Press Release
Our Pain is Too Great, But Our Loss is Greater!
[الَّذِينَ إِذَا أَصَابَتْهُم مُّصِيبَةٌ قَالُواْ إِنَّا للَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعونَ]
“Who, when disaster strikes them, say, "Indeed we belong to Allāh, and indeed to Him we will return."”’ [Al-Baqara: 156]
(Translated)

On Monday, 6/2/2023, we witnessed two major earthquakes, the first at 04.17 am and the second at 13.24 pm. The earthquake caused great damage in the Turkish cities of Gaziantep, Diyarbakir, Sanliurfa, Malatya, Adana, Osmaniye and Kilis, at the top (of the cities affected) were Kahramanmaraş, Hatay and Adiyaman, and in the Syrian cities of Aleppo, Hama, Idlib, Latakia and others.

We, in Hizb ut Tahrir / Wilayah of Turkey, ask Allah to bestow His mercy on the Muslims who died in the earthquake and a speedy recovery for the injured. We offer our condolences to their bereaved families, relatives and loved ones, asking Allah to grant them patience and solace. And we ask Him (swt), to accept the Muslims who died in the ranks of the martyrs, as the Messenger of Allah (saw) said, and that Allah will make His spacious gardens their abode.

With this severe earthquake that we experienced, Allah (swt) once again showed His might and greatness while reminding us that human beings are helpless creatures. There is no doubt that an earthquake is a decree from Allah Almighty, which man cannot ward off. However, man is the one who builds houses that are not resistant to earthquakes, despite his presence in the earthquake zone. When our time comes, death will find us, even if we are in lofty towers. But this divine reminder does not mean that we should not build fortified castles, solid buildings, and secure hospitals. On the contrary, we put our trust in Allah (swt) and have tawakul in Him, and we believe that nothing will happen to us except what Allah has ordained for us. But, we must also take all necessary precautions, and taking the means into consideration. Of course, precautions cannot stand in the way of divine fate (qadr), but those who do not take the necessary precautions cannot be considered innocent. That is how to understand the concept of qadaa wa qadr (divine fate and destiny).

Our pain is too great, our loss is even greater... Although there is much that can be said, this is not the time for it. Now is the right time to alleviate this suffering with the help and support of all Muslims. Now is the time to understand the feelings of the Muslims who lived through the earthquake and those who were under the rubble and their relatives, and to share their suffering and help them. May Allah (swt) help the Muslims who are waiting to be rescued under the rubble, those affected by the earthquake and those who are rushing to the earthquake areas to provide assistance. Allah (swt) made such disasters and calamities a way to awaken Muslims, to take lessons and unite as one body.

Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir in Wilayah Turkey