|
Wa `alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Dear questioner, thank you for your question and the confidence you place in our service. We pray to Allah to enable us render this service purely for His Sake.
Islam is a universal call for mercy towards all human beings. It urges Muslims to rush to the help of their fellow afflicted humans especially at times of distress.
It goes without saying that helping Muslims who are in need of our help is one of the most virtuous deeds. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Whoever meets the need of his brother, Allah will meet his need.” And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Whoever relieves a believer of some of the distress of this world, Allah will relieve him of some of the distress of the Day of Resurrection. Whoever eases an insolvent' loan, Allah will make things easier for him in this world and in the Hereafter. Whoever conceals a Muslim’s faults, Allah will conceal his faults in this world and in the Hereafter. Allah will help a person so long as he helps his brother.”
Here, we'd like to start with the words of the prominent Muslim scholar, the late Saudi scholar Sheikh ibn Baz, in which he states the following:
When there is an earthquake or some other sign such as an eclipse, strong winds, or floods, we should hasten to repent to Allah and pray to Him for safety, and to remember Him much and to seek His forgiveness, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) reported to have said when there was an eclipse: “If you see anything like that, hasten to remember Him, call on Him, and seek His forgiveness.”
It is also mustahab (recommended) to show compassion to the poor and needy, and to give charity to them, because the Prophet (peace and blessings upon him) said: “Show mercy, so that you will be shown mercy.” The Prophet also said: “Those who are merciful will be shown mercy by the Most Merciful. Have mercy on those who are on earth, and the One Who is in heaven will show mercy to you.”
Almighty Allah also says: (Verily Allah helpeth one who helpeth Him. Lo! Allah is Strong, Almighty. Those who, if We give them power in the land, establish worship and pay the poor due and enjoin kindness and forbid iniquity. And Allah's is the sequel of events. ) (Al-Hajj 15: 40-41)
Allah is the One Whom we ask to reform the affairs of all the Muslims and to bless them with proper understanding of Islam and help them to adhere steadfastly to it and repent to Allah from all their sins.
Excerpted, with slight modifications, from: www.islam-qa.com
Moreover, Sheikh `Abdul-Khaliq Hasan Ash-Shareef, a prominent Muslim scholar and da`i sheds light on this issue and states:
Such earthquakes are surely among the natural disasters that affect great numbers of people. It is surely permissible for rich Muslims to pay a part of their zakah to help alleviate the pains and the sufferings of those afflicted by the earthquakes. If the relevant governments in the quake-stricken areas open an account to receive donations for helping the victims and their families, then it is permissible for Muslims to pay a sum of their zakah to such accounts. Likewise, if there is any other trustworthy Islamic charitable organization that takes the responsibility of delivering such money to the victims and their families, then there is nothing wrong in paying part of the zakah to them for this purpose.
It is noteworthy that Muslims in such afflicted areas are permitted to receive assistance and financial aid through organizations that help spread aid to the victimized while abiding by the humanitarian relief accords and agreements governing such issues. If any place in the world is afflicted with natural disasters like earthquakes or floods, all countries should rush to help its people according to international agreements.
|
 |
