Have fear and consciousness of Allah, subhanahu wa ta’ala, and ponder over events that happen around you. Learn lessons from them and remember, for the intelligent one is he who remembers and takes admonition.
Earthquakes cause thousands of people to die, cause loss of wealth and properties, and force people to seek refuge outside of their dwellings, being without their home and their wealth, and without food and drink. They turned security into fear, richness into poverty, cause families to depart, and turn life into death. Without doubt, in it is a lesson for those who take lessons and a reminder for those who remember, so that they may return to their Lord and their Creator.
The Truthful, the Chosen one (as-Saadiq al-Mustafa), sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, has informed us that a multitude of earthquakes is a sign of the proximity of the Hour. He informed us that they would be many at the end of the time. 
Ahmad relates in a hadith narrated by Abu Hurairah, radhiallahu ‘anhu, that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said: “The Hour will not happen until knowledge is taken out, time passes quickly, earthquakes increase in number, tribulations (fitan) appear, and al-Harj increases in number.” It was said, “What is al-Harj, O Rasoolullah?” He said, “Al Qatl, al Qatl (Killing)”. 
A lot of what is mentioned in this hadith has already materialised.
Happenings of earthquakes and the like from other destructive and disastrous events are the greatest evidence of the astonishing power of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala. Earthquakes are from among the soldiers of Allah, subhanahu wa ta’ala, subjected to His order. He, subhanahu wa ta’ala, causes fear in the hearts of those whom He wills, teaches lessons whom He wills and punishes whom He wills. 
“And none can know the Forces of your Lord, except He.” (74:31)
“For to Allah belong the Forces of the heavens and the earth.” (48:7)
If the Ummah leaves Allah’s Shari’ah, ignores the Deen of Allah ta’ala and follows its enemies, Allah will subjugate it to His armies, which no one knows except He. From among these armies are the earthquakes. 
“Such is the Seizure of your Lord when He seizes the towns while they are doing wrong. Verily, His Seizure is painful and severe.” (11:102) 
“When We decide to destroy a town, We (first) send a definite order (to obey Allah and be righteous) to those among them who are given the good things of this life. Then, they transgress therein, and thus the word (of torment) is justified against (them). Then we destroy it with complete destruction.” (17:16)
Allah, subhanahu wa ta’ala, with this earthquake makes clear to His servants a plain reality, that the kingdom of the heavens and the earth is in His Hands, subhanahu wa ta’ala, and that He is the Irresistible and Dominant over His servants.
Everything is in Allah’s Hands, He has power over all things, and no one in the Heavens and the Earth can weaken Him, subhanahu wa ta’ala. Appearance of the earthquakes therefore points us to a different reality that may be absent in the minds of some people, those who are busy with this world and who are servants of materialism. 
Earthquakes also remind us of the Day of Judgment. The Day when all of the Earth will shake, and not only one part of it. Allah, subhanahu wa ta’ala, says, 
“O mankind! Fear your Lord and be dutiful to Him! Verily, the earthquake of the Hour is a terrible thing. The Day you shall see it, every nursing mother will forget her nursling, and every pregnant one shall drop her load, and you shall see mankind as in a drunken state. Yet they will not be drunken, but the Torment of Allah will be severe.” (22:1-2)
Look what is left after the earthquake from destroyed buildings and houses, deaths of thousands, and families seeking refuge outside of their homes. What state is that in which everyone is running away, caring about nothing? So what do you think of the Day of Judgment? 
“That Day shall a man flee from his own brother, and from his mother and his father, and from his wife and his children.” (80:34-36)
“One the day (when the first blowing of the Trumpet is blown), the earth and the mountains will shake violently.” (79:6)
Allah warns His servants with this earthquake to learn a lesson and be admonished, and to be ready and prepare themselves for the Day of sorting out, the day of the great earthquake, that will shake all of the earth.
Allah has placed in this universe Sunan, fixed and manifest laws, neither do they change nor are they replaceable. He does not have any kinship with anyone, He is the sole Creator and Ruler, and He will question and hold accountable everyone, including prophets and messengers. “Then surely, We shall question those to whom it (the Book) was sent and We shall question the Messengers.” (7:6)
From among the established Sunan of Allah is that He does not send punishment except due to sin and He does not remove it except after repentance. Allah says, “Whatever misfortune befalls you, it is because of what your hands have earned.” (42:30)
Allah the Mighty and Majestic says: “Evil and mischief have appeared on land and sea because of what the hands of men have earned, that Allah may make them taste a part of that which they have done, in order that they may return (by repenting to Allah).” [30:41]
Every disaster and every calamity that befalls the servants is due to their sins and wrongdoing. So know, servants of Allah, what wrongdoing does to its doers.
What has taken Adam and Eve from the Jannah except wrongdoing, and what Has drowned all of the people on the earth at the time of Nuh, to the point that water reached the peak of mountains, except wrongdoing? 
Who is it who sent the furious violent wind upon the people of ‘Aad, so that they were seen lying overthrown and destroyed, as if they were hollow trunks of palm-trees? Who is it who sent the awful cry upon the people of Thamud until it cut their hearts inside their bodies, and they all fell dead without exception? Who lifted the villages of the people of Lut till the angels heard barking of their dogs, then turned them upside down, and then rained upon them a rain of stones? 
That is the immediate punishment for wrongdoing: drowning, fire, earthquakes, destruction, famine, raging wind... “And the torment of the hereafter is far more severe and more lasting.” (20:127)
Do we not take admonition and lesson? Allah says, “Did We not destroy the ancients? So shall We make the later generations to follow them. Thus do We deal with the Mujrimoon (criminals, disbelievers, sinners). Woe that Day to the deniers (of the Day of Resurrection)!” [77:16-19]
Earthquakes are just a warning from Allah, subhanahu wa ta’ala – not only to the people of one particular quake-hit country alone, but rather to the people in general, in all lands – that they may return to their Lord and their Deen. Otherwise a punishment will come upon them. Allah says, “So We seized each of them for his sins.” (29:40)


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Avoiding harms of the tongue
In today’s times, most people tend to be careless about avoiding the harms of the tongue, which are widespread among the people. The following are some of the most common harms:
n Talking about what does not concern you: This is a common practice, even though the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said: “A sign of a person’s good practice of Islam, is giving up that which does not concern one.” The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, also said: “The people with the most sins, are those who most frequently indulge in conversations which do not concern them.”
In order to set the limits for what does not concern you, you must ask yourself the following questions:
* Is there any harm if you remain silent?
* Is it an issue that concerns you?
* Is it some information that is vital to your wellbeing and which you need?
The matters that concern a person are those which directly relate to his life, or things which would prevent harm from afflicting him.
The reason behind the prevalence of such practices is when a person is eager to know what he has no need for, prolonging the conversation is a way of strengthening social relations with the one being talked to or passing time in useless talks.
The way to cure this problem is by remembering that death could attack you at any time, and you will questioned about your words. Time is your capital in life, and silence is a way to earn eternal joy and the company of the purified consorts of Paradise. You should train yourself to be silent gradually by avoiding idle chatting and gossip as far as possible.
n Indulging in falsehood: This includes talking about women, and sitting in gatherings which include drinking, conveying and spreading innovations in the religion. All of this is prohibited because it goes under the saying of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam: “A man may utter a word which pleases Allah, which causes the pleasure of Allah upon him until the Day of Resurrection. A man may utter a word which displeases Allah, which causes the wrath of Allah upon him until the Day of Resurrection.” [Ahmad]
* Disputing and arguing which we were prohibited to do, Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {“And of mankind there is he whose speech may please you (O Muhammad ), in this worldly life, and he calls Allah to witness as to that which is in his heart, yet he is the most quarrelsome of the opponents. And when he turns away (from you O Muhammad), his effort in the land is to make mischief therein and to destroy the crops and the cattle, and Allah likes not mischief”} [Qur’an, 2: 204-205]
The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said: “The most hated person to Allah, is the one who always disputes and starts enmity.” [Al-Bukhari]. A Muslim should guard his tongue from saying what intimidates others or angers them, and remember the saying of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam: “I will guarantee a house in Jannah (Paradise) for the one who ends an argument even if he was in the right.” [Abu Daawood].
* Cursing and badmouthing: The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said: “A Muslim does not badmouth, curse, nor is he spiteful.” [Ahmad, At-Tirmithi]. He, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, also said: “Reviling a Muslim is an act of outrage (moral depravity) and fighting against him is an act of disbelief (Kufr)”. [Al-Bukhari and Muslim] Unfortunately, this is common amongst the people nowadays, especially amongst the youth. A Muslim is commanded to purify his tongue from immoral words.
* Claiming eloquence: This is dispraised and it leads to boasting. The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said: “Those most hated and the farthest on the Day of Resurrection are those with the worst manners, those who prattle, boast and the arrogant.” [At-Tirmithi].

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Keep away from enmity
The Muslim has a mission in his life, and is required to be effective, active, tolerant and social, mixing with other people and dealing with them with tolerance and in accordance with the worthy Islamic attitudes and behaviour. 
Allah Almighty Says (what means): “And hold fast, all of you together, to the Rope of Allah (i.e. the Qur’an), and be not divided among yourselves, and remember Allah’s Favour on you, for you were enemies one to anther but He joined your hearts together, so that, by His Grace, you became brethren (in Islamic faith), and you were on the brink of a pit of Fire, and He saved you from it…”[Qur’an 3:103]
Wherever the Muslim is found, he becomes a beacon of guidance, and a positive source of correction and education, through both his words and deeds.
He has a good attitude towards others and treats them well. He is of good and noble character, friendly, humble, gentle of speech and tactful. He likes others and is liked by them. By doing so, he is following the example of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, as Anas, radhiallah ‘anhu, reported that he was: “The best of people in his attitude towards others.”[Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
When a quarrel intensifies, when its roots go deeper, its thorns become branches and branches increase in number, then the freshness of the fruits of faith is adversely affected. Softness, sympathy, satisfaction and peace, which are encouraged by the Islamic teachings, receive a setback. 
Performance of worship loses its righteousness, while the self gets no benefit from it. 
Many a time mutual quarrels perturb the persons who claim to be wise. When this happens, they take recourse to lowly and superficial things, and sometimes indulge in dangerous acts which only increase difficulties and bring troubles. When a man is displeased, his eyes become prejudiced and ignore the camel and object to gnat. Such eyes do not appreciate the beauty of the peacock, for they only see its ugly feet and claws. If a slight defect is present, it turns the molehill into a mountain. And sometimes the internal rancor and jealousy affect them so badly that no hesitation is felt in inventing imaginary stories. 
Islam disapproves of all these manifestations of ill-feeling and advises to abstain from them. It declares their avoidance as the most virtuous form of worship. 
The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said: “Listen, may I tell you something more important than the fasting, the prayer and charity?” The people requested him to do so. He  said: “To keep the mutual relationship on the right footing, because the defect in the mutual relationship is a thing which shaves a thing clean. I do not mean that it shaves the hair, but that it shaves (removes) the religion.” [At-Tirmithi] 
Many a time, Satan is not able to persuade wise men to worship idols, but since he is very keen on misguiding and ruining men, he manages to succeed in driving them away from Allah, so much so that these wise men become more indifferent in respecting the rights of Allah than the idolaters themselves. The best method adopted by the devil for this purpose is to sow the seeds of enmity in the hearts of the people. When this enmity develops into a fire and open hostilities result, he enjoys the scene. This fire burns man’s present and future into ashes and totally destroys their relationship and virtues. 
The Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said: “The Satan has been disappointed that he would not be worshipped in the Arabian Peninsula, but he has not been disappointed from kindling the fire of fighting among the people.”[Muslim] 
It means that when wickedness takes roots in the hearts, when people start hating love and brotherhood, and when these are destroyed, people then revert to cruelty and enmity, and break all those relations and links which Allah has commanded to be kept; thus spreading corruption on this earth. 
In order to remedy this disease, the most wonderful thing in a quarrel is to forget it as it had never happened, because remembering it will never be a sort of pleasure, while forgetting it will never be harmless, and a good word is stronger than swords and spears.
Imaam Ibn Al-Qayyim said: “The origin of the enmity, evil and envy that occurs between people is from the following of Al-Hawaa (the lowly desire). The one who opposes his desire relieves his heart, body and limbs, putting himself to ease and thus relieves others. Abu Bakr Al-Warraak said: “When the desire prevails, the heart turns dark and when it does so, the breast becomes straitened and when that happens, the moral character deteriorates and consequently people will hate him and he will hate them. Then think of the evil, enmity, neglect of rights, etc. that arise from this mutual hatred.” 

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Pride: The fuel of disbelief
Selected verses of the Qur’an on pride:


“Indeed, He does not love the proud.” [an-Nahl (16):23]
“Those who dispute about the signs of Allah without any authority given to them, their breasts are filled with nothing but pride for that which they shall never attain...” [al-Ghaafir (40):56]
“And every time I invited them so you might forgive them, they only put their fingers in their ears. Covering themselves with their garments, grown obstinate, and given over to pride.” [Nooh (71):7]
“When our signs are recited to such, he turns away full of pride, as if he heard them not...” [Luqmaan (31):7]
“Those who disdain His worship and are full of pride, He will gather them all together to answer to Him.” [An-Nisaa’ (4):172]
“So enter the gates of Hell to dwell therein. Indeed evil is the abode of the proud.” [An-Nahl (16):29]
“But today you shall be recompensed with suffering humiliation because you were prideful in the earth without just cause...” [Al-Ahqaaf (46):20]
“On the Day of Judgment you will see those who lied against Allah. Their faces will be blackened, is there not in Hell an abode for the proud.” [Az-Zumar (39):60]
“Enter the gates of Hell to dwell therein. This is the evil abode of the proud.” [Az-Zumar (39):72]
From descriptions of believers in the Qur’an:
“...they have no pride.” [As-Sajdah (32):15]
Angels are described as follows:
“...they have no pride.” [An-Nahl (16):49]
“Those who are in presence are not too proud to serve Him...” [Al-Anbiyaa’ (21):19]


Selected Prophetic traditions on pride:
“Pride is dissatisfaction with the truth, and belittling the people.” [Muslim]
“He will not enter Paradise who has even a speck of pride in his heart.” [Muslim]
“Paradise and the Fire quarrelled. Paradise said, ‘The weak and the poor enter me.’ The Fire replied, ‘The oppressive and the proud enter me.’ So Allah Almighty said to the Fire, ‘You are my punishment, in you I punish whom I wish.’ He said to Paradise, ‘You are my mercy to whom I wish, and each of you will certainly be filled.’” [Muslim, at-Tirmidhi, Ibn Khuzaimah]
The wording of Al-Bukhari: “Paradise and the Fire complained to their Lord. Paradise said, ‘O Lord, there is none who enter me but the weak and despised’. The Fire said, ‘I receive only the proud...’...”
“Shall I inform you of the people of Paradise? They are every weak and humble person, if he takes an oath to Allah, it will be fulfilled. Shall I inform you of the people of the Fire? They are every cruel, violent and proud person.” [Al-Bukhari, Muslim, Ahmad, at-Tirmidhi, an-Nasa’i, Ibn Majah]
“Four things are among my followers from the traditions of jahiliyyah which will not leave: pride of lineage, slandering kinship, use of astrology for rain, and wailing.” [Muslim]
“If you were not sinners, I would fear for you what is worse for you: Pride, pride.” [Al-Bayhaqi, hasan hadith]

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