BANDA ACEH, Indonesia : In Indonesia's tsunami wastelands on the northern tip of Sumatra island, little remains of whole towns lost to the colossal forces that came thundering in from the ocean.
But across these battered shores, dozens of mosques still stand, their minarets glinting defiantly in the sun - a phenomenon survivors in the deeply Islamic region credit as much to divine intervention as robust architecture.
"God's invisible hands prevents the mosque's destruction," said Mukhlis Khaeran, who saw the sea sweep away his home village of Baet outside the north Sumatran city of Banda Aceh, but leave the neighbourhood mosque relatively intact.
"He punishes us for our greed and arrogance but He will protect his house," Khaeran told AFP, his arms covered with injuries sustained in the disaster that killed at least 100,000 people around the north Sumatran province of Aceh.
Mosques are an everyday sight in most of Indonesia, but especially in Aceh, credited with the being one of Islam's main gateways into the archipelago of islands which now forms the world's largest Muslim-populated country.
Despite a long-lasting independence struggle, Aceh, parts of which are under traditional Islamic sharia law, has remained a Muslim heartland for Indonesia, which mostly practices a very relaxed interpretation of the faith.
Spiritual beliefs in Aceh and around the Indian Ocean were tested to the limit on December 26 when an epic earthquake sent towers of water crashing ashore, obliterating virtually everything in their path.
But while some spoke of "God's wrath", hundreds turned to their mosques, in panic for shelter from the advancing tides and later for spiritual comfort in a time of desperate need.
In the village of Kaju, also outside Banda Aceh, hundreds of homes were annihilated while the local mosque suffered only a few cracks in the walls.
"There is a saying among Acehnese that a mosque is God's house and no one can destroy it but God Himself," said Ismail Ishak, 42, who was digging rubble from his crumbled house while searching for seven of his relatives.
In Pasi Lhok, some 20 kilometres (12 miles) east of the north Aceh town of Sigli, 100 frightened people sheltering inside their mosque were spared while almost every house in the surrounding five villages was pulverised, according to chief cleric Teungku Kaoy Ali.
In Meubolah, a town on Aceh's western coast less than 150 kilometres (95 miles) from the quake epicentre which bore the full force of the tsunami, leaving at least 10,000 dead, mosques stand sentinel over a vanished town centre.
Banda Aceh resident Achyar said when he saw the waves pounding in from the sea, his first instinct was to turn and run for the nearest mosque.
"I climbed the mosque tower and hung on to an electric wire until water receded," he said. "Many of my friends, many of them ethnic Chinese, died because they climbed to the second floor of their shops and were trapped there," he said.
Another, less divine, explanation for the survival of the mosques is that many are built much more sturdily than most of the other structures in the towns and cities of Aceh.
However one mosque in Sigli was made only of wood but still survived unscathed despite all the other buildings around it being destroyed.
Banda Aceh's grand Baiturrahman mosque suffered partial damage from the quake and tsunami, but proved invaluable to the city's survivors in the minutes, hours and days that followed the cataclysm.
For many it became a rallying place to search for missing friends or relatives, a makeshift hospital to treat the injured and a morgue to collect the dead.
With much of Banda Aceh likely to remain in ruins for months, residents were quick to repay their debt to their cherished religious buildings, working swiftly to ensure the Baiturrahman mosque was one of the first places restored.
On Sunday, some 300 survivors gathered for their first prayers since their five-times daily ritual was halted - a major step on the long road back to normality in Aceh. - AFP
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The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Surely I was sent to perfect the qualities of righteous character" [Musnad Ahmad, Muwatta Mâlik]
Yes, it would be interesting to know that. As the article mentioned, one mosque was so poorly constructed out of weak wood, but it survived the strongest hit from the tsunami.
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Surely I was sent to perfect the qualities of righteous character" [Musnad Ahmad, Muwatta Mâlik]
subhanallah! wow! that wave picture is really convincing but how could someone get a camra all the way up there just at the time at the time the tsunami hit?? :confused:
allahu alum, allah knows best.
:rose: A Rose Protects Its Beauty With Thorns, A Woman Protects Hers With A Veil
The Miracle we are seeing today is just a one simple sign from allah swt we see miracle in our own eyes soon as we wake up from sleep and before we go to sleep death is miracle walking is miracle everthing single thing we have or do is a miracle it's called the Tawhed(oncess) of allah swt you have brother and sisters to understand allah swt our Rab Our As-Shaeed As-Salam Al-Mutkabr in order to see his miracle just look what is around you..
Assalamu Alaikam Waramatuallah Wabarakatu
One thing that I'd like to add. Some people will counter that with a statement like "Well they stood because they had good foundation."
Yes, they did! And that person is absolutely right. The way I see it, since Allah (SWT) is in controll of everything, willed for the construction of it to be sturdy and well so it will hold. Either way, anything that happens in life, whether an absolute miracle or a scientific fact, is still a gift from Allah (SWT)
Dozens of mosques still stand during Tsunami
this mosque in Sigli was made only of wood but still survived unscathed despite all the other buildings around it being destroyed
During Katina Hurricane on Aug. 31, where six Presbyterian churches were destroyed, Canon Johnson said Christ Church, Bay Saint Louis; Trinity, Pass Christian; [censored]. Patrick’s, Long Beach; [censored]. Peter’s, Gulfport; [censored]. Mark’s, Gulfport; and Redeemer, Biloxi, had been “demolished.”
April 8, 1998 Alabama
It was a night when 14 churches were heavily damaged or destroyed.
A MIRACLE FROM THE ALLAH ALMIGHTY! THOSE WITH INSIGHT WILL RETURN TO THE PATH OF GOD BEFORE THE COMING DOOM.
I have a few pics of these to i dont know how to paste them but some mentioned that a few buddha statues stand this is a test of Allah swt, Look how many buddha stand compared to the Masjits, This is a quick test to determine who will believe. For the masjid that exist people will say its Allah swt will for the buddha that exist some will say that its buddhas power, yet Allah swt will see what the real answer is because Allah swt will see what our reply is its kinda hard to say this lol, you juss gotta open ur heart and try because of Allah swt only let the masjit stand people would follow Allah swt immediatly, but Allah swt allowed a few buddha statues to stand to see what our reply will be. because some will say oh it is because of buddha that it stands and whoevers mouth that comes from Allah swt will surely deal with it because Allah swt is the best of Disposing affairs Subhana Allah so you see if only Allah swt let the masjits stand everyone would of said wow , but Allah swt let a few buddha to stand to see what the real replies would be.
Muslims can believe that all animals are praising God without having to make claims that a lion roaring is explicitly mentioning God's name in arabic. It gets to a ridiculous point when people make such far-fetched claims; they should fear Allah and stick to the truth.
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Surely I was sent to perfect the qualities of righteous character" [Musnad Ahmad, Muwatta Mâlik]
Muslims can believe that all animals are praising God without having to make claims that a lion roaring is explicitly mentioning God's name in arabic. It gets to a ridiculous point when people make such far-fetched claims; they should fear Allah and stick to the truth.
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