When Disaster Strikes

By now,

every one of us has seen the pictures and the videos coming out from sort of Kia and Surya and sham about the earthquakes that have afflicted that area this week.

And it's been an emotional week for many of us, especially those among us who have family and friends over there.

But it doesn't take simply having blood relations to feel affected. We've seen in an age of social media where things can spread more easily and more quickly. We've been right along that emotional roller coaster in ways that weren't. That wasn't possible. In previous eras. We've seen scenes that are extremely saddening, such as the man who sat at his daughter's bedside, holding her hand, even after the building had collapsed down on top of her.

We've seen signs and images of hope. We've seen images and videos of the young girl who was laying next to her baby brother,

her hands over his head, protecting him for hours and hours and hours. As they were waiting for help to come.

We've seen symbols and images and videos that inspire or we've seen, there was a gentleman who, when the building collapsed on top of him he was making his liquor.

He died with a test V in his hand.

We've seen images of support and help.

We've seen people with barely enough for themselves, take what little they had even crossed international borders, to come and be on site and do what they can.

Whenever disaster strikes.

Human beings have a tendency to try to make sense of it. We want to know what does it mean. And this is natural because Allah subhanaw taala created us in this way he made us so that we want to seek patterns, we know that the things that are happening in front of us have a greater meaning than just the obvious meaning at face value. Now Allah subhanaw taala says in a theology seminar where it will walk the laughing lady when the hell is in the O'Neill albergue. Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of night and day, there are signs, for those of understanding for people who understand everything around them, and everything that happens is a

sign. It's something that points to a deeper meaning. But it's important. It's important to never let our quest for meaning make us insensitive, or ineffective. What does that mean? How can it make us insensitive? Sometimes, analysis should wait until grief has passed. People need to be given time to express their emotions and to feel the pain. Grief is a natural part of the healing process. And it's not something that we can cut corners and try to hurry along. Remember when the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, his son Ibrahim passed away and the rough man even came to him and notice the Prophet alayhi salatu salam crying and he said to him, even you you're a pseudo Allah. It

was as if he was surprised that the Prophet alayhi salatu salam would express grief. Listen to what the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said for call. You have now fallen in the Hare Rama.

The Prophet alayhi salaatu wa salam said to him, oh son of Earth, this is mercy. From luck allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam in L I enter TEDMED will call by sanel wala Anna Kulu Ilana Yerba Buena we're in NA B fear Aki Kalia Ibaraki moolah Massoud.

Then the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said to him after weeping more, he said, certainly the eyes shed tears and the heart is grieved. But we will not say anything except what pleases our Lord.

And we are saddened by your departure. Oh Ibrahim

grief is mercy the Prophet alayhi salatu salam said it himself Gree is mercy and remember that the Prophet Alayhi Salatu was Salam said methadone Mina Fito pizza de him what's our our homie him? What are puffy him? Methyl just said he either stuck I mean who are balloon? Allah Who said it will just said be sir hurry well hum, multifocal gnarly the Prophet alayhi salatu salam said that the believers are like one body,

in what's in their mutual love for one another, in their mutual mercy for one another, and in their compassion for one another. When one part of the body complains, he said it he set out to a Sudan, the rest responds with fever.

So before we race to interpret what's going on, we should ask ourselves, where is our grief? Where is our mercy? Where is our compassion? Try not to be insensitive. Those are our brothers and sisters.

That Hadith of the Prophet Allah He set out to a Salam is truly miraculous. Because it doesn't simply cover actions of the heart such as love and mercy and compassion. It also covers actions of the body as well. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said that the body responds with fever. We drop what we're doing, we come to the rescue, we do whatever we can. And this is why moving too quickly to interpret events, trying to find the pattern trying to find the meaning it can make us insensitive, but beyond that, it can also make us ineffectual. Sometimes the loudest voices claiming to know that this is Allah's Anger, or This is Allah's punishment, or these are signs of the end

times. Sometimes those loud voices are covering for the fact that they're not really doing anything to help. And yeah, I've been more than a rosy color Rahimullah in Lambton fat who fell out adoro who was a limiter so roofer hola Tengo mucho, WA LM Ted macrophylla, Ted OMA who Yeah, more either Rosie, he said, If you can't benefit somebody, then don't harm him.

If you can't bring joy to somebody, then don't bring distress to them. And if you cannot praise somebody, then don't blame them. People even today might still be under the rubble, it's a race against the clock. Children are coming to the realization that they are orphans, women are coming to the realization that they are widows, we can think about what all this means soon enough. But right now, it's time to roll up your sleeves and help out for those who are able to get there and help in person. And if not, then at least to help financially, with your prayers as well. And if you are not able to help financially, then at least to spread the word and raise awareness and inspire others to

help. But there is a way there is a way to stop us from being both insensitive and ineffective, that has a wider application on everything that happens to us whether it's something as big as a natural disaster, or something else, like our relationships, or our jobs or anything. And this has to do with a change in attitude, and a change in our perspective. How do we do it? We go from asking, What does it mean,

to asking, What does Allah want from me?

You see this all the time, when issues happen between a married couple and believe me, we've got them in our community just like everybody else. They seem to come in bunches just this week, we've got four couples that are going through it that reached out to me, everybody takes their turn. And when you talk to couples and ask them what's going on, they start to tell you what's wrong. They did this and they're doing this and they don't do this enough.

They're making meaning of everything. And this is legitimate. They're expressing how they feel they're expressing their disappointment, and the ways in which maybe they're being wronged. But when you ask them. What do you think Allah wants from

You in this? How do you think Allah wants you to respond to this situation? Then the conversation goes quiet. We don't think about that part too much.

Whatever is going on in your life right now from the biggest disasters to the smallest inconveniences, ask yourself What does Allah subhana wa Taala wants from me right now. A Kulu Khalifa was stuck for Hola Hola, como esta la Muslim minimun Coulee Dam the stock Pharaoh who in the hula hula Rahim?

Alhamdulillah he Allah Sani was shook Allahu Allah has helped you to he wasn't in any way a shadow in La ilaha illallah wa activar la sharika Davi Manisha Annie, while shadow and an OB Anna was saying he didn't know Mohamed and Abdi who was a pseudo who had died. When he sallallahu alayhi. Wa early he was happy he was when he was telling Musa steamin cathedral.

One scene that came out from this week that particularly moved me was a man from Syria.

His house had collapsed. I think he lost 10 family members if I remember correctly.

And he's crying and he's crying, and the camera is rolling.

But he says and he points up to the sky and he says Alhamdulillah

as he's crying as he's in pain,

to me, this man is exactly what we're talking about. There's both grief and submission to Allah subhanaw taala there is pain, and there's patience all wrapped together. He was living the Hadith of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, the eyes weep. The heart is sad. But we only say what pleases Allah.

We look at him, and we are sad. And that's good. That's worship on our part. But don't think that you are necessarily in a better position than he is. Remember the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said, on the Day of Resurrection, when people who have suffered affliction are given their reward. Those who were spared that affliction will wish that their skins had been cut into pieces with blades

when they were in the dunya and the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa salam said, this nation of mine is a nation that has a specific type of mercy. No other nation has had it before. There is no torments for them in the afterlife. But instead, their torment is limited to this world, through tribulations, through earthquakes, through killing and through afflictions.

And the same goes for those who didn't survive. The news tells us that this is a death toll. It's over 20,000 It's not a death toll. It's a Shaheed count. It's a count of the murders, the prophets of Allahu alayhi wa sallam, when he was talking about martyrs. He said that there's five types of martyrs and the alamat. They defied martyrs into three categories. One who has a martyr in this life and the next and one who is a martyr in the next life, or takes the ruling of a martyr and of these five types of people. He said one of them are those who die from their houses collapsing upon them.

And you know what Allah azza wa jal said about the Shaheed well as a cold holy man you could Salafi Serbian Allah He M words, but uh, here

what I can that's a showroom.

Do not say of those who have been killed in Allah's way that they are dead. No, they are alive, even though you cannot sense it.

So we ask Allah azza wa jal to help the people of Turkey. Then we ask Allah azza wa jal to help the people of Syria. And we ask Allah azza wa jal to help the people of Lebanon. And we ask Allah azza wa jal to help all the suffering Muslims of the world. Oh Allah azza wa jal removed from them their sins. Oh ALLAH SubhanA accepts our dead as martyrs. Oh Allah comfort the orphans and the widows that they left behind. Who must Allah wa Sallim wa ala Nabi Rama come and Morocco Morocco hypercall in Allahu la mala you gotta who use saloon Allah Nabhi Yeah, you had Lavina Ave Salalah he was selling who Taslima Allahumma Salli ala Muhammad wa Mohamed que mas all later the Ibrahimi Ibrahim in Cairo,

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