The philosophy of natural disasters as understood by human beings is just an incomplete story. The true story reaches far behind in history extends to millions of years of man's evolution in various stages. They are not useless and meaningless and have played a very important role in the history of human development or development of life. As such, they have been a blessing in disguise as far as progress goes. So whether we understand a local disaster in the context of human values or not, if we look back in the history of evolution of life we can understand easily that these disasters are a part of the general scheme of things under which the whole world is created. So because these disasters play an important part in the scheme of things and in the stream of evolution of life and progress of life so they cannot just be discarded as meaningless just because some individuals suffer.
Our research can show that they are made to serve human beings, and they only play a role to ultimately serve the ecology which is required by human beings. And all this is a part of a scheme, so a number is sacrificed for the sake of majority. Billions of lower lives are sacrificed for human beings being the superior; so if qualities are to be added to the human beings, some of the sacrifices are quite justified for that grand scheme of things.
THE PURPOSE OF CREATION
Then if the entire mankind is wiped out it is justifies.
We do exactly in the same manner with our own creations. When we try to paint or draw a picture of a man and end result is that a monkey is formed. What do we do with that? We wipe it out. So, Allah has every right to wipe out all humanity if humanity does not serve the purpose of creation.
So these small droughts are just small punishment, out of all proportion small, only to sieve us out to what we truly deserve. This is why the Holy Qur’an tells us that if Allah has punished human beings for what they do, Allah would not have left any dark part on the earth.
So philosophy even by the Holy Qur’an is this that if Allah had decided to punish human beings for what they have committed, Allah would have wiped out the whole life on earth.
Apparently, there is a dilemma because crime is committed by human beings and poor animals are wiped out for nothing.
But when you follow what I say then this verse is very clear in its meaning and there is no other meaning attributable to it than what I have already said: That the purpose of creation of other species of life were not just the creation in itself.
They were created for mankind. So if man loses justification, then all that has been created must go out along with him. All must go. Nothing should be there. This is exactly what the Holy Qur’an says in Surah Nahl.
And if Allah were to punish men for their wrongdoing. He would not leave therein a living creature, but He gives them respite till an appointed term, and when their term is come, they cannot remain behind a single hour, nor can they go ahead of it. (16:62)
The meaning is that if Allah were to bring to justice to mankind for their transgression, Allah would not have left any species of life on earth.
The punishment is meted out for mankind and every species of life is wiped out.
It proves that the purpose of their creation was to serve mankind. So when that mankind ceases to deserve that mastery over the rest of the creation, that creation would be no more required.
Since time immemorial man has often been intrigued by the question whether natural disasters have anything to do with God's displeasure. There are two apparent schools of thought:
One school of thought holds that all major calamities and disasters are the results of natural laws and they have nothing to do with the good or evil conduct of man, nor have these disasters anything to do with man's rejection of the prophets sent by God. On the other hand, followers of various religions all over the world have always believed that whenever calamities acquire an extraordinary character, they cease to be a natural phenomenon and instead fall into the realm of the preternatural.
The followers of all religions generally agree in their own unique way and methodology, that a decree by some wise being manifests itself in such disasters. Though there are certainly differences in the details, religious people are generally unanimous that natural disasters are a Sign of Divine wrath.
As evident from contemporary intellectual discussions appeared in media, this poses an intriguing puzzle. Contemporary man has fathomed deep into previously unknown secrets of nature. He has carried out painstaking research into the cause and effect of these disasters - how, where and why do these calamities occur. He has gradually begun to remove the cloaks of mystery and myth which surround the secrets of the cosmos. Discovered after painstaking research and experimentation, these facts reveal that natural disasters occur as a result of natural causes. There is no divine intervention in such natural incidents.
For both the disbelievers and the adherents of various religious dogmas, this issue has now become more important than ever before. It is even more relevant and worthy of serious consideration by the followers of religions who are very much square-footed on the platform on which they stood before. They have not been able to produce any evidence to support their viewpoint that disasters are somehow caused by a Supreme Being and that the natural phenomenon we observe in misfortunes of various kinds is undoubtedly linked to an expression of God's displeasure.
The believers of religions should not merely define their stand in this regard but should present fresh logical evidence from their own findings in support of their point of view so that they may satisfactorily respond to the higher standards of human reason and intellect prevailing today.
The man who confronts us today is far more advanced in secular knowledge than his predecessor of a thousand or five million years ago. Neither religious tautology nor shouting one's point of view from the roof tops is ever likely to appeal to modern man. The stage is thus set for a fresh battle between religion and irreligion on this front also. The minor skirmishes to date indicate a woeful defeat of religious forces and a triumphant victory for atheism. Indeed, this victory seems so resounding that having been impressed by the arguments of the atheists, a large section of the population has jumped on the bandwagon to dismiss out of hand the notion of any divine intervention.
THE QUR’ANIC VIEW
The Holy Qur’an claims that these divine punishments are not merely related to evil deeds but also to the rejection of God's chosen prophets. In fact, this Qur’anic claim goes as far as to state that irrespective of the transgressions committed by man, no punishments afflicts man until such time that God has sent His Messenger or Prophet to such people and that the Messenger or Prophet has warned and admonished the people and invited them to that which is good for them well ahead of time.
The Ahmadiyya Community, which adheres to the aforementioned principle of the Holy Qur’an, regularly experiences the manifestation of this teaching during its day to day preaching encounters. Ahmadies frequently get an opportunity to exchange views on this subject with their colleagues and friends who are ready to accept the concept of ordinary calamities and classify them as divine punishments.
But these friends and colleagues are never prepared to go one stage further and acknowledge that before these terrible misfortunes occurred, God Almighty has indeed sent a Prophet from amongst the followers of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (s.a.). Ahmadies often have to bear ridicule poured upon them by their colleagues from other faiths.
An allegation is made that each misfortune which afflicts the world is enumerated by Ahmadies as evidence of the truthfulness of the claims of the Founder of their Community, Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. Thus opponents allege, "If there is an earthquake in Chile or tremors in China register high Richter scales; the cities of Hazara and Mardan get a foretaste of the doomsday; whether it rains very heavily or there be a drought; whether there be a violent storm or typhoons or hurricanes or it becomes extremely hot and sticky in the doldrums; in short, no matter how the dice falls or which mode of catastrophe occurs, without rhyme or reason, your people are quick to advance these as further evidence of the truth of your Promised Messiah. How nonsensical and ridiculous is this line of argument which no person on earth can accept today”.
On hearing this, some Ahmadies have no response other than to distance themselves from it. Some are bewildered and begin to harbor doubts. After all, since time immemorial, the world has suffered many disasters. How than can we as Ahmadies advance such natural disasters as proof of the truth of the Promised Messiah?
One thing leads to another. Our thoughts quickly race to another source of comfort. We begin to search for a tangible cause for why the Holy Qur’an clearly mentions various natural disasters as Signs of the truth of the Prophets of God. Why is the Holy Qur’an replete with instances of the destruction of one people after another who had rejected God's chosen Prophet sent by Him to them? Is it right for any religion to claim that because of the outright rejection of the founder of their religion, world calamities are a sure sign of the punishment of God? In other words, must we wag the finger of God at every disaster?
Ahmadiyya Viewpoint
Ahmadies do not for a moment dispute the fact that disasters, misfortunes, and earthquakes etc., occur because of natural causes and that their occurrence is in strict conformity with the laws of nature. According to Ahmadies, the God of religion is also the God of Mother Nature and the cosmos. The very laws which we define as the laws of nature operate under God's perfect attributes within God's pre-determined parameters.
Although detailed and painstaking research has revealed to man many hitherto undiscovered secrets, these researchers are the first to openly admit that they have as yet merely scratched at the surface and that much more yet remain to be learnt. No point can be determined as the first base. Each cause seems to be an effect of another cause. Like Chinese boxes, opening up one leads to yet another box, and thus one effect leads to another cause. Insofar as the reach of human intellect is concerned, this chain of cause and effect is ad infinitum.
In view of these principles, the Ahmadiyya Community does not consider natural laws to be independent of or divorced from religious laws. Both are part and parcel of the laws of God. Therefore, the admission that physical changes are caused by nature, does not in any way contradict the acceptance that all laws of nature operate under God's powers and control and within His predetermined and pre-ordained laws and that God Almighty is the Source of all that energy and force that is expended or utilized at the time of each natural change or transformations.
Despite harboring the belief that misfortunes and calamities are an act of God and at His Will, the Ahmadiyya Community does not believe that each and every accident of nature, disaster, upheaval or change for the worse is a reflection of divine punishment or chastisement.
Failing to understand the true import of such a stand, an atheist invariably resorts to criticism and objections. To a degree, his objections are understandable. But if a person concocts his personal views and opinions and toss them into the lap of a religion, they will be riddled with the contradictions and false assumptions of that person. Religion will be unable to defend itself. Non-religious ideologists will then have a field day in proving the weaknesses in the arguments presented by a religion in defense of such a person's views. The opponents will claim that any religion which harbors such unscientific and illogical myths and superstitions is totally devoid of the truth and wholly unreliable. Reason dictates that such a religion be dismissed out of hands.
As mentioned above, Islam does not claim anywhere that all natural disasters and calamities represent decrees of divine punishment. We most certainly come across the claim that at times God Almighty used physical and natural laws to unleash a havoc on those world powers which were not only opposed to religious and spiritual movements, but also had used all their material strength and resources to annihilate the emerging and nascent religions. Whenever religious doctrines clash with atheistic philosophies or pagan and atheist forces stand in open rebellion to nip the emerging religion in the bud, then in such circumstances, according to the Holy Qur’an, the laws of nature are used to defeat the might of the non- believers. It is at these times that we see the law of God proverbially setting a thief to catch a thief.
In other words, for those who reject the existence of an Omnipotent Being and hold themselves unaccountable, for them their mutually-accepted material world is itself appointed as a pit for their annihilation and destruction. In religious parlance, this is termed as their divine punishment. When this happens, there is no inconsistency between the punishment from God and its having been caused by the laws of nature.
Take, for instance, the drowning of Pharaoh with all his hosts in the waters of Egypt. Over countless years, the tides emptied their waters into the sea twice a day. God knows how many animals and pre- historic men or for that matter civilized people of ancient Egypt were swept away by the currents in the rise and fall of tides or how many unknowingly or unwittingly were drowned from a navigational error or a gross misjudgment in the depth of the waters of the Nile.
Yet, neither the Holy Qur’an, nor indeed any other religious scriptures, assigns such fatalities to be divine punishment. The cycle of the laws of nature continues to turn and repeat its course. Neither can any resultant fatality be called a Sign of divine punishment, nor does Islam make any such claim. In some cases, however, natural phenomenon acquires a specific characteristic known in religious terminology as divine chastisement.
Another viewpoint is that physical reaction and changes resulting from the operation of natural laws can only be categorized as divine intervention when they display certain identified characteristics and satisfy certain conditions. In the absence of such characteristics or a failure to satisfy such conditions, changes, effects or reactions cannot be called divine punishment. All such natural disasters and misfortunes of the age, which in religious parlance are termed as punishments or chastisements, must serve some important purpose or objective which we shall examine later.
As opposed to this, although routine accidents of nature and even calamities causing some wide scale effect or misfortune do not manifestly serve the said objective relating to or connected with religion.
It is also evident from the Holy Qur’an that the natural laws somewhere along the line are employed as a means of divine punishment over the years and may be used in the future. Likewise, as a result of the corrupt practices which are eroding away the fiber of society or as a consequence of gross transgression, evils deeds, disorder, growing unrest or even wars may in some specific instances be employed as a means of divine punishment.
In the view of the aforementioned principles, one thing emerges very clearly. There should be no difference on this subject between Islamic philosophy and the views of the atheist, per se. However, the atheistic world places its sole reliance on the cause and effect of the laws of nature. Islam, on the other hand, whilst agreeing with natural phenomenon, has something to add to it. Islam admits that there is no doubt that all disasters and misfortunes are caused by natural laws. In pursuance of the noble aims and objective of religions, sometimes these very natural means are employed. These laws can also be used to serve as chastisement or a warning lesson through the effect they have on nature. These effects are called divine punishment.
It is also obvious from a study of the Holy Qur’an that the laws of nature sometimes serve some specific Will of God Almighty and that whenever this happens, the changes brought about by nature lead to a reformation or betterment of a nation or people and they derive some extraordinary benefit there from.
Prophet Noah (as) warned his people of the calamity which awaited them, but at the same time, he promised them the God-given inheritance of wealth, children and gardens if they returned to God. He attempted to persuade them that instead of displeasing God and make the laws of nature their enemy, they should by pleasing God, make the laws of nature their helper and harness them to their mutual benefit.
The Islamic philosophy on punishment and reward becomes very clear. The world at large knows that the deluge served as a punishment for the people of Noah but is generally ignorant of the fact presented in the Holy Qur’an that the rain could also be a divine blessing for the people. The choice of whether this rain serves as a source of blessing or punishment was left in the hands of the people of Noah. Prophet Noah (as) states:
I said to them: seek forgiveness of your Lord; He is the Great Forgiver. He will send down rain on you in abundance, and will help you with wealth and children, and will bestow gardens on you, and will cause rivers to flow for you. (71:11-13)
Each one of these two events saw the phenomenon of nature in motion, but the waters from ancient Egypt which were unable to drown a fledgling and weak infant, Prophet Moses (as), who was to grow up as a great Messenger of God, swept with it his great and mighty opponent. There is much to reflect on these incidents for the unbiased mind.
Types of Divine Punishment
It has been explained that according to the Holy Qur’an, the laws of nature can be deployed, under Divine Will, to reward or punish man. Regarding the latter, we observe that the Holy Qur’an has mentioned the following categories of divine punishments.
Rain
Continuous downpour resulting in the water level rising so much that habitations become submerged under water:
The people of Noah rejected the Truth before them; they rejected Our servant and said: A madman spurned by our gods. He called on his Lord: I am overcome; do Thou avenge me. Thereupon, We opened the gates of heaven (the skies) with water pouring down; and We caused the earth to burst forth with springs, so the two waters met for a purpose, which had been pre-determined. [54:10- 13]
Raging Winds
The blowing of evil winds of fury, so much so, that dwellings become as ghost-towns and corpses lies over the land like uprooted trees:
The tribe of `Ad also rejected the Truth. How terrible then was My chastisement and My warning! We sent against them a furious wind, for a long period of time of un-ending ill-luck, which tore people away as though they were trunks of uprooted and hollow palm trees.' [54:19-21]
Eruptions
Thundering explosions leading to stones being pelted from the skies. For instance, the condition of a habitation close to a sudden volcanic eruption is mentioned as a chastisement in the following verse of the Holy Qur’an:
Then the promised chastisement seized them (the people of the Lot) at sunrise. We turned the city upside down and We rained upon them stones of clay.' [15:74-75]
Sandstorms
Continuing storms that deposit sand and subsoil over a habitation so that all that remains of its is its remnants:
This wind will destroy everything by the command of its Lord in its path. And they became such by the morning that there was nothing left to be seen except their dwellings (i.e. all the people were buried under sand). Thus do We requite the guilty people.' [46:26]
Floods
Recurring sudden floods decreed for a place wherein the rich and fertile territory is turned to a barren and hostile land where nothing else grows apart from tamarisk and mild and bitter fruit and lote trees:
Yet they (the Saba) turned away (from the truth). So We sent them a devastating flood, And We gave them, in exchange for their excellent gardens, two gardens bearing bitter fruit and tamarisk and a few lote trees.' [34:17]
Earthquakes
Geological faults in the structure of the earth, which bury habitations under their rubble:
But they (the tribe of Thamud) rejected him (and made false allegations against him) and hamstrung her (the she-camel which they had been told to leave alone). So their Lord destroyed them completely because of their sin and made their destruction (overtake all of them) alike. [91:15]
Drought
Severe drought, which dries up water in the soil to an extent that draws its level down so low that man is unable to obtain it:
Say, "Tell me, if (all) your water were to disappear (in the depths of the earth), who then will bring you (pure) flowing water?"' [67:31]
Famine
Famines, which grip nations with extreme fear and deep anxiety:
Allah sets forth (for you) the parable of a city which enjoyed peace and security; its provisions came to it in plenty from every quarter; but it denied the favours of Allah, so Allah (enveloped) it in hunger and fear (which clothed it like) a garment because of what they used to do.' [16:113]
Wars
The destruction of nations occurs through wars, which carry in their aftermath an unending series of hardships and suffering. Here, the word al-dharra probably encompasses all such loss, misfortune and adversity arising from major wars - e.g. restrictions on freedom, destruction of the economic infrastructure, chaos and social disorder.
Never did We send a Prophet to any town but We seized the people thereof with adversity and suffering, that they might become humble. [7:95]
Birds
Swarms of birds descending upon people as divine punishment:
Then He sent upon their corpses swarms of birds, which beat (their flesh) against hard lumps of clay, and thus made them like broken straw eaten up.' [105:4-6]
Bursting of dams
Bursting of dams and their emptying of reservoirs upon habitations:
Thy Lord then let fall on them the whip(*) of punishment. Surely thy Lord is on the watch. [89:14-15]
(*)Here, the word sauta also includes a place where water has collected (Aqrab Al-Muwarid). If the connotation of a lake or pond is derived, it would mean that He turned its entire contents upside down on them.
Pestilence
Climatic changes, of aridness or humidity, leading to a teeming of life forms which subsequently become a source of pestilence, causing disease and epidemics - locusts, frogs, head-lice, scorpions, mosquitoes, vermin, bacteria and germs that cause blood disease such as cholera or others affecting the circulation of blood.
Then We sent upon them the storm and the locusts, and the lice and the frogs, and the blood (these were separate) clear signs. [7:134]
Subservience
Subjugation by another nation leading to various forms of trial and punishment, not because of the act of belief but because of various deeds by the conquered people, e.g. the prophecy in the Holy Qur’an about Jews that till the Day of Judgement, other conquering nations would subject them to various ordeals:
(Remember the time) when thy Lord proclaimed that He would surely set in authority over them, till the Day of Resurrection, those who would afflict them with grievous torment. Thy Lord is quick in exacting retribution, and surely He is (also) Most Forgiving, Merciful. [7:168]
One may very well say that in every age some changes keep taking place as a result of which earth, water, air or fire may cause some benefit or some harm. Sometimes they lead to adversity, scarcity, hardship and loss and sometimes a life of ease and abundance. Then why should this be sometimes treated as an extraordinary visitation or divine intervention and at other times as unusual happenings. These things have been occurring since time immemorial. In fact, this is a new issue. In response to this question, modern man has not discovered anything new that did not strike man of the remote past. We learn from the Holy Qur’an that the same objection was raised against past Prophets:
Never did We send a Prophet to any town but We seized the people thereof with adversity and suffering, that they might become humble. Then We changed (their evil condition) into good until they grew (in affluence and number) and said, `Suffering and happiness betided our fathers (also).' (So if it befalls us, it matters not) Then We seized them suddenly, while they perceived not. [7:95-96]
Just to merely assert that this is not anything new but a centuries- old objection is not really a convincing argument till such time that we are able to supplement it with some distinctive mark by which one may determine one event as a divine intervention and another as an ordinary run-of-the-mill accident. We should be able to satisfy the heart and mind that, despite both belonging to the same natural cause, they each belong to a distinct category. Till then, of course, this subject should remain incomplete.
Although, from one point of view, the system of divine punishment is essentially linked to natural laws, yet from some other angles, this system enjoys a quite separate status and in that lays its distinguishing feature. We shall also explore the responsibilities that impose themselves upon a community of believers when a people are being afflicted by divine punishment or a prophecy of some divine punishment hangs over such people. What should be our code of conduct in such circumstances? This part of the subject is extremely important for the spiritual training of Jama’at Ahmadiyya in this day and age. It behooves not that some Ahmadies should out of ignorance follow a course that is inconsistent with the noble practice and traditions of past Prophets or which is in any way below the dignity of a true believer. May Allah preserve us from this. Amen.
Distinguishing Features of Divine Punishments
DISATEROUS EVENT FORETOLD
The foremost feature to distinguish a divine punishment from natural disaster is that divine punishment is foretold before it is afflicted. Indeed, not only is it foretold but the precise nature of the punishment is described in great detail.
A very clear example of this can be found during the time of Noah, peace be upon him. He had forewarned his people that they would be destroyed because of their evil ways and their constant rejection of his claims. He forewarned them in the same breath that the means of their destruction would be water, a deluge whose like had never been seen before and that neither man nor animal would be safe from it.
MADE CONDITIONAL
The second hallmark of a punishment from on high is that it is made conditional upon some act as a result of which some earthly or heavenly visitation should directly manifest itself.
We have the example of this during the prophethood of Salih who was sent unto the tribe of Thamud. As long as the people of Salih refrained from preventing the she-camel from taking water and tormenting her, God's wish of restraining the forces of nature from manifesting themselves was fully complied with, but when the she-camel was withdrawn from water and hamstrung, the forces of nature were permitted to unleash themselves and show their might.
BELIEVERS ARE SAVED
The third sign, which distinguishes divine punishments from natural disasters, is that the chastisement is not allowed to destroy believers along with the unbelievers. Believers are invariably saved and the unbelievers exterminated. The Holy Qur’an does mention of divine punishments afflicted on some nations as a result of which the believers too had to endure some suffering along with the unbelievers. However, such punishments were an exception to the rule and served other purposes. It needs to be remembered that the kinds of divine punishments we are currently considering are those which distinguish believers from unbelievers and about which the prophet of that age gives a clear forewarning that the righteous people of God will suffer no misfortune.
This is a distinction for which we can find no natural explanation. Why is it that a run of the mill disaster should wipe out a large majority of the people and yet make an exception for a chosen few, passing them by without afflicting any loss on them? It does not end there. Perhaps even more surprising is that part of a nation comprising the most powerful and materially superior host and which is the fittest for survival should be utterly destroyed and a community of poor and aged weaklings commanding no physical resources for survival should be saved from that calamity.
EVIL IDEOLOGIES ANNIHILATED
The fourth distinctive feature is that after the punishment from on high, the philosophy and way of life, which had hitherto been powerful and superior, is either annihilated or completely erased from the face of the Earth. On the other hand, the new ideology and way of life presented before the divine punishment, had been in a weak and dormant state, so much so, that it seemed as if nothing could breath any life into it. Yet it emerges victorious and rapidly ascends to the pinnacle of its glory. Sometimes, the philosophy, which confronted it disintegrates into dust and the nascent philosophy reigns supreme. At other times the triumphant philosophy stands like a general over the defeated enemy, which lies so disgraced and powerless that it has no choice but to surrender.
MERE CLAIMS
The aforementioned features are taken for granted by followers of faiths who accept the authority of religious history recorded in the revealed scriptures, but those who have no connection with religion, or those who are atheists or agnostics, can turn around and say that these four features have all been derived from religious history and since they can place no reliance on the history, such arguments are not authoritative for them, but merely claims. Yet a brief reflection will show that the aforementioned claims carry with them mighty proofs and testimony that no one can possibly deny.
To prove our point, we set out the following additional explanation.
i) No one can possibly dispute that throughout history wherever any prophet or reformer called his people with the permission of God towards his guidance, that prophet or reformer had hardly any worldly means through which he could defeat his adversaries. On the contrary, his opponents enjoyed all material strength, be it numerical, economic or political supremacy or superiority in the weapons of war. Indeed, they were so powerful and strong, from every conceivable angle, that with minor effort on their part, they could have destroyed the claimant and his handful of followers.
ii) Secondly it is clear that mighty nations, superpowers and great empires, which once regarded the prophet of that age to be lesser than a mere gnat, were ravaged by a disaster (or according to the followers of religions, a divine chastisement) of that era. Their ways of belief and religions vanished into thin air. Their philosophies perished. Nothing remained of these great empires apart from some reference spread over a few pages of history. Yet, these very pages of history do not mention of those select few whose glorious victory over these great nations and colossal empires represent the unexplainable mystery of that era. These select few prevailed with such magnanimity that to this day their philosophies survive as living contemporary philosophies. Their religions encompass the entire globe so much so that an overwhelming majority of the world's population today traces the roots of its beliefs to a heavenly prophet or Avatar who was the most powerless person of his time.
The question then arises that if the causes of the fall of these mighty empires were some calamities of that time, then surely the primary victims should have been the weakest instead of the most powerful. Where from did disasters of the age acquire this selectivity in distinguishing, at stroke, the weak from the mighty and realize that decency meant that they extend a helping hand to the weakest but be the assassin, so to speak, of the strongest?
iii) The third point in this regard is that out of all those cities and habitations, which were reduced to rubble by earthquakes or were cast in the pit of destruction by non-stop storms, burying them under layers of soil, not a single one was inhabited by a community comprising the followers of a prophet. Instead, their residents were the irreligious people and those who rejected the prophets. The tell-tale remnants of these habitations have preserved to this day the imprint of their false deities and their innovations, perversion and wickedness.
The Holy Qur’an often reminds mankind of the fact that this has been the end of such habitations. If man travels the length and breadth of the land in search of these great ancient townships, he is bound to discover their remnants buried deep under the dust. Interred therein, lies prostrate those mighty nations which had firmly resolved to erase from the face of the earth the prophet of that age and anything to do with him. Their conspiracy was most pernicious and it was well nigh impossible to find any defense against their might. At times the prophets apparently despaired about the unbelievers and the success of their mission. It was then that God's help came suddenly in the form of a disaster that distinguished clearly between good and evil. Whomsoever God pleased, he saved, but the wicked could find no respite. Referring to these conditions, the Holy Qur’an states:
Till (on one side) the messengers despaired (of the unbelievers) and (on the other side) they (unbelievers) thought that (in the name of revelation) they were being told a lie, Our help came to them (the messengers), then was saved he whom We pleased. And our chastisement can never be averted from the wicked people. [Yusuf:111]
Whereas in the past, man passed by the remains of great nations, unaware and ignorant of what lay buried therein, today the earth has begun to disclose its secrets and archaeological remains have begun to emerge and to be identified for the world at large to deserve. But at the time when the Holy Qur’an referred to them, mankind still lived in the dark age of ignorance.
5) The fifth hallmark which distinguishes divine chastisement from a disaster of that age is referred in the following verse of the Holy Qur’an:
We showed them no sign but it was greater than its (preceding) sister (sign), and we seized them with punishment, that they might turn (away from their wickedness to us). [Al-Zukhruf: 49]
In other words, a gradation and arrangement prevail in divine punishment and until the ultimate triumph of good over evil, the series of punishments worsen and become more severe with the passage of time. If a graph is drawn in the severity of divine punishment, barring some minor ups and downs, the scale of severity of misfortunes would always incline to the more severe as time progresses. If a people do not accept the ideology of a prophet at that age, and destruction becomes the writing on the wall for them, then the final affliction of divine chastisement is in the severest and most decisive form. Such organized severity does not exist in ordinary disasters.
6) The sixth distinction is that ordinary disasters are not influenced by the condition of man's heart. If feelings of regret remorse and repentance over past sins begin to emerge, and attitudes begin to incline towards seeking forgiveness, then divine punishment is averted. Referring to this distinctive feature, the Holy Qur’an states:
Allah would not punish them while they sought forgiveness. [Al-Anfal: 34]
In the history of past prophets, the event during the time of Prophet Jonah, on whom be peace, represents an outstanding example of this principle that in spite of having been forewarned of divine punishment, when the people begin to seek forgiveness, the unchangeable practice of God stands like an unbreakable wall between the people and the divine punishment.
7) Yet another distinction of divine punishments is that the chastisement does not happen until the chosen prophet leaves the territory scheduled for destruction. For instance, addressing the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), the Holy Qur’an states:
But Allah would not punish them while thou wast among them. [Al-Anfal: 34]
It is obvious that misfortunes wait for none. Therefore, those misfortunes that wait for the holy people to leave the site and only erupt once they have left are termed, in religious speech, `divine punishments'.
The response to the question, that how is it that the prophets and their followers escaped the web of destruction, is that either the prophet left with his companions or the people of that age had themselves exiled the prophet and his companions from their territory. In either case, the divine punishment was afflicted when the prophet and his companions were not physically present in that territory.
There are some kinds of disasters against which no physical means of survival can be adopted. Despite this, such disasters have no power to destroy God's holy people. Because prophets are told in advance of such a disaster, God instructs them to adopt certain preventative measures, apart from which they adopt no further measures. Even then the opponents, who are capable of adopting all measures available to them, find themselves unable to escape the disaster. Yet the prophet and his companions are protected by some unknown forces.
An example of this in the history of the past prophets can be found during the time of Moses when the children of Israel were instructed to adopt a solitary preventative measure, i.e. a prohibition of leavened bread. Apart from this, no other measures mentioned in the ancient history, was taken. In contrast, the people of Pharaoh were at full liberty to take all known remedies to prevent an epidemic. But when some blood-related diseases began to spread amongst the people of Pharaoh, the followers of Moses were not infected. Only Pharaoh's people largely fell victim to the epidemic while the followers of Moses dwelt amongst them.
The Holy Qur’an has nowhere claimed that the object of Divine punishments is always, without exception, the extermination of an opponent nation. Although it refers to some such nations whose destruction had been decreed, this has not been decreed as a permanent maxim of God.
The only maxim is that as a result of a Divine punishment, the followers of Prophets prevail over the opponents.
Another category of Divine punishment is that a nation can incur the wrath of God and be kept till the Day of Resurrection in a state of disgrace unable to rise again to its former glory.
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