Q. Could you please comment on the recent floods that took place in Asia. I live in Canada and Christian leaders here are saying that the disaster shows that Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists are on the wrong tracks, because only Christians have been largely spared the disaster. Could this be due to the fact that the social welfare system in their countries is better than what we see in many Muslim countries?
K.M. Azfar
A. In principle, no one can speak for God unless he receives revelations from on high. Since no one receives revelations except a prophet, and prophethood has been sealed with the end of the Prophet Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) life, then no one speaks for God with any authority. This means that no one can say that such and such an event means that God wants this or that. Therefore, if someone suggests that God’s purpose behind a particular event or the working of any phenomenon is to accomplish a particular objective, then such a person is assuming the mantle of God’s spokesman. No one has been given such an authority.
What we can say is that God has a definite purpose behind any event, and His purpose is known only to Himself unless He wishes to make it known to us in one way or another. We can add our understanding of what the event may achieve, without ever attributing this understanding to God.
Leaders of different religions suggested that the tsunami disaster which resulted in the death of nearly a quarter of a million people was a punishment by God. I do not think that it is right from the Islamic point of view to make such a statement. If it is a punishment, then was everyone who died in the disaster a sinner deserving such a punishment? Besides, since when is the death of a person considered a punishment? The best people in human history, the prophets chosen by God to deliver His message, have all died. Were they punished? Or is it the form of death that is the punishment? The Prophet’s own uncle was disfigured after he was killed in battle. Some of the noblest people met very tragic or violent deaths, but this does not reflect on their standing with God.
Or is it the collective death of such a number of people that condemns a community or a religion? Natural and man-made disasters are frequent in history and they affect all communities and all faiths. Christian leaders who say that since the number of Christian deaths in the tsunami disaster is low, then the Christian faith is the true one, should remember that the two world wars of the twentieth century, which resulted in millions of deaths, affected mainly Christian countries in Europe. Does that mean that the Christian faith was wrong in the last century and good in the present one? Other disasters affected Christian Europe over the centuries, such as the plague, the Black Death, and repeated wars. Earthquakes and hurricanes are frequent in the US. Which of these calamities were divine punishment and which were not?
The fact is that God has operated certain laws and natural phenomena in this world, and these may bring about some natural disasters in different areas at different times. Such disasters may affect people of all faiths. These should remind all mankind that they should believe in God’s oneness and worship Him alone if they want to be spared His punishment in the life to come.
If you consider that the tsunami disaster was the result of a powerful earthquake lasting no more than a few seconds, yet drowning people many thousand miles away, what will be the state of the world should God cause an earthquake, ten times more powerful and lasting minutes instead of seconds? Let us reflect on the surah that begins with these verses: “When the earth is rocked by her (final) earthquake, when the earth shakes off her burdens, and man asks: ‘What is the matter with her?’” (99: 1-3)
This is a reference to an earthquake that ends human life and ushers the Day of Judgment. We need to keep the arrival of that day in front of our minds, because such remembrance will make us more cautious, allowing ourselves only what is lawful
Prayer and Travel
Q.1. Could you please clarify what the relevant Qur’anic verse that permits shortening 4-rak’ah prayers during travel says about being in fear of the designs of unbelievers. May I ask whether it is permissible to offer prayers in one’s seat when travelling by coach or plane?
Q.2. It is often the case that during prayer our thoughts wander around and disturb concentration. Attempts to eliminate such thoughts are often unsuccessful. How to eliminate them?
Q.3. It is well known that taking a bath or shower is obligatory in certain circumstances. Sometimes it is very difficult to take a shower before Fajr in winter, because of the cold weather. Can there be any relaxation of this rule?
S. Malik
A.1. The element of fearing the unbelievers as a condition for shortening prayers during travel is waived. A highly authentic Hadith mentions that Umar asked the Prophet about it, and the Prophet said to him: “It is a kindly gift God has granted you; so accept God’s gift.” (Related by all six). There are many Hadiths that confirm this. Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim says: “The Prophet used to shorten every 4-rak’ah prayer from the moment he started his travel until he returned to Madinah. It has never been authentically reported that he completed a single 4-rak’ah prayer during travel. Needless to say, there was no risk of conflict on several of his travels.
Praying on one’s seat in a plane or coach is certainly permissible if one is offering a voluntary prayer. As for the obligatory one, it is permissible on the plane if you board your flight before the prayer is due and you fear that you will miss it if you leave it until you arrive. It is not acceptable on the coach, because it is always possible to stop a coach for a few minutes to pray, and coaches do not travel too many hours at a time.
A.2. One should always try to concentrate on prayer, and the best way is to reflect on the meaning of what one is reading or saying. However, even then, thoughts may wander. This does not detract from the validity of prayer. It is well known that Umar planned the strategy of some battles Muslim armies were fighting when he was in prayer.
A.3. There can be no relaxation of this rule. If water is available then a shower or a bath is needed to remove the state of ceremonial impurity. It seems to me that the way out for you is to have your shower before you sleep. This is infinitely better from the religious point of view, and also from the health point of view.
As for your second question, it is the duty of both man and wife to help each other to maintain their chastity.
As for the third point you mentioned, it carries all five rulings of permissibility and prohibition, ranging from outright forbidden to obligatory, according to individual cases and situations. The situations that carry prohibition or obligation rulings are rare, however.
