Friday Sermon: The Attitude of Believers in Facing Disasters

By: Ali Farkhan Tsani, Preacher of Al-Fatah Islamic Boarding School Cileungsi, Bogor and Journalist for Mi’raj News Agency

إِنّ الْحَمْدَ لِلَّهِ نَحْمَدُهُ وَنَسْتَعِيْنُهُ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ وَنَعُوْذُ بِاللهِ مِنْ شُرُوْرِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَسَيّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللهُ فَلاَ مُضِلّ لَهُ وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلاَ هَادِيَ لَهُ.  أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لاَ إِلهَ إِلاّ اللهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنّ مُحَمّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُوْلُه
اَللهُمّ صَلّ وَسَلّمْ عَلى مُحَمّدٍ وَعَلى آلِهِ وَأَصْحَابِهِ وَمَنْ تَبِعَهُمْ بِإِحْسَانٍ إِلَى يَوْمِ الدّيْن
اما بَعْدُ  أَيُّهاَ اْلحَاضِرُوْنَ اْلمُسْلِمُوْنَ حَفِظَكُمُ اللهُ أُوْصِيْكُمْ وَإِيَّايَ بِتَقْوَى اللهِ
يَاأَيّهَا الّذَيْنَ آمَنُوْا اتّقُوا اللهَ حَقّ تُقَاتِهِ وَلاَ تَمُوْتُنّ إِلاّ وَأَنْتُمْ مُسْلِمُوْنَ
يَاأَيّهَا الّذِيْنَ آمَنُوْا اتّقُوا اللهَ وَقُوْلُوْا قَوْلاً سَدِيْدًا يُصْلِحْ لَكُمْ أَعْمَالَكُمْ وَيَغْفِرْلَكُمْ ذُنُوْبَكُمْ وَمَنْ يُطِعِ اللهَ وَرَسُوْلَهُ فَقَدْ فَازَ فَوْزًا عَظِيْمًا

Brothers and sisters in Islam, may Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala glorifies you all

On the occasion of this Friday sermon let us always increase our faith, piety, and at the same time increase our gratitude to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala, for the countless gifts of blessings, which are bestowed upon us at any time.

To realize that gratitude, let us always say “Alhamdulillah” in every situation. We have to admit, the blessings that Allah Ta’ala has bestowed upon us, are still more numerous than the misfortunes we experience.

With that gratitude, may Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala always love us, forgive all mistakes and sins, and provide a way out of every problem we face.

Brothers and sisters in Islam, may Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala glorifies you all

On this occasion, the preacher will convey the title of the sermon: “The Attitude of Believers in Facing Disasters.”

Let us reflect again on the words of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala contained in the Al-Quran Surah Al-Baqarah verses 155-157:

وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُمْ بِشَيْءٍ مِّنَ الْخَوْفِ وَالْجُوْعِ وَنَقْصٍ مِّنَ الْاَمْوَالِ وَالْاَنْفُسِ وَالثَّمَرٰتِۗ وَبَشِّرِ الصّٰبِرِيْنَ
اَلَّذِيْنَ اِذَآ اَصَابَتْهُمْ مُّصِيْبَةٌ ۗ قَالُوْٓا اِنَّا لِلّٰهِ وَاِنَّآ اِلَيْهِ رٰجِعُوْنَۗ
اُولٰۤىِٕكَ عَلَيْهِمْ صَلَوٰتٌ مِّنْ رَّبِّهِمْ وَرَحْمَةٌ ۗوَاُولٰۤىِٕكَ هُمُ الْمُهْتَدُوْنَ

“We will certainly test you with some fear and hunger, lacking treasure, souls and fruits. Convey (O Prophet Muhammad,) good news to the patient people. (ie) people who, when disaster strikes, they say “Innā lillāhi wa innā ilaihi raji’ūn” (truly we belong to Allah and verily only to Him we will back). It is they who receive forgiveness and mercy from their Lord and they are the ones who are guided.” (QS Al-Baqarah: 155-157).

In Jalalain’s Tafsir it is explained, indeed We (Allah Ta’ala) will give you trials in the form of a little fear of enemies, hunger, famine, lack of wealth due to the coming of calamity, and souls due to killing, death and disease, and fruits due to drought. It means We will test you, whether you are patient or not. And convey the good news to those who are patient that they will receive a reward for their patience in the form of heaven.

As for the disaster, it can be something that descends from above, such as: hailstones, storms, thunder that thunders, including viruses that spread in the air and others. While calamities from below take the form of: earthquakes, flash floods, landslides, uncontrolled inflation, rampant crime, and so on.

Brothers and sisters in Islam, may Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala glorifies you all

Believers should realize that the essence of all events that occur in the universe, whether in the form of gifts or calamities, includes the earthquake that befell our brothers and sisters in Turkiye, Syria and the surrounding areas. So the attitude of believers is:

First, earthquakes as a sign of God’s power.

Realizinh that everything that happens in this world is by the permission and will of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala, as His word:

مَآ اَصَابَ مِنْ مُّصِيْبَةٍ اِلَّا بِاِذْنِ اللّٰهِ ۗوَمَنْ يُّؤْمِنْۢ بِاللّٰهِ يَهْدِ قَلْبَهٗ
Meaning: “There is no calamity that befalls (a person), except with the permission of Allah. Whoever believes in Allah, He will guide his heart. Allah is All-Knower of all things.” (QS At-Taghabun [63]: 11).

Second, returning (istirja’) to Allah and asking Him for help.

In a hadith narrated by Imam Muslim from Umu Salamah, he heard the Prophet sallallaahu ‘Alaihi Wasallam have said:

ما من عبدِ تُصِيْبُهُ مُصِيْبَةٌ فَيَقُوْلُ: إِنَّالِلّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيهِ راجِعُوْنَ اللّهُمَّ أَجِرْنِى فِى مُصِيْبَتِى, وَاخْلُفْ لِى خَيْرَ مِنْهَأ , إِلاَّأَجَرَهُ اللّهُ فِى مُصِيْبَتِهِ, وَخَلَفَ لَهُ خَيْرَا مَنْهَأ

“Whatever calamity befalls a servant, let him say, “Indeed, we belong to Allah and we will return to Him. O Allah, reward me for this calamity, and replace it with a better one.’ Then Allah will reward the calamity, and Allah will replace it with a better one.” (Muslim HR).

Third, increase istighfar, muhasabah and take wisdom.

Make istighfar, ask Him for forgiveness, may Allah be willing to forgive all our mistakes and sins, replace the disaster with a better gift, more blessing and benefit, and bring us all closer to Him.

In connection with earthquakes, during the time when the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasalam) was in Medina, there had been an earthquake. When he put his hands on the earth, he said: “Calm down (O earth), because your time has not yet come.”

Then, the Prophet turned his face to his companions and said, “Indeed, your Lord is really rebuking you, so pay attention to His rebuke.”

Earthquakes also occurred during the time of Caliph Umar bin Khattab Radhiyallahu anhu. Facing the earthquake at that time, Umar bin Khattab remembered the words of the Prophet sallallaahu alaihi wasalam, “Indeed, your Lord rebukes you, so do good deeds so that Allah is pleased with you!”

Caliph Umar bin Khattab also reminded the Muslims at that time to stay away from immorality and immediately repent to Allah. He reminded that in fact disasters are God’s verses to show His power.

Ibnul Qoyyim Al-Jauziyah in the book “Al-Jawabul Kafy” reveals, “Sometimes Allah shakes the earth with great shocks, creates fear, so that humans return and submit to Allah, leave disobedience and regret their mistakes.”

Brothers and sisters in Islam, may Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala glorifies you all

Fourthly, disasters that occur in other places become fields of good deeds for other believers.

The earthquake that befell our brothers and sisters in Turkey and its surroundings, as well as other calamities in various places, is actually a ground for good deeds for residents and other Muslims to help each other those affected by the disaster.

We can provide or distribute assistance to those affected by disasters, starting from sending search and rescue volunteers or SAR Teams, medical personnel to treat injured victims, logistical assistance, fast food, drinking water, clothing, blankets, emergency signs for shelter, and etc. This includes reporting and broadcasting accurate and useful information for the next follow-up.

About this, as was done during the time of Umar bin Abdul Aziz when an earthquake occurred. Then, he immediately sent a letter to the entire Waly Negeri, saying, “Indeed this earthquake is a rebuke from Allah to His servants, and I order the entire country to leave on a certain day, so whoever has wealth, let him give charity. ”

Fifth, take lessons from disasters

Furthermore, when calamities and disasters occur, believers should be able to take lessons, learn valuable lessons from each incident, as a provision for pursuing the next life.

Disasters come, in fact so that humans realize that they are creatures that are very weak and destitute before God.

Dr. Aid Al-Qarni in his famous book, “Laa Tahzan”, says, calamities and disasters are sent down to humans, to show that only Allah is the Almighty. Allah is Al-Jabbar, He does things according to His will, cannot be regulated, cannot be intervened by His creatures.

However, Allah is also Ar-Rahman and Ar-Rahim, Most Gracious and Most Merciful to all of his servants. Together with the calamity, Allah bestows compassion, in the form of kafarah (sin eraser) for believers.

Aid Al-Qarni quoted the statement of Imam Al-Ghazali who stated, if someone knew the wisdom, pleasures and rewards that Allah has provided for those affected by disaster, humans would undoubtedly face it patiently, calmly and be pleased with all the destiny that was assigned to them.

Another lesson is that all of us, the Government and related disaster management agencies, continue to provide outreach and educate the public about disaster mitigation, to increase awareness of disaster management. For the sake of minimizing the casualties that fall, in the event of a disaster.

Authorities and related parties also need to think about and educate the public about the need for earthquake-resistant buildings, how to save themselves during an earthquake, what to do, whether there is an alarm that immediately sounds in earthquake-prone areas and so on.

This is mainly because almost most of Indonesia’s territory is on the potential earthquake plate. This is as stated by the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), that Indonesia is an area prone to earthquakes, because it is traversed by the meeting point of three tectonic plates, namely: the Indo-Australian Plate, the Eurasian Plate, and the Pacific Plate.

Based on the potential for natural disasters, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) emphasizes the importance of disaster education for the community, so that they can absorb knowledge of types of disasters and how to deal with them early in the form of acceptance of disaster management knowledge and skills.

Disaster education really needs to be done as learning and an initial introduction to disaster mitigation, which is expected to be in a condition where people are always ready to face disasters and know what actions to take when evacuation occurs.

Brothers and sisters in Islam, may Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala glorifies you all

All calamities that befall humans, especially Muslims, are our joint responsibility as believers, in congregation, by carrying the Islamic mission which is rahmatan lil ‘alamin, to help each other and help those affected by disasters, special wabil that befalls our fellow citizens of the world, in Turkey and its surroundings, at this time.

May Allah always give His protection to all of us, and give us strength and ease to help them relieve their burdens and difficulties. Amen O Lord of the Worlds.

بَارَكَ اللهُ لِيْ وَلَكُمْ فِي الْقُرْآنِ الْعَظِيْمِ، وَنَفَعَنِيْ وَإِيَّاكُمْ بِمَا فِيْهِ مِنَ اْلآيَاتِ وَالذِّكْرِ الْحَكِيْمِ. أَقُوْلُ قَوْلِيْ هَذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ الْعَظِيْمَ . اِنَّهٗ هُوَ الْبَرُّ الرَّحِيْمِ.
(T/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)