The hadiths of the Prophet (saas) mention that most of the earthquakes will increase in the End Times. The frequent occurrence of earthquakes over the last few years is among the foremost concerns of people throughout the world.

There is no doubt that there have been no other natural events in history that have affected people to the extent that earthquakes have. They can happen anywhere and at any moment. Throughout the centuries, they have caused many deaths and great material loss. For this reason, they have been greatly feared. Even the technology of the twentieth and twentyfirst centuries has been able to prevent earthquake damage only to a certain extent.

The 1995 earthquake in Kobe serves as an example to those who like to think that technology will make it possible to harness nature. It will be remembered that this earthquake came unexpectedly upon Japan’s largest industrial and transportation center. In spite of the fact that it only lasted 20 seconds, as Time magazine reported, it caused about 100 billion dollars in damage.10

In the last few years, major earthquakes have occurred repeatedly and are among the foremost fears of people around the world. If we look at the data collected by the American National Earthquake Information Center for 1999, we find that 20,832 earthquakes happened somewhere in the world. As a result, an estimated 22,711 persons lost their lives.11

All such cases bring to mind what the Prophet (saas) said 1400 years ago:

	The Hour (Last Day) will not be established until ... earthquakes will be very frequent. (Bukhari) There are two great hadiths before the day of Judgment ... and then years of earthquakes. (Narrated by Umm Salama (r.a.)

Earthquakes, as predicted in the hadiths, are among the most important signs of the Last Day.

In the Qur’an, there are certain verses that point out the relation between earthquakes and the End Times. The 99th Surah is called Surat az-Zalzala; zalzala means great shaking, or earthquake. This Surah, composed of eight verses, describes the violent shaking of the earth and states that, following it, the Judgment Day will arrive, people will be raised from the dead, will give account of themselves to Allah, and receive their just rewards, even for the slightest thing that they have done:

When the earth is convulsed with its quaking
and the earth then disgorges its charges
and man asks, “What is wrong with it?”,
on that Day it will impart all its news
because your Lord has inspired it.
That Day people will emerge segregated to see the results of their actions.
Whoever does an atom’s weight of good will see it.
Whoever does an atom’s weight of evil will see it.
(Surat az-Zalzala: 1-8)

Disasters affect the whole world. We must learn a lesson from them and turn to Allah.

10. Time, February 6, 1995, "Economic Aftershock"
11. US Geological Survey National Earthquake Information Center, "Earthquake Facts and Statistics", 2000, http://www.neic.cr.usgs.gov/neis/eqlists/eqstats.html
http://www.neic.cr.usgs.gov/neis/bulletin/1999_stats.html