During August and September of this year, millions of Pakistani people, especially those in the country's Sindh province, faced floods that affected millions of people, disrupting their sources of livelihood and destroying homes. Over the past few years, Pakistan has experienced several major natural disasters, including the 2005 earthquake and the 2010 floods that affected nearly all of Pakistan.
In the deeply religious society of Pakistan, such natural disasters cause common people to contemplate why God sends collective punishment Pakistan's way. These natural disasters are in addition to a decade of Taliban-led terrorism in Pakistan that has affected the collective psyche of the Pakistani nation.
Amid this year's floods, on September 13, 2011, renowned Pakistani cleric Maulana Tariq Jameel appeared on Aaj Kamran Khan Ke Sath, a program broadcast on Pakistan's Geo television channel. The cleric answered several questions, including whether the flooding was a punishment from God and why such collective punishment from God is not meant to distinguish between those who commit sins and those who are innocent and poor.
Following are excerpts from the interview:[1]
"[The Prophet Muhammad Said:] When My Followers would Indulge in These [Sinful] Things... My Ummah should Wait for the Severity of the Weather, And Harshness of the Winds..."
TV Host Kamran Khan: "Pakistan is in the grip of natural disasters and it's a time of trials and tribulations for the Muslims of Pakistan. What could be reason for this natural disaster in Pakistan? What kind of sins did the Muslims of Pakistan commit? Are we under a kind of trial? Or is it only the change in climate? We would try to look into this by analyzing and knowing people's opinions. We have invited one of the most reputed and influential religious leaders of Pakistan, Maulana Tariq Jameel Sahib, who will be joining us from Faisalabad. Thank you Maulana Sahib for sparing some time and giving it to our program. Thank you very much.
"Maulana Sahib, please tell us as why are we facing such a situation in Pakistan? Last year, we had a similar situation in the country. Once again, the country is passing through various types of disasters. In Karachi, it was looking as if the rains would never stop pouring. It looked as if the whole city is asleep due to this disaster. And according to the reports around 10 million people have been affected by this in interior Sindh. Around 0.3 million houses have been destroyed.
"The dengue epidemic in Punjab is on the rampage and over 5,000 people are in hospitals now. And besides these, there are other types of man-made disasters like fires and others. Is it any message to us from Allah the Almighty? Or what else is it?"
Maulana Tariq Jameel: "In the name of Allah, the most Kind and Merciful... Without any doubt, this is a message from Allah and it is a great message. Allah says: '[Recites several verses from the Koran] Evil (sins and disobedience to Allah) has appeared on land and sea because of what the hands of men have earned (by oppression and sinful deeds), that He (Allah) may make them taste a part of that which they have done, in order that they may return (by repenting to Allah, and begging His Pardon).' This is because Allah wants to punish them for some of their deeds. This is because they should leave the path of sins and seek the blessings of Allah.
"The rain drop cannot fall without Allah's orders. Seasons, winds and clouds belong to Allah. It is Allah who sends the winds. Don't you see that Allah drives and gathers the clouds and you find there is rain at places and there are [strong] winds at another, and there is storm at some places, there is dengue. All these disorders are due to our misdeeds. Allah is showing all these signs after being annoyed with us.
"I present a Hadith [the sayings of Prophet Mohammad] which is mentioned in Tirmizi [a book of Hadith] in which Hazrat Ali (May Allah be pleased with him) [the fourth caliph of Islam] narrates [the Prophet as saying]: 'You keep on reckoning and those who come to know about it should also observe (and all these things are there in our country in full swing); Hazrat Ali narrates that the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) said that when the ruling class would make the public treasury its own property and would start plundering it with both the hands; and when the trustees would usurp the entrusted things; and the wealthy people would stop giving Zakat [obligatory tax on wealthy Muslims] and would say that it is a kind of tax we would not pay.
"'And Ulema [Islamic scholars] would sell their knowledge for some worldly pennies and would also become the seeker of worldly things instead of seeking the pleasure of Allah; and men would become obedient to their wives and would start disobeying their mothers; and people would have good behavior with their friends and would mistreat their fathers and push them; and the leadership of the tribe would be in the hands of those who disobey Allah and that the government would be in the hands of incompetent people; and people would honor each other apparently but would be having malice in their hearts for each other; and would say "hello" and "hi" to escape one another's mischief but their hearts would be filled with hatred.
"'And mosques would become the centers of disagreement and conflict, and would become the centers of disorder and instead of a message of love, hatred would come from there; and the female singers would become common phenomenon and music would be common and the musical instruments would become common; and wine would be drunk, and men would wear silk; and those from this ummah [Muslim community] who came later would call those who came earlier as foolish and naïve. These are the few things that Prophet Mohammad had said centuries back from today.'
"Tirmizi is one of the six most popular books of Hadith... The Prophet of Allah says that when my followers would indulge in these things... [recounts all the above mentioned sinful deeds], then Prophet of Allah says that my ummah should wait for the severity of the weather, and harshness of the winds and fearful weather, and earthquakes and caving in of earth and of Allah's punishment coming down from the sky and one upon another frequent punishments from Allah as the rosary beads fall one upon another after the thread is broken. In the same way when there would be these 15 things in the Muslim community, then the punishment from Allah would come down one upon another."
"When There Comes Any General Punishment [from Allah], It Doesn’t Distinguish Between Good And Evil"
TV Host Kamran Khan: "There remains no doubt for any Muslim and also no need of any other explanation... There is no doubt that these things are the result of our bad deeds. But will you tell us why it is so that an innocent, a poor person becomes victim of these things... Why is there no distinction [in the punishment from Allah]?"
Maulana Tariq Jameel: "As per a narrated tradition, a warrior group would attack Mecca in the times of Mahdi [the imam to come]. The Prophet of Allah said that when they would reach near Mecca, they would be caved in into the earth. Hazrat Ayesha [the prophet's wife] asked, 'O Prophet of Allah, there would be poor innocent laborers among them too?' The prophet said that they would fall prey to the general punishment in this world but after death they would be separated from them and they would be given a place under the peace of Allah. When there comes any general punishment, it doesn't distinguish between good and evil."
TV Host Kamran Khan: "What is the immediate need, Maulana Sahib? How do we get pardoned? How could this nation get salvation? On the one hand, natural disasters have made the life of people miserable and on the other, man-made terrorism has created havoc. Only today [September 13, 2011] innocent children in schools have become the target of terrorists in Peshawar. There has been no light for 14 hours in the Jinnah Hospital of Karachi. Four poor people in incubators died due to this [power outage]. Please tell us how could there be salvation and how one could seek pardon from Allah?"
Maulana Tariq Jameel: "For this, Allah himself has said in the Koran that the faithful should repent on their deeds and ask for penitence from Allah with pure intention for it is the only remedy for this situation as it happened in the time of Prophet Yunus (peace be upon him); that when Allah sent punishment on his nation, then immediately men got separated and the older people went into a separate group and children and women went into another group and all of them went down in prostration and started crying and moaning and asked for penitence from Allah, then Allah withdrew the punishment.
"Our deeds are the causes of our present problems. Innocent people in large numbers are being killed in Karachi and innocent blood is being shed. It is the warning to all of us from Allah to repent. There is only one remedy for this - the whole nation unanimously and individually should repent and ask for penitence from Allah. They should return to Allah and shed tears before Him for their deeds..."
TV Host Kamran Khan: "Is there any particular short prayer for asking penitence from Allah that the Prophet Mohammad has created? Is there a particular prayer that the nation should use to come out of it?"
Maulana Tariq Jameel: "This is very easy. There is no need to say even a single word. If one feels it in one's heart and says that Allah 'begs your pardon,' then Allah forgives all sins. He [Allah] has made the door of his forgiveness so wide open that He Himself says in a Hadith-e-Qudsi [Saying of Allah as narrated by Prophet Mohammad] that 'O my slave you do as much evil deeds as you can. You may fill the whole world and spaces and moon and stars and the sky with your sins and once you ask for My forgiveness, I will pardon all your sins and I don't mind doing it.'
"At present we all need to make combined penitence. And there is no prayer for asking for forgiveness, it is the state of the heart which conveys that we return to you and beg your pardon."
TV Host Kamran Khan: "Very many thanks to Maulana Tariq Jameel... At least those who are watching this program presently should ask pardon from Allah with all the purity of heart for Pakistan needs it badly at present. All should ask it at this time immediately and with purity of heart as Maulana Tariq Jameel said."
[1] The video of the interview in Urdu language can by watched by clicking the following YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqM_dT0ZeSs&feature=player_embedded&noredirect=1#%21
