Two significant events that caught the attention of Muslims occurred in Arab countries at the end of 2022, namely flash floods in the City of Mecca and the appearance of snow that covered the Al-Lawz mountains in the Tabuk region, Saudi Arabia.
Quoting Middle East Eye, on Thursday (22/12/2022) night, heavy rain flushed the City of Mecca, Saudi Arabia and led to a flash flood disaster on Friday (23/12/2022). It is known that this event has damaged several vehicles and property in the City of Mecca. In an amateur video spread on social media, cars on the streets of this holy city are seen being swept away by the swift currents of water, and several main roads were also closed.
Meanwhile, the Al-Lawz mountains in Tabuk are covered with snow, becoming a tourist attraction for residents and visitors from various regions. They come to enjoy the snow and the beauty of a phenomenon that rarely occurs in this country which is famous for being arid.
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These two phenomena that occur almost side by side also make the public wonder, especially Muslims. That is because Saudi Arabia is a flat country with many desert areas with no water, there are very few plants, and most of the water comes from wells and rainwater.
Saudi Arabia has one of its famous deserts, the Empty Quarter or Rub al Khali, the largest desert area in the world, the size of France, located in the south of this country. There are almost no permanent rivers or lakes in the country, but there are many wadis or dry rivers in the desert.
For this reason, it feels extraordinary that Saudi Arabia is now experiencing a flood disaster, even covered in snow. But this is not the first time, since 2020, heavy rain and snowflakes have fallen in the country ruled by King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud. This climate anomaly has been visible in the last two years. It is speculated that the cause is global warming and increasingly extreme climate change.
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Phenomena in Saudi Arabia from the perspective of the Holy Quran and Hadith
However, as a people guided by His words in the Al-Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad, Muslims need to see this phenomenon from another perspective, religion, not just experts’ explanations. So, how do the Al-Quran and Hadith view these two phenomena in the Arab Lands? Is this a sign that doomsday is getting closer?
Previously, in a hadith, the Prophet Muhammad had mentioned what the signs of the approaching doomsday would be like those. One of these signs is that the Arab Land has become a green land decorated with meadows and rivers.
It is explained in the hadith from Abu Hurairah radhiyallahu ‘anhu that Rasulullah SAW said: “The Day of Judgment will not come until the Arab Land is again green with plants and rivers.” (Reported by Ahmad)
There is one word that needs to be highlighted in the hadith of the Prophet SAW above, namely the word ‘return’. This word implies that in the beginning, the Arab Land was a fertile region, not barren as we see today.
When connected with climate change in Saudi Arabia, high rainfall and falling snow, Saudi Arabia may become fertile land. The words of the Prophet in the hadith above are also likely to occur in the next few years.
For this reason, we as Muslims need to see this phenomenon through the lens of faith to be self-aware and continue to remember Allah SWT. Because we do not know for sure when the end of the world will come, as Allah SWT says in the following verse of the Al Qur’an:
“And do you know (Hi, Muhammad), maybe the day of doomsday is near.” (QS Al-Ahzab: 63)
Disasters Related to Piety?
Through the Al-Quran, Allah has said that the faith or purity of the inhabitants of a region is directly proportional to the blessings Allah will give these residents. On the other hand, Allah will also give torment and suffering to those who deny His religion, as stated in the following Al-Quran surah Al-A’raf verse 96:
“If only the inhabitants of the lands had believed and were pious, we would have surely bestowed upon them blessings from the heavens and the earth, but they denied (Our verses), then We punished them for their actions.” (QS Al-A’raf: 96)
Even so, we have no right to judge the inhabitants of the Arab Lands that they have denied His word. However, even if the country’s rulers or officials did terrible things, unscrupulous citizens’ immoral, corrupt, and negligent attitudes can invite God’s punishment as a disaster. If so, God’s warning in the following should be the primary concern of all parties.
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“So, do the people of these countries feel safe from Our torment coming to them at night when they are sleeping?”
“Or do the inhabitants of those countries feel safe from Our punishment coming upon them when the sun rises when they are playing?”
“So, do they feel safe from Allah’s (unexpected) punishment? No one feels safe and Allah’s punishment except the losers.”
“And is it not clear to those who destroy a land after (disappears) its inhabitants, that if We willed, We would certainly punish them for their sins; and We sealed their hearts so that they could not hear (lessons)?” (QS Al-A’raf: 97-100)