Lessons from calamities

Have fear and consciousness of Allah, subhanahu wa ta’ala, and ponder over events that happen around you. Learn lessons from them and remember, for the intelligent one is he who remembers and takes admonition.
Earthquakes cause thousands of people to die, cause loss of wealth and properties, and force people to seek refuge outside of their dwellings, being without their home and their wealth, and without food and drink. They turned security into fear, richness into poverty, cause families to depart, and turn life into death. Without doubt, in it is a lesson for those who take lessons and a reminder for those who remember, so that they may return to their Lord and their Creator.
The Truthful, the Chosen one (as-Saadiq al-Mustafa), sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, has informed us that a multitude of earthquakes is a sign of the proximity of the Hour. He informed us that they would be many at the end of the time.
Ahmad relates in a hadith narrated by Abu Hurairah, radhiallahu ‘anhu, that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam said, “The Hour will not happen until knowledge is taken out, time passes quickly, earthquakes increase in number, tribulations (fitan) appear, and al-Harj increases in number.” It was said, “What is al-Harj, O Rasoolullah?” He said, “Al Qatl, al Qatl (Killing)”.
A lot of what is mentioned in this hadith has already materialised.
Happenings of earthquakes and the like from other destructive and disastrous events are the greatest evidence of the astonishing power of Allah, subhanahu wa ta’ala. Earthquakes are from among the soldiers of Allah, subhanahu wa ta’ala, subjected to His order. He, subhanahu wa ta’ala, causes fear in the hearts of those whom He wills, teaches lessons whom He wills and punishes whom He wills.
“And none can know the Forces of your Lord, except He.” (74:31)
“For to Allah belong the Forces of the heavens and the earth.” (48:7)
If the Ummah leaves Allah’s Shari’ah, ignores the Deen of Allah and follows its enemies, Allah will subjugate it to His armies, which no one knows except He. From among these armies are the earthquakes.
“Such is the Seizure of your Lord when He seizes the towns while they are doing wrong. Verily, His Seizure is painful and severe.” (11:102)
“When We decide to destroy a town, We (first) send a definite order (to obey Allah and be righteous) to those among them who are given the good things of this life. Then, they transgress therein, and thus the word (of torment) is justified against (them). Then we destroy it with complete destruction.” (17:16)
Allah, subhanahu wa ta’ala, with this earthquake makes clear to His servants a plain reality, that the kingdom of the heavens and the earth is in His Hands, subhanahu wa ta’ala, and that He is the Irresistible and Dominant over His servants.
Everything is in Allah’s Hands, He has power over all things, and no one in the Heavens and the Earth can weaken Him, subhanahu wa ta’ala. Appearance of the earthquakes therefore points us to a different reality that may be absent in the minds of some people, those who are busy with this world and who are servants of materialism.
Earthquakes also remind us of the Day of Judgment. The Day when all of the Earth will shake, and not only one part of it. Allah, subhanahu wa ta’ala, says,
“O mankind! Fear your Lord and be dutiful to Him! Verily, the earthquake of the Hour is a terrible thing. The Day you shall see it, every nursing mother will forget her nursling, and every pregnant one shall drop her load, and you shall see mankind as in a drunken state. Yet they will not be drunken, but the Torment of Allah will be severe.” (22:1-2)
Look what is left after the earthquake from destroyed buildings and houses, deaths of thousands, and families seeking refuge outside of their homes. What state is that in which everyone is running away, caring about nothing? So what do you think of the Day of Judgment?
“That Day shall a man flee from his own brother, and from his mother and his father, and from his wife and his children.” (80:34-36)
“One the day (when the first blowing of the Trumpet is blown), the earth and the mountains will shake violently.” (79:6)
Allah warns His servants with this earthquake to learn a lesson and be admonished, and to be ready and prepare themselves for the Day of sorting out, the day of the great earthquake, that will shake all of the earth.
Allah has placed in this universe Sunan, fixed and manifest laws, neither do they change nor are they replaceable. He does not have any kinship with anyone, He is the sole Creator and Ruler, and He will question and hold accountable everyone, including prophets and messengers. “Then surely, We shall question those to whom it (the Book) was sent and We shall question the Messengers.” (7:6)
From among the established Sunan of Allah is that He does not send punishment except due to sin and He does not remove it except after repentance. Allah says, “Whatever misfortune befalls you, it is because of what your hands have earned.” (42:30)
Allah the Mighty and Majestic says: “Evil and mischief have appeared on land and sea because of what the hands of men have earned, that Allah may make them taste a part of that which they have done, in order that they may return (by repenting to Allah).” [30:41]
Every disaster and every calamity that befalls the servants is due to their sins and wrongdoing. So know, servants of Allah, what wrongdoing does to its doers.
What has taken Adam and Eve from the Jannah except wrongdoing, and what has drowned all of the people on the earth at the time of Nuh, to the point that water reached the peak of mountains, except wrongdoing?
Who is it who sent the furious violent wind upon the people of ‘Aad, so that they were seen lying overthrown and destroyed, as if they were hollow trunks of palm-trees? Who is it who sent the awful cry upon the people of Thamud until it cut their hearts inside their bodies, and they all fell dead without exception? Who lifted the villages of the people of Lut till the angels heard barking of their dogs, then turned them upside down, and then rained upon them a rain of stones?
That is the immediate punishment for wrongdoing: drowning, fire, earthquakes, destruction, famine, raging wind... “And the torment of the hereafter is far more severe and more lasting.” (20:127)
Do we not take admonition and lesson? Allah says, “Did We not destroy the ancients? So shall We make the later generations to follow them. Thus do We deal with the Mujrimoon (criminals, disbelievers, sinners.). Woe that Day to the deniers (of the Day of Resurrection)!” [77:16-19]
Earthquakes are just a warning from Allah, subhanahu wa ta’ala – not only to the people of one particular quake-hit country alone, but rather to the people in general, in all lands – that they may return to their Lord and their Deen. Otherwise a punishment will come upon them. Allah says, “So We seized each of them for his sins.” (29:40)
Article source: http://www.islamweb.net/emainpage/