Questions Raised by Natural Disasters

Written by Mr Ayub A. Hamid and received via Mr Ejaz Asi

On seeing the heart wrenching scenes and hearing the tales that fill the eyes with tears and make the hearts bleed, many questions come to people’s minds. Many are wondering aloud, others in their minds. Some are ignorantly likening it to Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala’s punishment that came to previous ummahs and others are even saying things that should not be said.

Are you working to succeed in this test or are you letting yourself to be among those who have opted for miserable failure when the Big Calamity strikes?

Because the world is temporary, Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala has built some faults in its physical make up of this universe. At the appointed time, on Israafeel’s[1] call, one of these faults will instantly trigger the end of the world. In the meantime, the faults in the earth and its atmosphere cause devastations here and there. These calamities are part of the test of hardships and fulfill the following purposes:

1. The pious people are freed from the world and taken to the luxuries of the hereafter; the wicked are taken to the prison of the hereafter.

2. The affected survivors are tested for their faith in Allaah and their attitude to the hardship.

3. Those survivors and all other people of the world are tested to see whether:

a. These calamities make them learn a lesson and focus on preparing for the big calamity that will end this world and bring on the hereafter, or they remain oblivious, continuing their life as usual.

b. They are shaken to remember and submit to Allaah, or their focus remains in this world;

c. They realize that human beings do not have power, but Allaah has the ultimate power, or they remain proud of their own power or impressed with the power of other human beings;

d. They understand the reality that this world and all its sufferings and comforts are temporary and a means of testing, or they expect perfection in the temporary world so that there are no disasters or tests.

e. They complain about the misery that they see, or they seize it as an opportunity to repent, reform, and submit to Allaah in obedience;

f. The best of human qualities overtakes them and they take care of those suffering with love, kindness, compassion, generosity and care, or the worst of their nature shows and they engage in more crimes, provingthemselves to be worse than beasts.

Glimpse of Ejaz’s 10 days in Quake-hit Area

Mr Ejaz came to Islamabad for one day and sent the following message to me and a few others.

Hi

back in islamabad. just took shower after a lapse of 10 days. in between it was only the showers of dust, blood and hope within. Alhamdullillah all of my team members are fine. however, i have to say one thing only at this time about what we did and saw in past 10 days. the destruction was evoked by the Divine hand and this land can only be restored by the Divine hand and Him alone. yes, its true that all the eyes I have seen which mimic life’s relentless struggle are only alive because those eyes had long back learnt how, when and to whom to submit, or else these bodies of dust and dirt wouldn’t have stood something as devastating as what we have seen.

as promised, i maintained my daily diary on pieces of paper under fire but i just threw all of them in neelam river yesterday before coming and to let you know i had already lost my mobile so couldnt contact no body. therefore, pls send your mobile nos., land line nos.

and lets pray in this holy month that Allah cleanses us so we all could become one – part of the Divine plan for being oneness. sorrows or happiness, I have seen that its good to be together werna zeest faqet bikhrao ka bas bahao hei… Peace and love for those who perished in this earthquake and strength for those who have to live the rest of their lives without their loved ones and their smiles.

we leave nothing behind us but fond memories of our spirits who reflect the Divine spirit’s glory and mysteries. Thus I left these valleys with a heavy heart with so many memories and memories alone. Many years from now, when I would visit this place again, I would not see the trees and mountains and rivers of this beautiful area but how once human spirits once again gathered together to demonstrate what an eternity each day may bring in the struggle to seek our destinies. It would remind me of the agony, pain and helplessness of Saiqa and Gulzaman whom I dearly wish to see again. It would also remind me of the shock, denial, resistance and the strength of coming out of this of this brave little child Sajid with whom we walked holding his hands and telling him how he should run to play with his Guddi (kite) or call his murghiyan (hen) and how after so many hours I saw his eyes opening after 16 days leaving so many smiles and reflections of passions in the eyes of mine, arfeen, usman and unaiza.

These mountains would also remind of the unknown mother whose hands I struggled to capture till dr. nancy parker from France operated to cut her leg and she kept screaming of seeing her son’s dead body first before she leaves this world. She survived the surgery but died in front of my eyes of the pain of the fact she may never see her son’s dead body ever again as the rubble was too strong to be drilled by us. This valley would remind me of the glory and misery of human spirit. Of that face I have searched in these rivers and waterfalls and chilly nights. Of how higher can human character and self can lift itself and how all of us had to rise above our personal pains and sorrows.

Of the losses of human bodies and smiles but the rise of human dignity and love at the same time. I would miss all of those with whom I traveled this far, Usman and Hafeez with whom we planned out first relief mission, Arfeen and Dr. Fehmida with whom I had once again shared so many valuable hours, Dr. Hashaam who survived 5 days on Imodium without using toilette (coz there wasn’t any), unaiza who was the only girl volunteer in our team apart from docs and who traveled on mountain top with me alone defying the height of 1600m which we covered in 100minutes, fahad who took care of our food and who had nothing but tears, gratitude and humbleness in his eyes after looking after and serving 1000 patients a day with dr. zahid and everybody else esp. the team of doctors with I worked many of whom would leave for alayee any time soon again despite the end of their leaves from their respective hospitals.

I have no doubt to say that people with whom you may die also share your common destiny and dreams just like those people with whom we choose to live happily ever after.

Long live God’s eternal message of peace, love and harmony.
Regards,
ej

باغ میں زلزلہ کے ایک متاءثر کا 15 اکتوبر کا خط

محمد یعقوب شاہق صاحب کا مکان گر گیا مگر وہ معجزانہ طور پر بچ گئے ۔ وہ اسی وقت امدادی کاروائیوں میں لگ گئے اور ارد گرد کے علاقوں میں بھی کام کیا ۔ انہوں نے باغ اور گرد و نواح کے حالات بیان کئے ہیں ۔

عنوان پر کلک کر کے پڑھیئے ۔ عظیم المیہ

دیکھتا چلا گیا

پہلے نیچے دیئے گئے دو عنوانوں پر کلک کر کہ پڑھئے کہ اتنی بڑی قدرتی آفات کے بعد ہم نے کتنی عبرت پکڑی ہے ۔ ان خبروں کو من گھڑت یا خود ساختہ نہ سمجھئے ۔ اسلام آباد اور رالپنڈی پہنچنے والے کئی متاءثرین نے بھی ایسی باتیں بتائی ہیں ۔

خیمے زخیرہ ہو رہے ہیں

خیمے فوج کی سفارش پر دستیاب

خبریں پڑھنے کے بعد نیچے دیئے گئے عنوان پر کلک کر کے ایک دلچسپ مضمون پڑھئے ۔

غیرسرکاری سچ

آخر میں ایک سنجیدہ اور اہم تحریر جو ہر پاکستانی کے لئے اہم ہے ۔

چند سوال

Laughing at others

Sura 49 AL-HUJRAAT Verse 11
O ye who believe! Let not some men among you laugh at others: It may be that the (latter) are better than the (former): Nor let some women laugh at others: It may be that the (latter are better than the (former): Nor defame nor be sarcastic to each other, nor call each other by (offensive) nicknames: Ill-seeming is a name connoting wickedness, (to be used of one) after he has believed: And those who do not desist are (indeed) doing wrong.