be able to bring themselves to God's attention, make Him notice their worthy cause, and perhaps even make Him act differently - in accordance with what they want Him to do. Yet the Qur’an states clearly for us that we will all suffer, and be tested by all sorts of calamities, and ultimately we will all taste death.
In fact, Allah does not even need to be told our problems - He knows everything already. He will not have failed to observe that one of His servants is sick, or dying, or bereaved, or that one tectonic plate of the earth is about to slide under another, which will cause a tsunami that will destroy 500,000 people. Allah is not there just to oblige us - no matter how worthy we are, or how desperate our cause. God is not a cosmic errand-boy. He is not standing by, waiting for our 'orders of the day' - sometimes with the implication that He had better get on with doing what we want Him to do or we will punish Him by rejecting Him. Indeed, think how outraged and bitter a bereaved person might feel if he really believed that Allah chose to drown his beloved child but saved the son of the local Imam!
Well? Should Muslims not grieve at all? Should they just accept a terminal illness or a tsunami as God's will, or a test of faith? What can they expect from God? What should they ask Him for? It is not wrong to ask questions. Human beings are creatures with minds. If God had wanted automatons with no minds, He would have created us that way. It is all right for us to ask for the reasons; but we have to realize that we cannot always get, or understand, the answer.
Could a Muslim expect a life free from guilt? Possibly, if they try hard. A life free from the fear of death? Possibly, if they have enough faith. A life that can be lived differently from that of non-believers? True, with God's help. A life free from sorrow, problems, difficulties, catastrophes and death? Sadly, no.
Death seen in terms of a capricious universe with a God who can be somehow bribed to do our bidding is painful and depressing; but when we think deeply about death in connection with the meaning of life, we may be able to see it in a totally different light. We have no idea how long we shall live. ‘Life’ may be as short as a moth's, or as long as a sequoia tree's. A whole universe may come in its own ‘Big Bang’, and be created, and evolve, and decay and be destroyed in the striking of a match. What matters is not its length but its quality. Real faith in God helps us to put death in perspective. Only physical things die; spiritual things already have the dimension of the infinite and eternal and are therefore indestructible.
'It is absolutely certain that you will be tried and tested through the things you possess and in that which happens to your own selves; and you will most certainly hear of much that will distress you, including from those who received the Book before you, and those who worship many gods. But if you continue to do your best with patience, and guard against evil - then that is the determinating factor (for your ultimate destiny).' (Surah 3:186).
Being a Muslim does not protect anyone from the reality of suffering. Belief is not some kind of spiritual inoculation which will provide immunity from all that is difficult and painful. We love Allah - but doesn't He care when we suffer? In times of crisis, it is so easy to feel that He is far away and cannot hear our cries - but this is not so. He is closer than our own neck vein; or, as the Messenger (pbuh) touchingly put it, closer than the neck of our own camel. His love will never desert us or let us down, even in our darkest hour.
It is not wrong to grieve. People who believe in God grieve for all sorts of things. People with sympathetic hearts feel human misery deeply; some work to exhaustion to heal the sick and reach out to the needy. To see someone we love suffering makes us unutterably sad, and God knows that. He gave us the feelings in the first place. But believers should not grieve in the same way as those who have no hope - for God promised His people comfort and strength right into the shadow of death, and beyond.
Allah sometimes works through our suffering. Some people get physically healed, others are given the ability to live with the illness and finally to die with trust and hope. Suffering can never be considered enjoyable, but there can be good responses to it. If we can see that neither distress nor death can separate us from the love of God we have a living hope which transcends all the trials of our present situation.
As Muslims, who try to accept God's will, should we fight against things like tsunamis, or accept them? Would it be right for a patient to refuse medical treatment on the grounds that it must be God's will for them to have the sickness? The Muslim answer to that must surely be 'No'. Such apathy is against the general desire of Allah to see us always working for healing, wholeness and peace. We have a responsibility as khilafah (Allah’s guardians and helpers of the planet) to care for our bodies and our earth as best we can, so we should encourage patients to seek and take medical advice and co-operate with whatever treatment is consistent with Islam, and we should encourage scientists and geologists and technicians to invent and construct and set up whatever defences and aids they can for humanity.
'Allah has not created an illness without creating a cure for it.' When you take a medicine, you are not acting against the will of Allah; you are cured by Allah's will, because He has put into that particular medicine the qualities which will enable the human body to overcome a certain disease.
Medicine functions by God's will. This is exactly what Umar ibn al-Khattab said to Abu Ubaydah once, when the latter questioned him about his orders concerning quarantine-preventing entry to or departure from an area where plague was widespread. Abu Ubaydah asked: 'Are we trying to escape from the will of Allah?' Umar answered: 'Yes, we try to escape from God's will with God's will.' This means that if we avoid certain causes of death we nevertheless remain subject to the will of Allah, because avoiding them and preventing them is also part of the will of Allah. Insha’Allah, by the time of the next major earth-disaster humanity may have the technology to give advance warning to everyone.
A Muslim will always have to acknowledge that the final outcome is in God's hands. If we pray for our sick and dying, and for the bereaved, it is never wasted; God always hears us, and something always 'happens', even if it not quite what the person has prayed for. Umm Salamah, one of the Prophet's (pbuh) wives (peace be upon both of them) reported the Messenger as saying: 'Whenever you visit the sick or the dying, make supplication for good, because then the angels will say 'Amen' to whatever you say.' (Muslim, 2002)
We are human and limited in our understanding. Instead of telling God what we want, we should try to ask God what it is He wants for us, or wants us to do, in each and every situation. Sometimes He gives a very clear indication of what it is He wants us to do - through a verse of the Qur'an, or an insight given to us or another person. We should always pray to be shown what seems to be the best solution, the best thing to do next.
Things like a tsunami often lead us to question things we had taken for granted before. Does God really exist? Does He know I exist? Does He love me? How could He let this happen? Allah welcomes our honest searching, and will not collapse under investigation. Ask your questions, seek your answers. Ask for the wisdom that will lead you to Him. Search the Qur'an for answers - find out for yourself what it says about the things you are questioning. After having experienced suffering or the grief-pangs of bereavement for yourself you may find yourself coming to a new level of commitment, one that is perhaps truly meaningful for the first time.
True believers have nothing to fear in the most gloomy scenes of life; they have nothing to fear in the valley of death; they have nothing to fear in the grave; they have nothing to fear in the world beyond. For God is with them. They do not go anywhere alone-for God is the Companion, the Guide.
I am afraid this is a case of people trying to make sense of atrocities happening by 'putting words into God's mouth'.
Truth is, we don't understand why God allows such things; and why bad things happen to people, regardless of whether we perceive them to be good or bad people ...
Those of us who believe in God, simply have to learn to trust that he has his reasons and that those reasons are just and right - even if from our human perspective they may not seem to be so ...
Peace glo
Here I stand.
I can do no other.
May God help me.
Amen.
Come, let us worship and bow down •
and kneel before the Lord our Maker
[Psalm 95]
All of the Muslims interviewed said that the Tsunami had been sent by God to punish them for decadence and to test them.
I believe this... it's not easy to enter the paradise without being tested.
The Indonesians are tested with tsunamis and quakes, the wealthy Arabs in the Gulf nations are tested with oil and the Malaysians are tested with so many food.
People ask this question with the assumption that they should get a death-free life? Death is inevitable, even "God" acknowledges that in "His" books. It means God is not unaware of death. Since He acknowledges death is the reality we will all suffer, whether we die with tsunami or a heart attack, why does it matter? Even if it matters, how does this mean that God does not exist? Those of human species who were expecting a smooth ride in life by believing in God were only deluding themselves. By shedding off the belief in God, one does not really get rid of natural catastrophes anyways. Maybe, he comes to grip with reality and live life fully, one may argue? Sure, reality is that suffering exists, whether God exists or not, suffering has no bearing on the existence of God. Maybe it has on All-Merciful God? Well, that is why Islamic God is also All-Wrathful.
When natural catastrophes occur at such magnitudes, I personally do not yell God sent it. I believe every thing in cosmos is willed by God so I do not feel the need to cry out on catastrophes that "God punished us," cuz as a Muslim I do not know whether it was a punishment or a blessing as Allah can only know that and unless He reveals it to us. He revealed to us that the catastrophe of Lut's people was a punishment and hence we know that. If He did not reveal that, I would remain silent instead of putting my interpretation in the mouth of God. Sadly, Muslims do all the time. H1N1 was a punishment from God, said some of the Muslims! How do they know? Did God reveal Quran version 2 to them? Or did they get revelation? Also, EVERYTHING IS FROM GOD, the H1N1 virus and some Muslims' audacity to say "it was God's punishment."
Last edited by CosmicPathos; 01-02-2010 at 09:21 PM.
Help me to escape from this existence
I yearn for an answer... can you help me?
I'm drowning in a sea of abused visions and shattered dreams
In somnolent illusion... I'm paralyzed
This is what I wrote in another thread few months ago:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Joe98 View Post
How about the tsunami of December 2004. Most victims were muslims.
-
Actually, something really good came after the tsunami.
Aceh had been wrecked by conflicts for 20 years where violence was daily occurrence. The Free Aceh Movement (GAM) who aimed for full independence for The Acehnese staged guerilla attacks while the oppressive Indonesian government under authoritarian Suharto rule for so many years placed Aceh under strict military rule which means injustices and gross human rights violations often made by both Indonesian military and GAM guerillas.
At stake was Acehnese natural resources such gas and more illicit resources such as the large plantation and production of marijuana.
The tsunami changed everything.
Acehnese are notoriously known for being difficult to work with and fiercely independent and many even say they are such an arrogant bunch, but since the tsunami, everyone came together and able to set aside their differences in order to rebuild their lives with the help of countless outsiders, nationals and internationals.
after many rounds of talks, in 2005 the Indonesian government and the GAM leaders signed the Helsinki Peace agreement which gives the Acehnese otonomy to have their own rules and regulations within the frame of Indonesia.
Post-tsunami post-conflict Aceh is now so much better than it was ever before.
There is now lasting peace, the economy is developing much better than ever with great direction, the Acehnese have become a lot more religious (and practicing) and recently its provincial parliament passed regional by-laws implementing the Sharia laws.
The tsunami has created a condition and opportunity where the Acehnese was able to create a just and prosperous society.
Not only has Allah given warning (for the existence of Allah, to mend our ways) to the rest of mankind with the tsunami, but there are so many good things came after the tsunami (and I am sure not just in Aceh, but also in other areas affected by the tsunami such as southern Thailand, parts of Srilanka and India).
When it comes to tsunami and Aceh I know what I am talking about. I have been to Aceh so many times, before the tsunami and after. My current work involves providing grants for conflict mitigation and peaceful resolution programs/activities and post tsunami reconstructions in Aceh.
Oh, FYI, Muslims (who are moo'min) who died in natural disasters are considered syahid.
Last edited by naidamar; 10-20-2009 at 09:39 AM..
Over the holiday period I watched several TV programmes about the Tsunami, it being the anniversary of that event. Most of the victims were in Indonesia and most of the victims were Muslims. All of the Muslims interviewed said that the Tsunami had been sent by God to punish them for decadence and to test them. If God wanted to punish people for none compliance with his wishes, why didn’t he send the Tsunami wave to wash over the lands of kufar killing them and teaching them a lesson? And, if Muslims are Gods chosen people why didn’t he protect them from the Tsunami? If Muslims believe that the Tsunami was the will of God to punish people, could it be that he killed Muslims as opposed to Kufar because the kufar are complying with his will and Muslims are not?
Indonesia: 122,232 dead with 113,937 missing.
Sri Lanka: 30,974 dead and missing.
India: 10,776 dead; 5,640 missing.
Thailand: 5,395 dead, 2,993 missing.
Somalia: 150 dead.
Maldives: 82 dead, 26 missing,
Malaysia: 68 dead.
Myanmar: 59 dead.
What about those people whose died during that tsunami and weren´t muslims at all?
As good friend Glo said, we may not know real meaning of God/Allah. My friend from my hometown lost hers little boy in there. Should she ( she is not muslim but christian) think God wanted to punish her? Should I tell it to her? When I heard about it, I went to meet her and hug her and told "don´t blame God, don´t blame yourself".
Of course she did.
From Occupied Palestine:
We have suffered too much for too long. We will not accept apartheid masked as peace. We will settle for no less than our freedom.
What about those people whose died during that tsunami and weren´t muslims at all?
As good friend Glo said, we may not know real meaning of God/Allah. My friend from my hometown lost hers little boy in there. Should she ( she is not muslim but christian) think God wanted to punish her? Should I tell it to her? When I heard about it, I went to meet her and hug her and told "don´t blame God, don´t blame yourself".
Of course she did.
Sweet sister harb!
I agree that we have to be so careful what we say to people in grief and distress. Your reaction must have been a real blessing and comfort to your friend!
Who are we that we should claim to know God's ways and reasons for these things ...
Peace glo
Here I stand.
I can do no other.
May God help me.
Amen.
Come, let us worship and bow down •
and kneel before the Lord our Maker
[Psalm 95]
It may very well be a punishment from God for said reasons..
I think perhaps Christianity can't reconcile a lamb/sacrificial God with a wrathful God, mostly because they also fail to acknowledge what is in the old testament unless it is to make the bible voluminous..
[Pickthal 8:25] And guard yourselves against a chastisement which cannot fall exclusively on those of you who are wrong-doers, and know that Allah is severe in punishment.
unfortunately when people do evil things, punishment isn't exclusive to the wrong doers alone as I have highlighted from the Quran above. However, as another brother here explained.
Death is to befall all, and folks are resurrected on their intent, certainly those who are innocent can only be counted as martyrs of such a disaster!
Text without context is pretext If your opponent is of choleric temperament, seek to irritate him
79:42 THEY WILL ASK thee about the Last Hours "When will it come to pass?"
43 [But] how couldst thou tell anything about it
44 [seeing that] with thy Sustainer alone rests the beginning and the end [of all knowledge] thereof?
45 Thou art but [sent] to warn those who stand in awe of it.
46 On the Day when they behold it, [it will seem to them] as if they had tarried [in this world] no longer than one evening or [one night, ending with] its morn!
2. Those who befell disasters 50,000 years ago, how long must they wait for their resurrection?
See above, and your Q raises another question.. Are dead people conscious of time?
all the best
Text without context is pretext If your opponent is of choleric temperament, seek to irritate him
I like to think of the Tsunami as the reason so many people were saved from Hell-Fire.
It was narrated in a saheeh report that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The one who drowns is a shaheed, the one who dies of a stomach disease is a shaheed, the one who is burnt to death is a shaheed, the one who dies of the plague is a shaheed, the woman who dies giving birth is a shaheed, and the one who is crushed by a collapsing building is a shaheed.” And people killed in other ways were also mentioned.
Why can't we ask for the intervention of Allah? He is our God, surely we can ask whatever we like. Allah doesn't have to physically catch the bullet but what if the villain misses you or his gun jams? Both these things are possible and result in you not getting shot. It might have been your prayer which saved you.
Nobody tries to manipulate God and its not cosmic results we want; only probability tilted in our favour. The tsunami happening on the quietest day of the year, a child surviving, etc. Things which maybe improbable but certainly not impossible. Afterall there have to be some perks to following the right religion
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Should she ( she is not muslim but christian) think God wanted to punish her? Should I tell it to her? When I heard about it, I went to meet her and hug her and told "don´t blame God, don´t blame yourself".
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