Ahmad relates in a hadeeth narrated by Abu Hurairah, radhiallahu `anhu, that the Prophet, sallallahu `alayhi 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 hadeeth has already materialized.
Happenings ofearthquakes 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 Sharee`ah, ignores the Deen of Allah ta`ala and follows its enemies, Allah will subjugate it to His armies, which no one knows except He. From among these armies are theearthquakes
"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.
Some people may be astonished by what the West has from the materialistic power, from various weapons, aircraft carriers, bombs, satellites etc., and they forget that Allah, subhanahu wa ta`ala, allowed that piece of land to move and shake, being able to shake the force of the West and the East. Everything is in His 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.
This earthquake also reminds us of the Day of Judgment. The Day when all of the Earth will shake, and not only one part of it. Allahu 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?
By Simon Cameron-Moore
ISLAMABAD
Photo: Pakistan quake toll may be more than 1,000-spokesman
Reuters
By CHRISTOPHER TORCHIA, Associated Press Writer 15 minutes ago
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - A powerful 7.6-magnitude earthquake flattened villages in South Asia on Saturday, killing dozens of people and injuring hundreds in Pakistan, India and
Afghanistan. Pakistan's army said the damage appeared to be extensive with a potential for massive casualties.
Pakistan's Geo television reported that Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Sherpao said hundreds were killed. The report could not be immediately confirmed.
Pakistani army officials who flew over quake-hit areas reported seeing hundreds of flattened homes in northern villages, a government official in Islamabad said. He declined to be named because he is not authorized to speak to the media.
Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan, the Pakistani army's chief spokesman, said several villages in the north were buried in landslides.
"The damage and casualties could be massive and it is a national tragedy," said Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan, the Pakistani army's chief spokesman. "The is the worst earthquake in recent times."
Another hardest-hit region appeared to be
Kashmir, the disputed Himalayan territory divided between India and Pakistan. Both countries reported dozens of homes damaged, along with some schools, mosques and office buildings.
Geo TV said it had received unconfirmed reports that at least 25 people had died in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir. Government officials there said more than 100 injured people had been taken to hospitals.
Indian officials confirmed 16 deaths in India's Jammu-Kashmir state, including four in the main city of Srinagar. The dead included a 9-month-old baby. Air force and army soldiers were helping civilian authorities to rescue people trapped under buildings. Telephone lines were down across the state.
More than 200 people were injured in the area, according to official reports. Bridges had developed cracks, but traffic was passing over them. Srinagar is the state's summer capital and has a population of about 1.5 million.
Four people also died in Shangla district in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province, said Bahar Karam, a relief official.
In eastern Afghanistan, an 11-year-old girl was crushed to death when a wall in her home collapsed, said police official Gafar Khan.
Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf appealed to the nation to stay calm, the Information Ministry said in a statement. It said the president had directed federal and provincial officials to mobilize resources and ordered the military to extend "all-out help" to quake-hit areas.
"We have received news of widespread damage in Pakistan's northern areas, Kashmir, and other parts of the country," said Sultan, the spokesman for Pakistan's army.
He said troops and helicopters had been sent to earthquake-hit areas. Landslides were hindering rescue efforts in some areas.
The U.S. Geological Survey said on its Web site the quake hit at 8:50 a.m. local time and had a magnitude of 7.6. It was centered 58 miles north-northeast of Islamabad at a depth of just six miles.
Qaiser Abbas, a receptionist in the building, said he was sitting in his office when the building suddenly began to shake.
"After five seconds, I heard big sound, and then about 40 apartments collapsed," he said.
He said some of the residents were foreigners, including Westerners and Central Asians. The building is in an upscale neighborhood of Islamabad.
In the Afghan capital, Kabul, residents fled their homes for fear they would collapse. Kabul is about 400 miles northwest of Islamabad.
U.S. military spokesman Lt. Col. Jerry O'Hara said the quake was also felt at Bagram, the main American base in Afghanistan, but he had no reports of damage there or at other bases around the country.
Police in the Pakistani city of Lahore said at least eight people were injured and four shops were damaged. The earthquake also damaged part of a school in Rawalpindi, a city near Islamabad, injuring at least two girls.
In Islamabad, buildings shook and walls swayed for about a minute. Panicked people ran out of their homes and offices in many cities. Slight tremors continued afterward. The quake also caused panic in Peshawar and Quetta near the Afghan border.
The tremor was felt in northern India.
"It was so strong that I saw buildings swaying. It was terrifying," said Hari Singh, a guard in an apartment complex in the New Delhi suburb of Noida. Hundreds of residents there raced down from their apartments after their beds and couches started shaking.
The quake also jolted parts of Bangladesh, but no casualties or damage were reported.
BROTHER IN ISLAM
KHALID BIN UMAR
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{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.}
(Holy Quran-16:125)
{And who is better in speech than he who [says: "My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness)," and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: "I am one of the Muslims."} (Holy Quran-41:33)
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels." [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim]
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, "Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all."
[Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah]
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