The Earthquake in the Non-Islamic Republic of Pakistan

"Allaah tests you through tribulation in order to refine you, just as you refine gold with fire. Amongst you are those who are left resembling pure gold – such as is a person whom Allaah has saved from evil deeds; amongst you are those who are left resembling gold of lesser quality – such is a person who falls into some degree of doubt; and amongst you are those who are left resembling black gold – such a person is one who gives in to the trial." [Recorded by Al-Bayhaqi, Shu'ab [#9924] and al-Hakim [#7878]]


A severe earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale has struck Pakistan, Kashmir and Afghanistan early Saturday morning leaving hundreds of dead and injured. Pakistan reports five hundred dead in only one district of the NW Frontier. With no exact estimates as yet, the death toll is climbing fast – most in the NW Frontier and under collapsed buildings in Islamabad, Rawalpindi and other Pakistani cities.

As Muslims we are obliged to have fear and consciousness of Allaah (SWT) and ponder over events that happen around us, and at the same time to take corrective actions. Without doubt, today's devastating events are a lesson for those who take lessons and a reminder for those who remember.

It is with this in mind that we need to view the effect of the quake on Pakistan. One month after the US was attacked on September the 11th, 2001 by the Al-Qaeda organisation headed by Shaykh Usamah ibn Laaden, the United States, with support from its chief ally in the region, Pakistan, invaded Afghanistan on the 7th of October 2001 as part of its "War on Islam" campaign. The numbers of Muslim dead at the end of the invasion stood at 100,000. Pakistan had offered the Christian Crusaders (at the alter of capitalism) its help against its own Muslim brethren when it allowed its sea air and land to be used by the Americans to remove the Islamically orientated government in Kabul. Since that time, Pakistan has continued to support US efforts in the region to eliminate the Taliban militia in Afghanistan and inside Pakistan by maintaining about 80,000 troops in the tribal and adjoining areas with Afghanistan as well as maintaining an extremely shaky illegitimate and Kufr Hamid Karzai regime in Afghanistan.

Inside Pakistan itself, the apostate Musharraf continues to rule the people with laws (in the economic, political and foreign policy arenas) other than with what Allaah (SWT) has revealed. Instead of so-called Islamic groups and parties working according to the Sunnah to change the Kufr (non-Islamic) system of government along with its treacherous ruler, they have adopted the well trodden path-of-failure by choosing to share power and joining the government in its kufr and nifaaq (hypocrisy). Along side this, the people of Pakistan are also involved in wide scale Shirk (polytheism – associating partners alongside Allaah in either his names, attributes, or functions). The Shirk manifests itself at an individual level and at a political (societal) level. On an individual level there is clear cut Shirk taking place in 'Ibaadah ('Uloohiyyah) with people calling or invoking others beside Allaah (swt), regardless of whether they were pious people of the present or the past as well as the Shirk of Obedience to the rulers in disobeying what Allaah (swt) has ordered. At the societal level, we find the Shirk of ruling by man-made laws as opposed to the Sharee'ah. This then leads the society towards a path of accepting homosexual marriages (a crime in Islam) as we saw earlier this week as well as the normalizing of relationships between the enemies of Islam and Muslims, the Jews and the Zionist state of Israel.

No matter what the form of Shirk, one thing is certain, the punishment of Allaah (swt) for this crime: "And of mankind are some who take (for worship: idols, statues and ideas) others besides Allaah as rivals (to Allaah). They love them (i.e. their idols, their statues, their ideas) as they love Allaah. But those who believe love Allaah more (than anything else). If only, those who do wrong (by associating partners with Allaah) could see, when they will see the torment, that all power belongs to Allaah and that Allaah is Severe in punishment (in this world and in the hereafter)" [EMQ 2:165]

Oh Muslims of Pakistan!

Know that throughout all this time, you have been silent to the treachery of the apostate "wine-drinking" "qadiani-loving" Musharraf and his regime even when the Kufr had became apparent to you in all its forms. Is it any wonder to you then that when an event like this strikes our land that it doesn't distinguish between the good people, the people of Eemaan and Tawheed and the bad people, the people of Kufr and Shirk and Nifaaq? This is the Sunnah of Allaah (SWT). When a people (collective body) fail to stand up for the truth, fail to enjoin the good (Al-Islam) and forbid the evil (the open Haram, the manifest Kufr and Shirk), then Allaah (SWT) has told us:

"And fear the fitnah which affects not in particular (only) those of you who do wrong (but it may afflict all the good and the bad people), and know that Allaah is severe in punishment" [8:25]

This aayah makes it clear that all those who witnessed the transgression of Musharraf and did not attempt to change it would be included in the punishment. It is high time we as an Ummah (one nation) wake up and refine ourselves through this tribulation by first reevaluating ourselves and our understanding of Al-Islam, to study the pure Tawheed, to understand the meaning of Laa ilaah ill Allaah properly, and then to manifest that 'Aqeedah in our political work and in our actions, beginning with the replacement of the Musharraf regime and the reunification of all Muslim lands under one leader.

Farouk ibn Salih al Mahmoud (Tunisia)

Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jammah

Additional sayings from the salaf(our pious predecessors) to take lessons from:

A 'Tabi came to the house of Aisha and said O mother of the believers, tell us about earthquakes, Aisha said anytime zina (fornication) becomes rife and a lot of wine is drunk, consumed, and musical instruments becomes rife, singing girls, the earth rebels against the crimes that are being committed on top of her so she shakes and causes buildings to tumble down and swallow the people up so the Tabi said how are we supposed to interpret this (i.e. natural disasters earthquakes), she said a punishment for the disbelievers and a reminder to the believers, so in these times with events like these happening around us we are supposed to take lesson as it is a sign of Allah and RETURN to our deen.

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “Allaah sometimes gives the earth permission to breathe, which is when major earthquakes happen; this makes people feel scared, so they repent, give up sins, pray to Allaah and feel regret [for their sins]. When there had been an earthquake, some of the Salaf said: your Lord is warning you. When Madeenah was struck by an earthquake, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allaah be pleased with him) addressed the people and said: if there is another earthquake, I will not stay here with you.”