A few moments ago, many of us experienced an earthquake. Our good-old, reliable earth that we take for granted was shifting and lurching beneath our feet, rattling our windows and furniture. Our hearts jumping up into our throats. No matter how big a firaun or saintly a worshipper one is, it took just a split second for us to realise: it's out of our hands. This is Allah (SWT)'s Power. This happened with His Command, and may He Forbid, out of His Anger.
Let us ponder upon just two things after this enormous sign.
Firstly, what were we doing at the time of the earthquake?
Had our time come then, would we have been satisfied? As the Hadith says, "Verily the deeds done, depend upon the last actions." (Bukhari - 6493). Were we praying, reading Quran, or at least doing something productive? Or were we scrolling TikTok, watching haram videos or listening to music?
Secondly, what do we do next? The answer is istighfar, istighfar, and more istighfar. Repentance is a sure protection against calamities. With every shift of the ground beneath us, we saw our lives flash before our eyes. Let us not turn a blind eye to this huge warning from our Creator. Let us resolve from this very moment, "Ya Allah, ainda nahi". From now on, we sincerely repent. From now on, we will live a life that will be befitting of a good ending.
May Allah (SWT) have mercy on us, forgive us, and protect us all.
اللَّهُمَّ لاَ تَقْتُلْنَا بِغَضَبِكَ وَلاَ تُهْلِكْنَا “
بِعَذَابِكَ وَعَافِنَا قَبْلَ ذَلِكَ
O Allah, do not kill us with Your wrath, and do not destroy us with Your punishment, and pardon us before that “
[Jami’ at-Tirmidhi - 3450]
