View of Islam on Natural disasters (Part 1)

Natural disasters, blessing or punishment? The role of disasters in human training, inspired by Sahifa Sajjadia

According to the teachings of Sahifa Sajjadia, if people don’t exercise patience and appreciation over the disasters, it will lead to their ruin, and if they use such occurrences for promotion towards God, it will bring them growth and development.

News ID: 444576

Date: 29 April 2019 - 23:51

RNA - Islam has provided the man with programs, both for his/her internal and spiritual affairs and for all his/her individual and societal dimensions. Besides the spiritual issues, this holy religion has dealt with the material areas such as economy and health. Despite the narrow view of the hidebound, the one, attaining the true and pure content of Islam, can advance his life in both mentioned arenas.

Natural disasters are some events that can impact the fate of the man. They are also regarded an obstacle to material development. Depending on how s/he deals with such events, the man prepares the ground for his/her ruin or advancement. Upon such disasters, if s/he objects to God or whether s/he can’t exercise patience, this will lead to his/her ruin and fall.

The development attained by the society can be demolished by the un/natural disasters and events. Poverty, unemployment, fear, anxiety, casualties, destruction of natural resources and damage of facilities are other consequences of disasters that hamper the development of individuals and society.

A single cause doesn’t lead all the said issues; and natural factors, punishment, examination and etc. can be the causes of such maladies. These hardships and problems are experienced by all people and the claim of a life free of hardships, maladies and sorrows is void.

Recognition of such maladies and events and the manner of confrontation with them can play a significant part in the life of the man. The present text is an attempt to collect, introduce and analyse the propositions on the topic of disasters, as presented by Imam Sajjad (AS), and then to recognise it as an obstacle to material development.

Sahifa Sajjadia, and specifically its seventh prayer, deals with “disasters and catastrophes” as an important issue. No work has been found on this topic up to now. It should be mentioned that the explanations of Sahifa Sajjadia, and within the seventh prayer, include some usefully applicable notes.

In Sahifa Sajjdia, Imam Sajjad (AS) points to the obstacles before material development of the man and also provides so many supplications in this regard. He enumerates disasters and events as an obstacle before the material promotion of the man.

Praying and supplication upon the occurrence of disasters and events, besides providing the prayers with acceptance, brings the mercy of God, shortens the time of hardship and reduces the impacts of disasters. In a narrative, Imam Ali (AS) mentions that upon the occurrence of a disasters, the man should make supplication to God, and some narrative of Ahl al-Bayt provide many instructions on supplication and asking God upon the time in which the events occur.

The present research presents the different propositions on disasters and catastrophes in three sections; natural disasters are the main events that the man faces them. The first section of the article is on what mentioned. Sometimes, a disaster happens in order to examine the men, that is a Heavenly examination. It happens for the assessment of people. The subject of Heavenly examination will be presented and analysed in the second section. The third, or the final section, deals with the issue of catastrophe or Heavenly punishment. These sections then will be elaborated on in details.

Natural disasters

Imam Zain al-Abedin (AS), seeking refuge in the Sublime God from the catastrophes and disasters, reminds us of praying and supplication and the way to resolve and avert them. In different prayers, Imam Sajjad (AS) seeks refuge in God against the disasters, hardships of time and calamities, and asks God to present a state of tranquillity void of hardships, sins and wrongdoings.

Imam Sajjad in Sahifa Sajjadia asks for support of God upon the calamities and maladies of the time. Such bitter punishment don't always happen as a punishment or malady, yet they may happen due to natural changes and they lead to hindrance of the development of the society; therefore the fourth Imam seeks refuge in God against the events of the time.

“اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَی مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِهِ، وَ اکفِنَا حَدَّ نَوَائِبِ الزَّمَانِ”; O God! Send greeting and peace to Muhammad and his family and protect us against the maladies of the time.

The Arabic term “حد” means hardship and “نوائب” means those events and calamities happening to people. At this part, Imam Sayyed al-Abedin asks God to not confront the man with events and calamities.

“وَ نَعُوذُ بِک مِنْ ... ینْکبَنَا الزَّمَانُ”, O God! We seek refuge in you, against the hardships of the time.

The term “نکب” literally means calamities and hardships of time. Imams Sajjad (AS) asks God to not only protect him, but also his children and family against the bitter maladies and events of the time.

Sahifa Sajjadiah, stressing the difficulty of calamities and their hampering man’s development, deals with the way of averting their occurrence. Asking for God’s help for providing remedies to these maladies and recognising the Sublimity of God against the littleness of the problems are what Imam Sajjad points to.

This holy book also regards God as the protector of the man against the disasters and events. “وَ تُعِینُهُمْ بِهَا عَلَی مَا اسْتَعَانُوک عَلَیهِ مِنْ بِرٍّ، وَ تَقِیهِمْ طَوَارِقَ اللَّیلِ وَ النَّهَارِ إِلَّا طَارِقاً یطْرُقُ بِخَیرٍ”; and protect them against all diurnal and nocturnal events, except those that bring the glad tiding of future blessings.

The word “طوارق”, is the plural form of “طارق”, meaning the event that happens on days or at nights. But some regard it as proper to be used for those events occurring at nights. God is the true protector of the man and therefore He should be asked for help and aids. The only way of preventing from the occurrence of such events, as regarded by Imam Sajad (PBuH) in different parts of Sahifa Sajjadia, is demanding God.

“أَنْتَ الْمَدْعُوُّ لِلْمُهِمَّاتِ، وَ أَنْتَ الْمَفْزَعُ فِی الْمُلِمَّاتِ، لَا ینْدَفِعُ مِنْهَا إِلَّا مَا دَفَعْتَ، وَ لَا ینْکشِفُ مِنْهَا إِلَّا مَا کشَفْتَ. وَ قَدْ نَزَلَ بِی یا رَبِّ مَا قَدْ تَکأَّدَنِی ثِقْلُهُ، وَ أَلَمَّ بِی مَا قَدْ بَهَظَنِی حَمْلُهُ”, upon all hardship, they call you, and in all calamities and maladies they demand your help, without your help, calamities can’t be warded off and there will be no remedy to maladies. O God! A calamity happened to me and crushed me, and some intolerable hardships have surrounded.

The word “ملمات” means the hardships and maladies of the time. Whatever hardship or malady happening to the men are resolvable, and God is the one who has remedies to all maladies Imam Sayyed al-Abedin says to God that He has mercifully prevented from the occurrence of those hardships and maladies that were to happen to people.

“صَرَفْتَ عَنِّی جَهْدَ الْبَلَاءِ، وَ مَنَعْتَ مِنِّی مَحْذُورَ الْقَضَاءِ. إِلَهِی فَکمْ مِنْ بَلَاءٍ جَاهِدٍ قَدْ صَرَفْتَ عَنِّی، وَ کمْ مِنْ نِعْمَةٍ سَابِغَةٍ أَقْرَرْتَ بِهَا عَینِی”; You kindly prevented from the happening of the hardships and maladies to me and omitted them from my life. O Heaven! You even averted the calamities that were to take my life! And I might recognise whatever blessing you have bestowed upon me through such events! And You also kindly provided me with your great favours!

In Sahifa Sajjadia, Imam Sajjad (AS) seeks God’s help against the calamities and events. The events of the time are caused by the natural disasters that are capable of hindering the man’s promotion. According to Imam Sajjad (AS), asking for Heavenly helps against the problems and recognising his sublimity in face of little problems, is the proper way of confronting such catastrophes.

By: Ali Anjom Shoa

To be continued...

Rasa News Agency

VoI847/940