Bismihi Ta`ala
*THE BURDEN OF THE EARTH.*
*The burden of the earth are whatever inside it and also humans and jinns. Allah Ta`ala said in the Noble Qur-aan:*
سَنَفْرُغُ لَكُمْ أَيُّهَ الثَّقَلَانِ [الرحمن : 31]
*‘’Soon We are going to free Ourselves for you(to account your deeds), O you two heavy species(Mankind and Jinns).’’(55:31*)
*And some mufassirs said that we are heavy due to our sins, compared to a universe and its contents without sins.*
*Allah Ta`ala said on the issue of the very great last earthquake in the final hour:*
إِذَا زُلْزِلَتِ الْأَرْضُ زِلْزَالَهَا (1) وَأَخْرَجَتِ الْأَرْضُ أَثْقَالَهَا (2) وَقَالَ الْإِنْسَانُ مَا لَهَا (3) يَوْمَئِذٍ تُحَدِّثُ أَخْبَارَهَا [الزلزلة : 1 – 4]
*‘’And when the earth will be trembled with great quakes, and the earth will bring out its loaded burden…That day it will say everything(of actions that was committed upon it).’’(99:1-4)*
*Some mufassirs linked the burden of the earth directly with the sins of humans.*
تفسير القرطبي – (17 / 169)
قال الله تعالى: (وَأَخْرَجَتِ الْأَرْضُ أَثْقالَها) «1» ومنه قولهم: أعطه ثقله أي وزنه. وقال بعض أهل المعاني: كل شي له قدر ووزن ينافس فيه فهو ثقل. ومنه قيل لبيض النعام ثقل، لان واجده وصائده يفرح به إذا ظفر به. وقال جعفر الصادق: سميا ثقلين، لأنهما مثقلان بالذنوب.
*Because the earth kept secrets of human sins and hence that day it will voice out all actions of humans that it kept secret. Shirk, apostasy, crimes, rape, infanticide, abortions, adultery, fraud, theft, etc. Imagine keeping all these secrets for thousands of years…So that day it will lighten itself by disclosing and voicing out all these hidden sins committed on its surface.*
*In fact sins make us burden upon the earth. That is why there are earthquakes.*
حَدَّثَنا حَفْصٌ، عَنْ لَيْثٍ، عَنْ شَهْرٍ، قالَ: زُلْزِلَتِ المَدِينَةُ فِي عَهْدِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ، فَقالَ: «إنَّ رَبَّكُمْ يَسْتَعْتِبُكُمْ فَأعْتِبُوهُ»
مصنف ابن أبي شيبة
*In the times of Rasouloullah swalallahou alaihi wasallam, the was a tremor earth quake. So Rasouloullah swalallahou alaihi wasallam said: “Your Lord wants you to adopt goodness, piety and repent to Him. So you people beware of Him and repent to Him.”(Tirmizi/Musanaf abi shaibah)*
وقَدْ زُلْزِلَتِ الأرْضُ فِي عَهْدِ عُمَرَ بْنِ الخَطّابِ فَما عَلِمْناهُ صَلّى وقَدْ قامَ خَطِيبًا، فَحَضَّ عَلى الصَّدَقَةِ، وأمَرَ بِالتَّوْبَةِ
معرفة السنن والآثار ٥/١٥٦ — أبو بكر البيهقي
*Once there was an earthquake in the time of Hazrat Umar ra. So he addressed the musallis to encourage them to give Sadaqah and to repent.(Baihaqi)*
*So to make us light and not a burden upon the earth, be sinless and continue repenting and do istighfaar and salaah. And mainly promote deen and salaah in our society. Because Allah Ta`ala do not destroy a community that are reforming itself:*
وَمَا كَانَ رَبُّكَ لِيُهْلِكَ الْقُرَى بِظُلْمٍ وَأَهْلُهَا مُصْلِحُون [هود : 117]
*‘’And your Lord will never destroy a city due to its sins when its dwellers are trying to reform themselves.’’(11:117)*
*When men go out from Masjids and call people towards Masjid, then this will Insha Allah stop the wrath of Allah Ta`ala.*
*Since the earth is recording our actions, then make it witness your good actions on the maximum places. Recommended to read your sunnah and nafil other places where you just read your farz. Rasouloullah Swalallahou Alaihi Wasallam changed places in Haram to perform his Ishraaq/Chaast salaahs. Recommended to read your salaahs in nature so that the nature witness your good action. When Uhud trembled, Rasouloullah swalallahou alaihi wasallam told it to stop because there were great calibres on it: Rasouloulla swalallahou alaihi wasallam, Abu Bakr ra, Umar ra and Uthman ra. And it stopped!(Bukhari*)
*The reason that other places have not experienced the havocs is this ayah:*
سورة سبإ (٣٤): آية ١٥]
لَقَدْ كانَ لِسَبَإٍ فِي مَسْكَنِهِمْ آيَةٌ جَنَّتانِ عَنْ يَمِينٍ وشِمالٍ كُلُوا مِن رِزْقِ رَبِّكُمْ واشْكُرُوا لَهُ بَلْدَةٌ طَيِّبَةٌ ورَبٌّ غَفُورٌ (١٥)
*Eat of the provision from your Lord, and be grateful to Him – (You have) an excellent city, and a Most Forgiving Lord.(34:15)*
*Forgiveness of Allah is allowing us to live normally with bounties. Nothing else.*
*Know that one day or the other, we will end under the ground. So perform lots of good actions over it to attain an astounding welcoming down there. Unless we stop sinning and burdening the earth with indecency, open alcoholic bars in offices, atheism, lgbt and adultery, or else expect the earth to quake more in future. *.
Mufti Mackoojee