The Turkey-Syria Earthquake: A Test Of Patience And Gratitude

Jumu'ah Khutbah — Lessons from the Turkey-Syria Earthquake

My dear respected brothers, elders, sisters in Islam, young students — Assalamu Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.

Indeed, our hearts are filled with grief and our eyes with tears when we see the scenes of tragedy that are unfolding in the Muslim world in general, but particularly this week in Turkey and Syria, and this earthquake that has happened. The extent of the loss of life and the damage is unprecedented, and hardly there can be any heart which is not affected by what we are witnessing.

And as in every other aspect of life — the good times or the bad times, those conditions that make us laugh and those conditions that make us cry, those that fill our hearts with happiness or sadness — we always go back to the Quran and the Sunnah to see what guidelines we find from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and from the beloved, our master, Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.

So there are many different lessons we can draw from these tragedies.

Lesson One: This Life is a Test

First of all, we have to realize that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is Al-Hakeem, the Wise. And in every action that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala does, there are different wisdoms — some that we may be able to comprehend and others that are beyond our comprehension. But the fact of the matter is that the action of the Wise is never devoid of wisdom.

And we need to be reminded of the fact that this life that we are all going through — in reality, it is a test from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Every condition that we are going through is a test from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. The entire system of life and death — Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says He is the one who has created life and death to test you: who amongst you is good in their actions.

And the forms of tests that come from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala vary in nature. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala sometimes tests through health and wealth and happiness and good conditions — are we going to be grateful to Him and attribute these blessings to Him or not? And that is a test of shukr, which is an easier test.

And sometimes Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will test through loss of life and sickness and poverty and hardship. And this is the harder of the two tests. This is the test of sabr. And we ask from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala — there is no way we can escape the test — but we ask from Allah that He grant us the test of shukr and He protects us from having to undergo the test of sabr. Regardless, we will have to go through one of the two tests. There is no way out. This is the Sunnatullah — this is the way of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

Between the two tests, if somebody is granted by Allah the test of sabr and they are able to pass it, no doubt their rank will be higher — not that we should seek it, because we are not ready for it. But if it does come our way and we are faced with the test of sabr, then we can have that consolation that if we are able to pass it, then the rank will be higher in the eyes of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

As Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said: the severest trials amongst people are those that the Anbiya (peace be upon them) must face. Why do they have the severest trials? Because they are at the highest status. Then those next in rank, then those next in rank.

(Sunan al-Tirmidhī, Hadith 2398; also reported in Sahih al-Bukhārī and Sahih Muslim)

When an individual goes through these tests and is patient, first he goes through the stage of forgiveness of sins. And a time comes, as Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said, that a person is tested based on the level of his deen. And if his deen is strong, the test will increase and increase — until a time comes that he is walking on the surface of the earth and he does not have a single sin left in his account. He is still alive. It's not that on the Day of Judgment Allah will forgive his sins at that point — he is going through so many tests and trials in his life that all of his sins are forgiven while he is still walking on the surface of the earth.

Now the test may still continue after that, even though the forgiveness-of-sins level has now been passed. Now we jump into the next level, which is called Elevation of Status — just like the Anbiya (peace be upon them). When they are going through tests and trials, there is no concept of forgiveness of sins; they start off with a continual elevation of status. Why is there no forgiveness of sins? For the simple reason that they do not have sins to begin with, because by definition the Anbiya are Ma'soom — divinely protected from major and minor sins, prior to and post prophethood.

So therefore, if there is an objection — if the question comes regarding the ayah:

This is Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala saying: even if you would have committed a sin, it would have been forgiven. Or even if he had made a mistake in judgement — which is not considered a sin — Allah has forgiven that. So for the Anbiya (peace be upon them), the tests are a means of elevation of their status.

Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said: "I have been harmed for the sake of Allah in the path of Allah in such a manner that no one has been harmed like me before. I have been tortured in the path of Allah like no one has been tortured before." So the higher the rank of an individual, the greater their test will be. So the Anbiya (peace be upon them) were tested.

The reward is for both — but the test of the Sabir is greater. Like Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said: the one who is eating food and says الحمد لله will be rewarded just like the one who is fasting and not eating food and is making sabr. So they are similar with respect to both receiving a reward, but the level of the reward of the Sabir is greater than that of the Shakir. And the principle for that is that the reward is proportionate to the mujahada, and the test of sabr is harder, so the reward is greater.

Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said: the greater rewards come with the greater trials. When Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala loves someone, He will make him go through the test. If there were somebody who would be exempted from tests and trials, it would be the most beloved creation — but this is the Sunnat of Allah that the most beloved creation had the most trials. There is just no way to escape it. This is called Sunnatullah — the way Allah has decreed that He will deal with His creation. There will be no change in that.

(Sunan al-Tirmidhī, Hadith 2396)

The one who is pleased with the decree of Allah will earn the pleasure of Allah. The one who is displeased with the decree of Allah will earn the displeasure of Allah. So there is a parallel system of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala — the way we deal, that is how Allah deals with us. So if we declare our pleasure with whatever Allah decreed for us, then Allah will declare His pleasure with us. And if we express our displeasure with His decision, then Allah will show His displeasure to us. May Allah protect us from that.

That is why even if a person has a sickness or a flu or a cold, then when you go and make du'a for him, we use these words of consolation and say: "Do not worry, do not grieve — these are a means of purification from sins." Meaning: as you are suffering through the sickness, your sins are being forgiven.

In fact, it comes in a hadith of Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam that if a person has misplaced something and there is a little level of minor tension — for example, you misplaced your keys, then you go out in the parking lot after Jumu'ah and you are thinking where are my keys, then you just think for a few moments and you realize you left them when you went to make wudu, then you go back and find them — how much anxiety is that? How much pressure is that? Not much at all. But even for that amount of pain and difficulty, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will use that as a means of forgiving of our sins.

And those that are facing these greater trials — a glad tiding for them is that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will consider them, insha'Allah, amongst the shuhada. As Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said, there are many different categories of shuhada, and in this hadith he mentions five:

(Sahih al-Bukhārī, Hadith 2829; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1914)

The one who dies from a plague — like those of our beloved ones who died in the coronavirus pandemic, we hope that they will be considered shuhada. And those who die from diseases of the stomach. Those who die from drowning. And the one who dies when the building collapses — in an earthquake, under the debris, as we are seeing. And those who die in the path of Allah.

The Honor of the Muslim — Alive and Dead

And as was reminded by one of our beloved brothers — when people are expressing their grief and they are screaming and crying, wailing, pulling their hair out, or overcome by extreme sadness — this is not the time for them to be filmed. Whether the people in the media are doing that, that is their sin. And if people are exposed when they are vulnerable, or physically their body is exposed — and the awrah which Allah has given, for the females and the males, that their privacy should be covered — if that is exposed and then those images are taken, videos are made and then shared, that is a violation of their privacy, a violation of their honor, and this would be considered dishonoring them. So we should not share these things, nor should we forward them, nor should we seek them out.

The reality doesn't mean that we forget about them and ignore them and do not have concern for them — absolutely not. As far as the facts are concerned, we should be aware of them. And we should sincerely make du'a from the bottom of our hearts. We should cry — and frankly, the shaykh himself cannot hold back tears when we see what is going on. But it doesn't mean that we share such images, because we have to maintain the honor of the Muslim. The honor of the Muslim is when he is alive. The honor of the Muslim is even when he dies. SubhanAllah.

Even the dead body — there are etiquettes and adab for it. When a person is washing a dead body, he still does not expose the mayyit's body. You are literally performing the ghusl of the dead body — how is it done? You cover the body with a sheet and you pass the water over, and you place your hand — you have additional people required just to hold the sheet, and with a glove you pass your hand under the sheet with a sponge to wash the body. From the navel to the knee of the male, the body is dead, and still we are maintaining the privacy.

And it is also mentioned in the hadith that when washing a dead body, if you end up seeing something — perhaps in the jahiliyyah of the person, we hope he made tawbah before he died, he may have gotten a tattoo on a part of the body which was concealed his whole life and now when you are washing the body you saw it — then this is an amanah that you are not supposed to share. And talking about that after the body is dead — about what you saw — is considered a major sin, a khiyanah, and a breach of trust. So much less when they are still alive.

So this is the first lesson: to realize that this is a test. We make du'a that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala makes them successful in this test of sabr. And we make du'a to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that He does not afflict us with such a test of sabr.

We have to realize that whatever conditions we are enjoying — we cannot rest assured that those conditions will always remain. If we show ingratitude to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for His blessings, then Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala can change those conditions.

Whatever good conditions you are enjoying, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says that He will not change them into bad conditions until you yourself change. And Allah ta'ala gives the example of cities in the past — that they were peaceful and secure, and they had rizq and provision coming from all sides. However, instead of being thankful to Allah for the blessings, they were unthankful. And as a result, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala changed the conditions and brought fear and poverty upon them. May Allah protect us all.

Lesson Two: A Sign of the Day of Judgment

The second lesson is that we should remind ourselves that this is one of the signs of the Day of Judgment. Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said:

(Sahih al-Bukhārī, Hadith 1036)

"The Day of Judgment will not come until knowledge will be uplifted, and the earthquakes will occur more violently and in greater frequency, and time will start passing quickly, and calamities, trials, and tribulations will become more apparent, and haraj will increase." The Sahaba said, "What is haraj, O Messenger of Allah?" He said:

(Sahih al-Bukhārī, Hadith 1036)

"It is senseless killing and murdering — such that the killer will not know why he is killing, and the one who is killed will not know why he was killed." So the mass shootings, indiscriminate shelling, the aerial bombardment, and the collateral damage, and the drones attacking — all of this is from the signs of the Day of Judgment, as well as the earthquakes.

Lesson Three: Reflecting on the Power of Allah

The third lesson for us to remind ourselves — and the time is ending so I am moving faster — is for us to reflect on the power and might and grandeur of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, and how minuscule we are as a creation of Allah.

We are very weak human beings. And we feel that we are in charge of our destiny and we control our lives, whereas the reality is that we are completely dependent upon Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala every single moment of our existence.

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala — His being is As-Samad:

As-Samad is that being that has two parts to the translation. As-Samad is that being that is absolutely independent of the entire creation, and at the same time the entire creation is entirely dependent upon Him. This is highlighted when our teacher would say that the translation normally done in Urdu is only half — because they translate As-Samad as Beniaz, meaning that being which is independent of His creation. But it doesn't include the meaning that the entire creation is also dependent upon Him. So these two meanings together form a full, complete translation of As-Samad.

So Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is independent of His creation and we are dependent upon Him — dependent upon Him in coming into existence and remaining in existence. And this earth, which we feel is the most absolutely firm thing we are standing upon — the firm earth we are standing upon — that can also shake at any moment. And everything that we are so attached to can come crumbling down, as we are seeing in front of us. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has that Qudra.

And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will bring a great earthquake — and that earthquake will happen throughout the world. These are the ayat that I mentioned in the beginning. Those are the earthquakes that will take place when the Day of Judgment will be established:

When the trumpet will be blown, there will be a major earthquake. And that is the earthquake Allah speaks of in Surah Az-Zalzalah:

When the greatest earthquake will occur, the earth will open up and throw out its occupants — meaning the graves, the bodies will be coming out. The human beings, out of horror, will see what is going on. On that day the earth will begin to give the detailed news and report of all that occurred on it. It will testify.

Likewise, Allah speaks about the Zalzalah at the opening of Surah Al-Hajj:

O mankind, fear your Lord. Verily the earthquake of the Hour — which Hour? The Hour of the Day of Judgment — is a very great earthquake. That day you will see it: every mother who is suckling her baby will throw away her baby; every pregnant woman will abort her fetus; and you will see the people as if they seem drunk — but they are not drunk — but the torment of Allah is severe.

So we have to remind ourselves — when we see these scenes of destruction — to remind ourselves about the Yawm al-Qiyamah. And we have to prepare ourselves for that day. May Allah Ta'ala make it easy for us.

Lesson Four: Our Responsibility to Help

Moving forward, another lesson for us is that when we see these people, we cannot say: "Oh! This is a test of Allah upon you — and you deal with it." Rather, our responsibility is to help, to make du'a to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for them, and to help to the best of our ability. Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said:

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2699)

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will be helping the slave as long as he is helping his Muslim brother. Whoever will hide the fault of a Muslim brother, Allah will hide his fault on the Day of Judgment. Whoever will help his Muslim brother, Allah will help him when he needs help on the Day of Judgment. So helping the Muslim brothers is an obligation and we must do whatever we can.

That is why we have sent out the messages in our groups as well. There is a Diyanet Center from the Turkish government — this is a branch of the Turkish government, and they are the ones running all the masajid in Turkey and all the institutions. So insha'Allah the money will go directly to those in need in Turkey. And there is also the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) — they already have hospitals and infrastructure in place in the affected regions in Syria. Whatever hospitals they themselves had in Idlib and the northwest regions near the Turkish border have been destroyed. They need to be rebuilt and they definitely need our assistance.

So these are the two organizations that we have sent out on our platforms — in media, on our website, and on the different WhatsApp groups and events groups. We urge that we should definitely donate as much as we can — beyond what we can — insha'Allah to these organizations. As well as Helping Hand is here today to help collect for them. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala give us tawfiq to donate generously, and make the intention that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala protect us from such a predicament as well — as we have no feather in our cap and we do not deserve the safety and security that we are enjoying here.

So let us make du'a. It is a win-win situation for us if we make du'a. Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said:

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2732)

Whenever we make du'a for safety, security, hidayah, guidance, fadl, mercy of Allah for anyone — then we as sinners are making du'a for them. But in return, we get the ameen of the angels for us, and they will make du'a and say: وَلَكَ بِمِثْلٍ — "May you get the same." They may be receiving the du'a of us as sinners, but we will end up receiving the du'a of the innocent angels of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

So there is nothing to lose in making du'a. It is only for our own gain — even from the most selfish perspective. Making du'a for someone is not even a selfless act; it could be a selfish act. Because who is going to receive the benefit? You yourself will receive the benefit, as well as you will insha'Allah become a means of others benefiting as well. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala give us tawfiq.

Conclusion

So these are some of the lessons that we can take home from this tragedy. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala allow us to remind ourselves of the power of Allah, remind ourselves about the Day of Judgment, remind ourselves about the fact that this is a test and trial, and remind ourselves that this could happen to us in any given moment — that we can never consider ourselves to be immune from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala catching us.

Do they feel that they are immune from Allah's wrath and Allah's planning? This is the lot of the khasiroon — those who are the losers. They are those who feel they are immune. We can never for a second regard ourselves to be immune. We always have to be fearing Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to the last moment.

May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala make this an opportunity for the Ummah to come together and to help those in need. And may Allah make this become an opportunity for us to soften our own hearts and cry in front of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and change our priorities and focus in life before it is too late.

Announcements

Please press the donation boxes from left to right. Donate generously. Sadaqah in times of calamity draws the mercy of Allah Ta'ala. Specifically, there is a greater reward for donating on Jumu'ah as Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam mentioned.

Please do not park on the curb parking behind the seminary building or on the main highway going out to the parking lot. There are no parking signs posted and we have also placed cones to prevent individuals from parking at these locations. Alhamdulillah, we have ample parking with the new acquisition of the lot. So please observe these regulations from the Khidamah brothers in the parking.

Please note that we have a monthly seminar, Keys to a Fulfilling Marriage, with Brother Farhan Ahmed who is the founder of Ihsan Coaching. We invite everyone to join us after 'Isha Salah tonight to learn the keys to feeling more fulfilled within our marriages. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said: "Marriage is a half of your deen." Insha'Allah, Brother Farhan Ahmed will be discussing effective communication skills, conflict resolution, the importance of friendship, and various other challenges that married couples face.

Likewise, there is a Girls Youth Halaqah — join us this Friday, February 10th, from 5:45 to 7:45 p.m. This is for the young sisters — Sisters Youth Halaqah, bi-weekly, conducted by our 'Alimah students, the graduating 6th-year 'Alimah (Dorah Hadith) students. This will be in the Darul Islam Seminary Sisters Prayer Hall. This is for sisters only, ages 13 to 21.

The weekly programs, again quickly: Team Fajr on Saturday — tomorrow, Fajr Iqamah at 6:15 a.m. The Bukhari Dars will resume on Monday nights from February 13th to Tuesday. The Tafsir program will continue with Surah Al-Mu'minun. Weekly Salawat gathering on Thursdays after 'Isha Salah. And there is a students' program for high school and college students on Friday, February 17th, after 'Isha — a program from the Da'wah Brothers.

Helping Hand for Relief and Development (HHRD) — their representative is outside with flyers to help those who are suffering in Syria and Turkey.

There is a request for du'a shifa' for Brother Zahir Siddiqui — he has an open heart surgery today.

Jazakumullahu Khayran. Please straighten the lines, stand shoulder to shoulder, and fill in the gaps.