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Fatwa CenterCatastrophes – The Sunnah of Allaah
Question
What are Allaah's Sunnah? How can we relate destruction in Muslim area by earthquake to destruction in non-Muslim place such as USA?
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. We ask Allaah to exalt his mention as well as that of his family and all his companions.
Linguistically, Sunnah means the way, therefore the Sunnah of Allaah is His Way. The destruction by earthquakes or hurricanes and tornados, or other catastrophes is one of Allaah's Sunnan in this planet Earth, He afflicts whichever country He wishes. This is either a way of reminding people with His Might so that they will fear Him, whether they are Muslims or non-Muslims, and then they would repent to Him and return to Him, or a way of warning so that the disobedient people will take heed and regain their senses and stop disobeying Him, or is a punishment for acts of disobedience which took place before. Earthquakes are one of the soldiers of Allaah, as Allaah Says (what means):
{And to Allaah belong the soldiers of the heavens and the earth.}[Quran 48:4]
{And none knows the soldiers of your Lord except Him.}[Quran 74:31].
Hence, the destruction could afflict Muslim countries and non-Muslim countries, this is for great wisdoms which only Allaah Knows. It is not possible for us to compare between the two incidents or give reason for their occurrence, what we are obliged to do, however, is to know that this is from Allaah's Will, and that He did this for a wisdom which not all of us know.
Nonetheless, it should be mentioned, that there is a great difference between the Muslims and the non-Muslims who die in the earthquake and other catastrophes. The non-Muslims who die are eternally in Hellfire and eternally tortured, but the Muslims who die in these catastrophes will enter 
said: "There are seven categories of martyrs beside those killed in the cause of Allaah: 1) A person who is killed in an epidemic, 2) a person who is drowned, 3) a person who has bed sores that cause fever and a bad cough resulting in his death, 4) a person who dies of a stomach disease, 5) a person who dies in a fire, 6) a person who dies under falling debris (in a disaster), and 7) a woman who dies during childbirth." [Ahmad, Abu Daawood, An-Nasaa'i and Ibn Maajah]
Allaah Knows best.
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