Question 312: What is recommended in narrations to protect against earthquakes and their consequences?
Answer
✅ Answer: Please pay attention to the following narrations:
1 قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ قَالَ لِأَصْحَابِهِ ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ أَرَأَيْتُمْ لَوْ جَمَعْتُمْ مَا عِنْدَكُمْ مِنَ الثِّيَابِ و الْآنِيَةِ ثُمَّ وَضَعْتُمْ بَعْضَهُ عَلَى بَعْضٍ أَتَرَوْنَهُ يَبْلُغُ السَّمَاءَ قَالُوا لَا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ فَقَالَ يَقُولُ أَحَدُكُمْ إِذَا فَرَغَ مِنْ صَلَاتِهِ سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ و لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ و اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ ثَلَاثِينَ مَرَّةً و هُنَّ يَدْفَعْنَ الْهَدْمَ وَ الْغَرَقَ و الْحَرَقَ و التَّرَدِّيَ فِي الْبِئْرِ و أَكْلَ السَّبُعِ و مِيتَةَ السَّوْءِ وَ الْبَلِيَّةَ الَّتِي نَزَلَتْ عَلَى الْعَبْدِ فِي ذَلِكَ الْيَوْم
📚 Tahdhib Vol. 2, p. 107
Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: One day, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said to his companions: Tell me, if you were to gather all the containers and clothes you have and pile them on top of each other, do you think they would reach the sky? They said: No, O Messenger of Allah. He said: Each of you, when he has finished his prayer, should say 30 times:
سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ
And these repel a building collapsing on one's head, drowning, burning by fire, falling into a well, being eaten by a wild beast, an evil death, and a calamity that descends upon the servant on that day.
2 عَنْ جَعْفَرٍ عَنْ آبَائِهِ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ لَيَدْفَعُ بِالصَّدَقَةِ الدَّاءَ و الدُّبَيْلَةَو الْحَرَقَ وَ الْغَرَقَ وَ الْهَدْمَ وَ الْجُنُونَ وَ عَدَّ سَبْعِينَ بَاباً مِنَ السُّوء
📚 Kafi Vol. 4, p. 5
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said: Indeed, Allah, there is no one worthy of worship but Him, repels pain, plague, fire, drowning, a building collapsing on one's head, madness, and 70 other kinds of evil, which he enumerated, by means of charity.
3 عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ: مَنْ تَصَدَّقَ فِي يَوْمٍ أَوْ لَيْلَةٍ إِنْ كَانَ يَوْمٌ فَيَوْمٌ وَ إِنْ كَانَ لَيْلَةٌ فَلَيْلَةٌ دَفَعَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ الْهَدْمَ وَ السَّبُعَ و مِيتَةَ السَّوْءِ
📚 Thawab al-A'mal p. 169
Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: The person who gives charity during the day or night, if it is daytime, then on that day, and if it is nighttime, then on that night, Allah repels a building collapsing on their head, a wild beast, and an evil death from them.
4 عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ: لَا تَمَلُّوا مِنْ قِرَاءَةِ إِذَا زُلْزِلَتِ الْأَرْض فَإِنَّ مَنْ كَانَتْ قِرَاءَتَهُ فِي نَوَافِلِهِ لَمْ يُصِبْهُ اللَّهُ بِزَلْزَلَةٍ أَبَداً وَ لَمْ يَمُتْ بِهَا وَ لَا بِصَاعِقَةٍ وَ لَا بِآفَةٍ مِنْ آفَاتِ الدُّنْيَا فَإِذَا مَاتَ أُمِرَ بِهِ إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ فَيَقُولُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ عَبْدِي أَبَحْتُكَ جَنَّتِي فَاسْكُنْ مِنْهَا حَيْثُ شِئْتَ وَ هَوِيتَ لَا مَمْنُوعاً و لَا مَدْفُوعاً عَنْه
📚 Thawab al-A'mal p. 152
Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: Do not be weary or tired of reciting Surah Al-Zalzalah, because whoever's recitation in their supererogatory prayers is Surah Al-Zalzalah, Allah will never make an earthquake reach them, and they will not die by an earthquake, or by lightning, or by any of the calamities of the world. And when they pass away, it will be commanded for them to be taken to paradise, and Allah Almighty will say: O My servant, I have made paradise permissible for you, so dwell in any part of it you wish and desire without being prevented or repelled.
5️⃣ Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: The person who is affected by an earthquake should recite this supplication:
يَا مَنْ يُمْسِكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَ الْأَرْضَ أَنْ تَزُولَا وَ لَئِنْ زَالَتَا إِنْ أَمْسَكَهُمَا مِنْ أَحَدٍ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ إِنَّهُ كَانَ حَلِيماً غَفُوراً صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ وَ أَمْسِكْ عَنَّا السُّوءَ إِنَّكَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْ ءٍ قَدِيرٌ
And the Imam said: The person who recites this supplication when they go to sleep, Allah willing, the room will not fall on their head.
📚 Tahdhib Vol. 3, p. 294
6️⃣ Ali ibn Mahziyar said: I wrote a letter to Imam Jawad (peace be upon him) and complained about the frequency of earthquakes in Ahvaz and asked if I should leave the city? The Imam wrote: Do not leave the city, and fast on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, and on Friday perform a ritual bath and wear clean clothes, and go to the desert and call upon Allah Almighty, for indeed it will be removed from you. He said: We did this, and the earthquakes stopped, and the Imam also said: Each of you who is a sinner should repent to Allah, and the Imam himself prayed for their well-being.
✅ Since one of the important causes of earthquakes is sin and transgression, repentance from sins is one of the most important actions to repel earthquakes.