Salamun alaykum,
Worst disaster befalls Chile in 50 years :
About two million Chileans are believed to have been affected by massive earthquake of 8.8 magnitude which occurred on Saturday 27th February. The epicentre of the quake was 115km north-east of Concepcion and 325km south-west of the capital Santiago. This was the seventh most powerful on record and the worst disaster to befall Chile in 50 years.
On Wednesday 3rd March, strong aftershocks of magnitude 5.5 and higher were felt in several cities. Officials say 799 people are confirmed to have died, but there are reports of many people still missing.
This tragic occurrence comes close to another major earthquake, measuring 7.0 magnitude on the Richter scale, which struck the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince on 12th January, 2010 where more than 230,000 deaths and one million Haitians displaced have been recorded.
Earthquakes have claimed hundreds of thousands of lives in the last 100 years. It is with great sorrow and sadness we follow these events. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the victims of the massive earthquake. During these moments of anguish let us continue doing fervent prayers to Allah SWT to alleviate their suffering and remove their pains.
Earthquakes : Divine Punishment ?
Such disasters cannot be simply interpreted as punishment from Allah SWT.
The true purpose of a suffering has been hidden from us by Allah SWT in His Mercy and Grace. Allah alone is the One Who knows His exact will.
Though the occurrences of Earthquakes, Tsunamis and other events have been explained on grounds of science we should not forget that these occurrences are signs of Majesty of Allah SWT.
“We will soon show them Our signs in the Universe and in their own souls, until it will become quite clear to them that it is the truth. Is it not sufficient as regards your Lord that He is a witness over all things?”
Sura Al Fussilat 41:53
Such unavoidable incidents remind people that there is a Mighty Power that is the Master of the Universe, and people should resort to serve the Lord of this Universe. Moreover, such painful incidents remind people of the Last Day, which we have been distracted from by the luxury of this life. During such times of disaster /crisis Allah SWT is testing the faith, helpfulness, generosity, sacrifice of His servants in reaching out to others.
Wa ma tawfiqi illa billah
With salaams and duas
Fazle Abbas Datoo
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Resident Alim
Wessex Shia Ithna Asheri Jamaat
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Wessex Shia Ithna Asheri Jamaat. Al Mahdi, Wickham Road, Fareham, Hampshire . PO17 5BU. Reg. Charity Number: 1010076. Tel: 01329 832537. Fax: 02392-529766
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.: Jamaat Web Site: www.almahdi.org.uk:
Project Web Site: www.almahdi.org.uk/almahdiproject
Member of the Council of European Jamaats
Member of Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board
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Wessex Shia Ithna Asheri Jamaat. Al Mahdi, Wickham Road, Fareham, Hampshire . PO17 5BU. Reg. Charity Number: 1010076. Tel: 01329 832537. Fax: 02392-529766
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.: Jamaat Web Site: www.almahdi.org.uk: Project Web Site: www.almahdi.org.uk/almahdiproject
Member of the Council of European Jamaats
Member of Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board