Islamic perspectives in disaster: An alternative to changing fatalistic attitudes.

Furqan I Aksa

doi:10.4102/jamba.v12i1.942

Abstract

Misunderstandings towards the teachings of Islam increases the fatalistic attitude towards disaster. Fatalistic attitude causes them to ignore measures to reduce the disaster risk. A new approach is needed to change the fatalistic attitude that afflicts most Muslim countries. This article aims to provide an overview of the view of Islam on disasters and the Islamic perspectives on disaster risk reduction. The findings from this literature review reveal that Islamic discourses view disaster as a test from God. There is not a single verse in the Qur’an and the hadith of the Prophet Muhammad who order humans to be fatalistic in their understanding of disasters. On the contrary, Islamic teachings actually give significant attention to the people to use knowledge in disaster risk reduction. This article offers three Islamic principles that can be used in disaster risk reduction, namely Al-Ilmu (knowledge), Ikhtiar (effort) and Tawakkul (trust in God). The concept is expected to fill the limitations of the literature that examines the positive impact of Islamic teachings on disaster risk reduction.

Highlights

Fatalism is an attitude that believes that everything that happens in the community environment is beyond their control (Ruiu 2012)
Acevedo (2008) believes that culture and religion significantly contribute to the formation of the fatalism belief that natural hazards are destiny and their location has been determined by God
The fatalistic attitude that hits most Muslim communities in various countries is the impact of misunderstanding in comprehending Islamic teachings, especially the concept of Tawakkul

Summary

Introduction

Fatalism is an attitude that believes that everything that happens in the community environment is beyond their control (Ruiu 2012). It can be concluded that the disasters that occurred in various Islamic countries today can be categorised as a musibah from God to test the human faith This is based on the fact that when a disaster occurs, the victim consists of people who believe and who do not believe in God. One example is that amongst the victims of the disasters such as the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, there were those who believed and those who did not believe in God. Most of the victims are Acehnese who are Muslims and believe in God. the disaster of the 6.5 magnitude earthquake that occurred in Pidie Jaya Aceh in 2016 resulted in a total of 196 mosques collapsed and damaged by the earthquake (BNPB 2019). Religious belief (faith) is a source of strength for them to rise after a disaster (Joakim & White 2015)

Conclusion

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