Barely have we contained our emotions following the tragic earthquake in Marakesh than we are faced with a picture even more harrowing by its staggering death toll exceeding 20,000. The torrential flooding in the Libyan coastal town of Derna when two dams failed has been suggested to carry the destructive energy on a par with the Nagasaki atomic bomb as it swept all before it into the sea. No words can express our anguish over the devastation in Derna and the unimaginable loss of life and suffering.
While words offer little by way of comfort in such situations, we nevertheless take heart in the inspiring words of Prophet Muhammed (peace and blessings upon him) that the tribulations of the Muslim Ummah are in the life of this fleeting world and not in the life hereafter.
As one survivor who had lost his family to the floods reflectively conceded, “this is nature; this is Allah.” … It is indeed Allah, the All Powerful and All Wise. We ask Allah for fortitude and resilience for the people of Derna. We ask Him to accept the dead as Shuhadaa (martyrs) and to make the hurt and loss suffered by all who have been touched by this tragedy a means of expiation of sins for them, Ameen.
Please help the Lewisham Islamic Centre on Saturday 30th September, from Dhur to Isha, to fundraise with Human Relief Foundation (HRF) for much needed aid relief for our brothers and sisters in Derna.