Winds & Hurricanes
By the Noble Shaykh: Muhammad ibn Ahmad Al-feefee (May Allah
preserve him)
Translated by: Abu Nasir Saalik ibn Baldwin (Masjid Tawheed wa Sunnah)
All thanks and praises belong to Allah, and may the peace and
blessings be upon his messenger صلى الله عليه و
سلم.
To proceed:
‘O Muslims… The Sunnah (way, methodology) of Allah, the Mighty
& Majestic, as it relates to His servants, is that He will treat them in
accordance with their actions. Therefore, when the people have taqwa (fear) of
their Lord, the One who created them and provides for them, He causes blessings
from the heavens to descend upon them, and He brings out for them, the good
things from the earth. Just as He glorified is He, has stated:
{And if the people of the towns had believed and had taqwa (piety), certainly,
We would have opened for them blessings from the heaven and the earth…}
[Al-a’raf 7:96]
In addition, He, the Most High said,
{If they (non-Muslims) had believed in
Allah, and went on the right way (i.e. Islam) We should surely
have bestowed on them rain in abundance.} [al-Jinn 72:16], and when
the servant rebels against the legislation of Allah, and deviate away from His
commands… the chastisement and punishment is brought upon them from the
Magnificent, the Supreme.
Thus, whenever the servants are obedient to Allah, the Mighty
and Majestic, obedient to His legislation…He showers upon them His blessings,
and removes from them His afflictions/punishments.
Whenever the condition of the servants shift from obedience to
disobedience, and grateful to ungrateful, then afflictions and punishments
befall them and the blessings are removed from them.
Therefore, all of what occurs to the slaves from
severe trial and afflictions, natural disasters, and calamities…then it is due
to what their (own) hands have earned, and He pardons much, just as He, the
Most High, has stated {and whatever of misfortune befalls you, is it because
of what your hands have earned, and He pardons much.} [Ash-shuraa 42:30]
Even if we don’t bear witness to it, from these universal signs
of Allah. It makes the believer one who connects with Allah… talking to him,
thanking Him for His blessings; one who seeks refuge with Him, fearing His
punishment and His displeasure.
He, the Mighty and Majestic, said: {And
how many signs in the heavens and the earth they pass by, while they are
apathetic towards them} [Yusuf 12:105] Meaning that they do not ponder and
reflect over them, nor do they take a lesson or warning from them.
‘O slaves of Allah, verily from the
blessings of Allah upon us, is this air in which we breathe and due to our
severe need of it, Allah has made it free and accessible to the creation in
every place, and without cost or wealth, but when this air becomes polluted by
the Divine Decree (of Allah), and benefiting from it is no longer possible
then verily the state of the people will become difficult and constricted.
Perhaps he will reach conditions of unconsciousness, or suffocation.
It has certainly come upon us,
continually, in these days, severe winds accompanied by thick dust. The people
have been harmed, and they have suffered damages from it and it has become
evident/clear, their inability to repel it and defend against its harm, even by
locking the doors and windows. So therefore, it reaches every place even if
they were locked.
‘O Believers, verily the wind is an army, from the armies
of Allah- the Most High- which nothing is able to withstand. Therefore,
when it exceeds its normal velocity- By the permission of its Lord- cities are
annihilated, building are demolished, trees are uprooted, and thus become a
punishment for the one whose home it fell upon.
Therefore, when the people of ‘Ad became insolent and they said:
(Who is more severe than us in strength). Allah sent down upon them the barren
wind; so He- the Mighty and Majestic said: {and in ‘Ad(there is also a
sign) when We sent against them the barren wind; it spared nothing that it,
but blew it into spreads of rotten ruins} [Az-zariyat 51:41-42]
Baghawi said: “It is that which has no
good in it, or blessing, nor does it pollinate any trees. It does not spare
anything that it encounters from their persons, (i.e. themselves) their
livestock, their cattle, and their wealth except that it makes it like broken
spreads and rotten ruins. Meaning: like anything worn out/ decayed
ruined, and destroyed: Also like the nabaat (plants, trees, flowers, herbs,
bushes, grass, vines, green algae, fem, etc.) of the earth when it has been
dried out and trampled upon. Mujahid said: like dry, waterless straw or hay.
(Tafsir al-Baghawi)
Surely, Allah- Most High- named this
wind عَاتِيَةٍ Atiyah
(violent, furious, strong) in His statement.
{As for Ad, they were destroyed
by furious violent wind!} [Al-Haqqah 69:6]
The scholars of Tafsir said: It was brought upon them without
mercy or blessing, and it said: It was brought upon the storage places (i.e.
for wealth) then it left it bankrupt!
How could this not be the case!? And it
is an army from the armies of Allah…He assists with it (i.e. His army) whomever
He wishes from His believing slaves, just as it occurred in the conquest
(battle) of the trenches.
Allah, Most High said: {‘O you who believe! Remember Allah’s
favor upon you, when there came against you hosts and We sent against them a
wind and forces that you saw not (i.e. troops of angels during the
battle of Al-Ahzab [the confederates]). And Allah is ever
All-seer of what you do. [Al-Ahzab]
Narrated ibn Abee Najih from Mujahid (1), he said:
It is the east wind. It turned their cooking pots over and took away
their tents until it made them decamp/ leave. (Meanings of the Qur’an by: Abu
Ja’far An-Nihas).[1]
It has been collected by Bukhari and Muslim, and other than
them, from the Hadith of ibn Abbas, who said: The Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه و سلم said “the help came from the Saba, and Ad was
destroyed by the daboor” (the sabaa, it is the eastern wind, and the
daboor, it is the westernly wind.) [Explanation of Nawawee]
Narrated ‘Aisha رضى الله عنها, she
said concerning the messenger of Allah صلى
الله عليه و سلم. “If it was
a day of wind and clouds- the concern would show on his face, and he would turn
and slip away. Then if it rained, he was happy with it, and that caused him to
forget about it. Aisha said: “So I asked him about this; he said: “I fear that
there will be a punishment inflicted upon my nation.” (Collected by
Muslim)
When a wind would blow violently, the prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم used to say (‘O Allah! Verily I ask you for the best good of it, and the best of what is in it, and the best of what You have sent with it, and I seek refuge with You from the evil of it, and the evil of what is in it, and the evil of what you sent with it.” (Recorded by Muslim)
Allah said about the people of Hud,
when He sent upon them the wind: “Then, when they saw it as a dense
cloud coming toward their valleys, they said, “This is a good cloud bringing us
rain!” Nay, but it is that (torment) which you were asking to be
hastened! A wind wherein is a painful torment!” [Al-Ahqaf 46:24]
Therefore, they did not think about the cloud
which overshadowed them, except that it had an apparent form/existence, perhaps
caused by the downpour of rain. Particularly, since they were barren,
people who were in need of rain. However, this nebula or cloud was nothing
except punishment! Ibn Katheer has conveyed in his tafseer on the
authority of Abdullah ibn Umar, he said: “Wind is eight (i.e. has eight
parties): four from it is mercy and four from it is punishment.
So as for the winds of mercy: Then they are the winds that
scatter clouds, and those winds precede the rain, the winds that come in
succession, and the winds that scatter dust.
As for the winds of punishment: Then they are the barren wind,
and the violent winds, both of them are in the mainland; and the storm wind,
and the roaring wind with thunder, and they are both in the sea.
So if he willed, Glorified is He, to set it in motion with a
merciful movement, then He would make it comfortable, generous and a sign of
His impending Mercy, and the pollination for the clouds, just as He uses the
man to pollinate the woman for pregnancy.
And if Allah wills, He sets it in motion with movements of
punishments, then makes it barren, and it brings a grievous punishment…making
it a trial upon whomever He wills from amongst His slaves. Then He makes
it violent & furious, and causing decay & ruin when it passes through
out. (Tafsir Ibn Katheer) {Volume 3 p. 43 Arabic only version}
’O Muslims, just as the wind is an army from the armies of Allah
(that) He inflicts it upon whomever He wills. Then verily it is also a
creation from the creation of Allah…He makes it subservient to whomever He
wills from amongst His slaves. He, the Master, The Blessed & Most High
said, “And to Solomon (we subjected) the wind, strongly raging, running
by His command towards the land which We have blessed; and of everything We are
the All-Knower.” [Al-Anbiya 21:81]
He, the Most High, also said, “And to Solomon (We
subjected) the wind, its morning (stride from sunrise till midnoon) was a
month’s (journey) and its afternoon (stride from midday decline of the sun to
sunset) was a month’s journey. (Saba 34:12) Therefore, he traveled, in
one day, the distance of 2 months. (Zad- al- Maseer Vol. 6 p. 43 Ibn
al-jawzee)
Verily, many of the countries, nations,
and societies…the majority of them do not pay attention to these winds and
hurricanes, considering accountability (punishment). Therefore, they read the
weather conditions, and predict the time and place of its occurrences and take
precautions because of it. While they busy themselves with precautionary
measures and preparation of shelter/refuge… but with all of this, it does
nothing, except that it leaves them with nothing but loss and misfortune in
their lives, wealth, and total destruction of their possessions!
“O Muslims, verily, from what is
befitting is to warn against the attribution of these manifestation to
nature…Just like some call it (the anger of nature) likewise some of them say,
“Verily, this is a manifestation of nature.” The reasons for it are well
known. No connection (is made) to it with regard to the actions of the
people and their disobedience. Likewise, it is on the tongues of the some
of the journalists and those in charge of notifying the people…to the extent
that the people are at the point where they are not afraid of its occurrences,
nor do they take a warning from it.
The eminent scholar, Ibn Uthaimeen (May
Allah have mercy on him) said: “And we do not negate the fact that there are
tangible reasons for it, but who is the one who provides these tangible
reasons? Verily, the tangible reasons do not exist, except with the
command of Allah, the Mighty, and Majestic. Allah, by His wisdom, has
made for everything, a reason, or a tangible reason. Like this Allah’s Sunnah
happens…Almighty and Majestic.
I seek refuge with Allah from the
accursed satan “ so We punished each (of them) for his sins, of them
were some on whom We set hasib (a violent wind with shower of stones) [As the
people of Lut (lot)], and of them, were some who were overtaken by as-saihad
(torment-awful cry, (as Thamud’s or Shuaib’s people)], and of them were some
whom We caused the earth to swallow [as Qarun (Korah)], and of them were some
whom We drowned [ as the people of Nuh (Noah), or the Firaun (Pharaoh) and his
people]. It was not Allah who wronged them; rather they wronged
them-selves. [Al-‘Ankabut 29:40]
‘O Muslims! Verily from amongst
the people is he who complains when he sees wind and dust, and perhaps he had
become insolent, so he cursed it and reviles it… and this is a matter that the
messenger صلى الله عليه و سلم has forbidden…where he said: “(Do
not revile(abuse) the wind. So if you have seen what you dislike then
say; Verily, we ask you for the best of this wind, and the best of what is in
it, and the best of what you ordered it with, and we seek refuge with you from
the evil of this wind, and from the evil of what is in it, and the evil of what
you have commanded with.)At- Tirmidhi 7315
He also said: “Do not abuse/revile the wind, for verily,
it is from the spirits sent from Allah, the Most high. It brings forth
mercy and it brings forth punishment, therefore ask Allah for the best of it
and seek refuge with Allah from the evil of it” [Collected by Ahmad
and it has been declared authentic by Albani 7316]
From what is befitting is the warning against the statements of
some of the people. Such as, “’O Allah! Make it a mercy and do not
make a punishment. ‘O Allah! Make it multiple winds (breezes) and
do not make it a (violent) wind.) This is an extremely weak narration.
[This Hadith has been graded da’eef al-jaami, by Shaykh Al-bani 4461] The
only thing that has been confirmed from the Sunnah of the messenger صلى الله عليه و سلم is what we mentioned previously…
Therefore, let us fear Allah,’O
Muslims, and let us take the means of success, for verily, the destruction of
the people and their success is restricted to what their (own) hands have
earned. So let us take a lesson from those around us, and let us take a
lesson from what occurs to the people, other than us.
Ibn Mas’ood was speaking in the masjids, “Verily, the One who is
wretched is he who becomes wretched in the belly of his mother, and the one who
is happy, is he who takes a lesson from others.” (Shades of paradise)
We ask Allah that He guides the
misguidance of the Muslims, that He provides us all with the understanding of
the religion, and that He makes you and us from the righteous servants!
[1] Translator note: (1) He is Abee Ja’far
an-nihas, who died in 338h. in Fustat aka Misr-al-Fustat. Fustat is a
part of old Cairo in Egypt.
