It (the hurricane/tornado) is a wind in which there is a painful punishment. It destroys everything (in its path) by the command of its Rabb.”
(Qur’aan)
All the forces of nature are the slaves of Allah Azza Wa Jal. They constitute His Army. The Qur’aan says: “No one knows His armies except He.” The variety of natural disasters – hurricanes, tornadoes, cyclones, wild raging fires, floods, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, etc., – occur by the Command of Allah Azza Wa Jal. Nothing is accidental. The Athaab, in which ever form it is unleashed, accomplishes its task meticulously as decreed. The destruction it wroughts should not be understood to be accidental and haphazard. The Qur’aan Majeed states: “Everything by Allah is according to a fixed measure.”
When the elimination of the nation of Nabi Loot (Alayhis salaam) was decreed, the punishment came in the form of showers of stones from the heaven. The Qur’aan Majeed states: “(The Angels) said: ‘Verily we have been sent to a nation of criminals so that we unleash on them (showers of) brimstones which are specially marked by your Rabb for the transgressors.” (Az-Zaariyaat, Aayat 25)
These natural disasters which are Divine Punishments are signs for Muslims for reflection and deriving lesson. The Qur’aan Majeed states: “And, in the earth are signs for people of firm faith, and (even) in yourselves (are signs), What! Do you not heed (and derive lesson).” – Az-Zaariyaat, 21 and 22. All over the world, natural upheavals in the form of natural disasters are overwhelming nations. Even the kuffaar in the West are now being overtaken by Divine Punishment.
Generally, the kuffaar are not punished on earth for their crimes. They will be adequately recompensed with perpetual Athaab in Jahannam. Therefore, Allah Ta’ala grants them much respite here on earth. However, there are certain crimes for which they too are punished here on earth with universal Athaab. Oppression and sexual perversion are such crimes. When these crimes become universal, then the Athaab overtakes them as well. Consequently, they are being punished for their oppression, homosexuality, gay’ism, lesbianism, abortion and the likes which are among the vilest crimes which they have legalized and granted respectability and acceptability. These are the reasons for the wild fires and hurricanes which are causing great havoc in the U.S.A. and Europe.
As for Muslims, one form of Divine Punishment is the imposition of kuffaar domination. Natural disasters too are forms of Allah’s Athaab for us. Muslims should heed what is happening in the world by way of Allah’s Athaab. No Muslim community will be exempted from the terrible Athaab when all bounds of the Deen have been violated.
In South Africa, the Muslim community should not feel snug in its current state of opulence. The apparent ‘safety’ and indulgence in haram opulence are worldly deceptions which should not cast us into deception regarding the Sunnah of Allah Azza Wa Jal. Take lesson from the plight of the Rohingya Muslims, the Syrian Muslims, the Palestinian Muslims, etc.
The writing on the wall is conspicuous for people of intelligence. The deluges of fisq, fujoor, bid’ah and even kufr of the Muslim masses as well as of the molvis and sheikhs portray vividly the writing on the wall.