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Name
Amal –
- Egypt
Profession
doctor
Question
i was wondering if there are any technological means to know in advance of such Tsunamis?
Answer
It is impossible to predict an earthquake or a tsunami before enough time to combat it. But taking constant observations may help to expect an earthquake before very short periods.
Name
Ahmad –
- South Africa
Profession
teacher
Question
is there any verse in Quran that talks about such tidal waves? and is it considered as a punishment to people or Ibtelaa?
Answer
We cannot expect the Holy Qur'an to address every single cosmic phenomena or scientific fact. The Holy Qura'n is mainly a book of guidance to man in areas which cannot be correctly addressed by man, such as the area of faith, acts of worshipping the moral code and the code of transactions with others. Scientific notions in the Holy Quran are selective examples to testify to the divine purity of this holy book and its reservation intact over the past fourteen centuries and to the end of time. However, there are several notions that no punishment takes place without a committed mistake and this cannot be relieved without a proper repentance. The Holy Quran on several occasions repeats that punishment by cosmic phenomena is in most cases an answer to a committed sin the Quran reads in sura al Mulk, "Have you felt secure from your Lord in Heavens Who could sink the earth with you and you will find it boiling with [heat]".
Name
Mareen
-
Profession
Question
Salam Alaikum Professor.
I read that the tectonic plates are floating on the surface of the earth. Does that mean after some years, the earthquake belt can move to other parts of the earth?
Answer
The outer rocky cover of the earth is broken by fault lines that delimit each plate. At one of these bounderies the plates diverge away from each other and at the opposite boundry they converge against each other and that is why one of these plates will descend under the other to partially melt and disappear, this is compensated at the opposite side by magma oozing out to add to the edge of the plate.
By this process, seismic zones are constantly shifting because most earthquakes happen at the convergent boundaries although they are not excluded at the other boundaries.
Name
Nader
- Belgium
Profession
Question
Dear Doctor,
Is there any religious meaning that we can take from a country being affected by tidal waves? Is this a punishment from Allah to these people? Or is it a test? How do we know when a form of natural disaster or phenomenon is a test or a form of punishment from Allah to the people?
jazak allah khair
Answer
Salam Alaikum. The doctor has answered this question, please refer to the previous answer.
Name
Ziyad
-
Profession
Question
Assalamu alaikum doctor elnajjar,
I wanted to ask you if tidal waves or tsunamis are mentioned in the Quran?
Answer
Earthquakes are mentioned but tsunamis are a follow-up for earthquakes. Tsunami is a Japanese word meaning oceanic waves following an earthquake at the bottom of the ocean.
Name
nina
- Australia
Profession
student
Question
Can this earthquake trigger off other earthquakes in other parts of the world? I heard that because of this earthquake there may be one in America?
Answer
Every earthquake has four shocks and back shocks. But these happen from the same center and affect the same area. We cannot expect an earthquake to trigger another one in a far distant area, but this cannot be excluded, as the interior of the earth is interconnected.
Name
Karim
-
Profession
Question
I would like to know whether the Maldive islands are drowned for good now with no return.Or is there a way to prevent damage done by tsunamis in the future?
Answer
I don't think that they will be drowned forever. They are low-lying islands, 1.5 meters above sea level so they can be affected by tsunamis but these are occasional events that will last for long.
Constant recording of topographical features, water levels in wells and lakes, gaseos emanations such as radon gas from mines or quaries, tilt of stratified beds or rapid escape of certain animals, these are the main observations that can suggest an immediate coming of an earthquake or tsunami.
Name
Zafer
- Cameroon
Profession
Question
I'd like to Know more about How far could the tsunamis reach after the earthquake happened, as I knew that it reached the Kenian shores.
Answer
Tsunami can travel at a speed that approaches 1000 km/hr and because of this it can reach very distant areas in the ocean and can hit open shorelines easily. With an earthquake having this magnitude, it is not strange to find that the water has reached Kenyan shorelines, if this earthquake happened on land, it's destructive power could have been far more devastating.
Name
Nala
-
Profession
Question
Dear Dr. Zaglool,
Don't you think that the satalites that records the Earthquake in south Asia gave the opportunity to inform people there about the huge tidel waves befor it happens or this is impossible? or it was afetal mistake in exchanging information aroound the globe?
Answer
Constant observation especially from satellites can help in passing a short notice to areas that can be hit by a tsunami. Failure to exchange observations from different stations around the globe could be one of the causes of this great disaster.
Name
fatin
-
Profession
library assistant
Question
Assalamualaikum, Dr... Hope you are in your best faith and health...Well I see the caused of the tidal waves... so near ... in my country... Do you think the tidal waves and earthquakes happen in this world are related to bala' or disaster caused by the people or insan which did the wrong thing... Why this happen to muslim country like us...? Please answer...Thank you ...
Answer
It is quoted after Imam Ali that he has said, "No punishment can take place without a sin, and it cannot be relieved without a true repentence."
Name
Yuki
- Japan
Profession
Question
In this big earthquake, which has taken a heavy toll of lives, people's consciousness of tsunami waves decided their fate. In general, people in those areas have little consciousness of tsunami waves accompanying earthquakes. On the other hand, many of the Japanese people are well aware of `tsunami`, which seems to have originally derived from Japanese. Indeed, Japanese people also died, but the number of them is very few in spite of a number of Japanese having taken holidays in this season to go to those areas.
Here in Japan, each time the earthquake happens, the information about tsunami is aired on both radio and TV soon after the earthquakes occured. So, Japanese people go to eminences, seeking refuge, as soon as the earthquakes happend. Can't we say that the difference of consciousness of tsunami has decided the fate? Shouldn't the governments in those countries take more efforts to raise consciousness of tsunami because south east asian nations are famous of the nations where earthquakes occur frequently. What do you think of this, professor?
Answer
This is true, that the Japanese people are more familiar with earthquakes and tsunamis and through this awareness they can combat such events more efficiently. Japan lies on the fire belt where earthquakes and tsunamis happen quite frequetnly and hence their awareness of this. I think the media has to educate people more about such phenomena asn teach them how to combat them.
If an earthquake happens under the sea, its record precedes the tsunami effect, informing near by countries immediately can help in the protection of open shore lines from destruction and can instruct fisherman and other sailors not to go to the sea, can evacuate all areas along shorelines to minimize death toll. We can also make sure that the sewage system is in a suitable condition to face such a disaster.
