In 2004, Aceh which is located in the northern most part of Indonesia was struck with an earthquake and tsunami. At that time the word tsunami was rather strange to many people and many did not know what the meaning of tsunami is. Tsunami is a Japanese word to describe the disastrous effect of great sea waves that strike the mainland with great speed, taking away with it everything that come across its way. Tsunami is created as a result of an earthquake that occurs at the bottom of the seabed. When an earthquake occurs at the bottom of the seabed, it causes the titanic layers of the seabed to slide, creating water waves that moves at great height and speed towards the mainland. The world has witnessed the disastrous effect of the tsunami in Aceh, where nearly half a million peoples died. During the tsunami in Aceh, over a distance of six kilometres from the sea, the tsunami wipes out almost everything on its ways. Now an earthquake and a tsunami struck northern eastern coast of Japan and as in Aceh, thousands of people died within minutes and buildings smashed to pieces by the gigantic water waves. The tsunami was created because of an earthquake that occurs at the bottom of the seabed close to Japan. The world is in sorrow and many condolences are being sent by many world leaders to the prime minister and the peoples of Japan. In Japan, energy supply is cut and the nation is not only facing energy crisis but also the possibility of the nuclear plants eruption and emitting radiation due to overheating of the reactors because of no energy supply and also the failure of air-conditioning system for the reactor. Those who survived mourned over the death of their loves ones and cried over the loss of their properties. All the victims of the tsunami, were taken by surprised and no one of them who have died ever think that they will died and lost all their belonging in matters of minutes. Everything seems to happen so fast and without warning and no one is able to do anything to stop the earthquake and the tsunami. Even the most modern and highly technological nation like Japan is unable to do anything when an earthquake and tsunami struck the country.
Can we stop tsunami and earthquake from inflicting sorrow and losses to humanity? Is it true men do not have the power to stop natural disasters? Why earthquakes and tsunami happen only to Japan and Aceh and not to any other countries? Why countries like Indonesia is inflicted with so many natural disaster. Why countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan often have wars and aggression. Since independence, Pakistanis has never had moment of peace in their country. Why natural disasters happen to mankind? Can we have a world without natural disaster? Is disaster really natural act? Can disaster occur without reason? It is true that a natural disaster can happen anytime and without any reason to anyone and to any country. Can we accept the fact that disaster comes as it likes, with no one is in control of it? In fact, even when a person is hit by a rod, there is someone who is doing the action. The rod will not hit the person without someone is in control of the rod? Natural disaster is not at all natural. Disaster is like the rod and the one in control of the disaster or the rod is the Creator and the Sustainer of the whole universe and mankind. We try to ignore the power of the Creator who is in control of the whole universe. When the Creator is not pleased with the creations, the Creator will surely send a disaster or calamity to eliminate His creations. He is the Creator and He is the Destroyer. The Creator and the Destroyer is not visible to us but He is there, watching and observing every action of His creations. We cannot see the electrical current but the electrical current is indeed in the wire, therefore when we switch on the electrical current the light bulbs emit light. When the light bulbs emit light, we know that there is an electrical current, although we do not see the electrical current. Similarly, when there are calamities, we know that there is someone who controls this world. When He is not pleased with His most beloved creations the men, whom He has created to adore and to worship Him, yet fail to recognize even His existence and sovereignty, He send calamities or disasters to men. When the Creator of men is not pleased with men, He will initially send a minor calamity in order to awaken men of His presence and power. There is no power except His power. He has given power to His creations like the earth and the sea and surely He can use the power given to His creations to punish or to bless men. Earthquake and tsunami are power given by Him to the earth and the sea in order to destroy His creations when men disobeying His order. Why He destroy His own creations that He loves? What makes the Creator to become so displease to the extent that He is willing to destroy His own beloved creations?
Allah has created mankind with a purpose. None of us will ever do anything without a purpose. Allah created men so that men recognize the greatness of Allah and obey the orders of Allah. When men recognize and obey the orders of Allah, men will become successful and live with happiness in this world and hereafter and when men disobeyed the orders of Allah, men will become unsuccessful and live with unhappiness in this world and hereafter. When men do not recognize the greatness of Allah and His orders, men has ignored the purpose upon which, Allah has created men. When men are not living to the purpose of their creations, Allah initially reminded them by sending a messenger or small calamities and when men continue to ignore the reminder then Allah will destroyed them by sending them major calamities or disasters which nowadays many people recognize it as natural disaster. When we take it as natural disaster then we are not taking any actions to correct ourselves. Although Allah has reminded us with the disaster or calamities but we are not repenting over our bad actions and we continue to disobey Him and not to recognize His present and power. Earthquake and tsunami in Japan is a reminder from Allah to the peoples of Japan and the whole world that Allah is there watching His creations and the earthquakes and the tsunami are to remind His creation that there is no one that can solve men’s problems except Allah. Allah is reminding His creation that there is no God except Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah and if men follow Muhammad, men are obeying Allah and Allah will solve all men’s problems. Allah is reminding the peoples of Japan and the whole world, to believe in Allah as Allah alone can give them success and solve all their problems.

Our technology and all that we have invented cannot gives us benefit except with the permission of Allah. When Allah is not pleased with us, Allah will make our technology and all that we have invented to become harmful to us instead. The nuclear reactor, instead of giving us benefit Allah can turn it to become harmful to us. It is not because Japan lies along the volcanic belt, that makes Japan always prone to the occurrence of earthquake but it is because of the wrong actions of the Japanese peoples. Earthquake and tsunami will never happen except with the permission of Allah and Allah will not make earthquake and tsunami to happen, except to those who have ignored the presence of Allah and His orders.
What we mean when we say it is a natural disaster? Can disaster occur naturally or occurs without any reasons? A person with a sound mind will never be able to accept the fact that disaster can occur anytime and without any reasons. Everything that happens in this world does not happen naturally but happens with reasons. There is someone that makes something to happen and there is someone that makes disaster to happen in this world. The one that makes disaster to happen is the Almighty Allah. Almighty Allah does not make disasters to happen except with reasons. The reasons Allah gives disaster to mankind are due to the bad actions of mankind. When we develop a country, taking account only of its infrastructure developments but not the developments of human behaviours, we will finally end up with calamities or disasters sent down to our country by the Almighty Allah. Many civilizations in the past are destroyed by calamities sent down by Allah. Many great civilizations did not last because of the bad actions of the peoples. Our success lies in our actions and our actions depend on the belief that we have in our heart. When we have a correct belief in our heart, then only we will have correct actions. Allah has given us the Kalimah, I bear witness that there is no God except Allah, and I bear witness Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. All mankind should accept and recite this Kalimah and ask those who have not recited the Kalimah to recite the Kalimah and to remind repeatedly to those who have recited the Kalimah about the meaning of the Kalimah. When the Kalimah has entered into our heart, a correct belief will be in our heart. When there is a correct belief in our heart, the heart is said to be a good heart. A good heart will leads to good and correct actions. When men have a good heart and good actions, Allah will be pleased with men and Allah will shower upon men His blessing. When Allah is pleased with men there will be no more disaster and calamities which we now call as natural disaster in this world. Allah will make the oceans, mountains and everything in this world to become beneficial to men and Allah will order everything in this world to serve me. When the actions of men are good, the world would not only become a better place to live for men but also for the animals and other creations of Allah.
Disaster and calamities does not come naturally. Disasters and calamities come with reasons and Allah has given us the power to stop disaster and calamities from coming to mankind. Wars, famines, floods, earthquakes, and tsunami are all disasters or calamities sent by Allah to mankind because of men’s wrong actions. We can prevent disaster and calamities from coming to this world by correcting our belief and actions. What men have to do in order to prevent calamities and disasters from coming to this world? To begin with, all men who have not recited the Kalimah should recite the Kalimah which is, I bear witness there is no God except Allah and I bear witness Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. After reciting the Kalimah, he or she should be asked to convey this Kalimah to all other peoples who have not recited the Kalimah in this world and to ask them to recite the Kalimah. Everyone who has recited the Kalimah should ask others in the whole worlds who have not recited the Kalimah to do so. The process should continue in this way until the whole mankind has recited the Kalimah. In case all of us have decided to do this, Allah the Almighty has promised to save us from ninety-nine calamities or disasters and the last or the ninety-nine calamities is we will be saved from the unhappiness in this world and in the life hereafter. Japan and the Japanese peoples will be only saved from all calamities and disasters if they do what has been suggested above and the whole mankind and the whole world will also be saved from all disasters and calamities if they also do what has been suggested in this article. No one can solve our problems except our Creator and the above suggestion can easily be practice by those who have humility in their heart. Those who are arrogant will only regard this invitation as only a joke.
Prof Dr Nasoha Saabin
April 2011
Integrative Holistic Wellness Centre