Does believing that humans have the ability to cause earthquakes constitute shirk (associating others with Allah)?

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Tauhid Lab Assistant · Accepted Answer

> **TL;DR:** Attributing independent, intrinsic power to humans to cause earthquakes is shirk (associating partners with Allah), because no created being has real, self-standing power to benefit or harm; only Allah creates events and outcomes [TAF2], [FAT1]. Recognizing that human actions can operate as outward means (asbāb—created “means” Allah placed in the world) within Allah’s will is not shirk, provided one believes Allah alone creates both the cause and the effect [FAT5], [RIS8], [RIS6].

## The principle: cause, effect, and where shirk begins

Shirk (associating partners with Allah) is to ascribe to another being a share in Allah’s being or attributes, including power over outcomes; this is explicitly defined as joining partners with Allah [FAT1]. The core of tawḥīd (monotheism—directing one’s dependence and ultimate faith solely to Allah) is to see that no one possesses personal, intrinsic power to benefit or harm; the visible chain of causes is only a veil, while real agency is Allah’s alone [TAF2].

Allah created the world upon an order of asbāb (means—apparent correlations between causes and effects), yet these means do not create results by themselves; He alone brings both the cause and the effect into existence [FAT5]. Classical scholars explained that Allah set a tight “system of causes and effects,” but none of these causes has autonomous efficacy; the Creator made the system and sustains every event [RIS8]. Even for earthquakes, classical teaching notes that when Allah wills an earthquake, He may command subsurface processes to move and “ignite” what He created—yet the occurrence remains by His command and wisdom, not by an independent force [RIS6].

Therefore:
- Believing “humans can independently cause earthquakes” (i.e., possessing intrinsic, creator-like power over the earth) constitutes shirk, because it confers the Creator’s prerogative onto creation [TAF2], [FAT1]. 
- Believing “human actions can function as means that Allah may use within His law of causes” is not shirk, if one holds that Allah alone creates both the means and the result and nothing occurs outside His will [FAT5], [RIS8], [RIS6].

Speech also matters: the Prophet forbade wording that puts a created will alongside Allah’s will—“Do not say: What Allah wills and what so-and-so wills; rather say: What Allah wills, then what so-and-so wills”—to safeguard tawḥīd even at the linguistic level [HAD3]. Likewise, statements that attribute outcomes purely to creatures (“If it were not for so-and-so…”) fall under minor shirk in expression; the safe phrasing is to place Allah first and then the means (“If not for Allah, then so-and-so…”) [HAD5].

## Why this is wise, and what it solves

This principle protects the heart from deifying nature, technology, or human power by refusing to grant them the Creator’s status of independent efficacy [TAF2]. It also prevents the opposite error of denying the world’s lawful means; Allah Himself established the pattern of means so humans could act responsibly within it while remaining grateful and God-conscious [TAF3]. Tafsīr highlights that many fall into polytheism when they stop at the visible process and confer creator-like status to created things; crossing that line is the essence of shirk [TAF2]. Recognizing asbāb without divinizing them keeps accountability intact and ensures gratitude remains directed to Allah [TAF5]. This balance also clarifies that events are never “random” or divorced from divine governance, even as we study and manage their worldly dynamics [RIS6], [TAF2].

### Modern, practical applications

- Professional communication: When describing risk mitigation or incident analysis, prefer formulations like “Allah enabled the measures that reduced seismic impact,” avoiding language that grants intrinsic, decisive power to human hands or tools [FAT5], [HAD3], [HAD5].  
- Policy and engineering: Planning, design, and enforcement of safety measures are part of acting through asbāb that Allah placed in creation; using them does not contradict tawḥīd when one’s heart knows Allah alone creates outcomes [FAT5], [RIS8].  
- Crisis response: During tremors, complete obligatory worship if safely possible, but prioritize safety if not; jurists discuss completing prayer during earthquakes based on one’s capacity, reflecting lawful use of means amid divine decree [FAT6].  
- Spiritual posture: In calamity or fear, hearts turn to Allah; tafsīr reminds that humans instinctively call upon Him in distress, and this recognition should become a stable life-orientation rather than a momentary reflex [TAF3].

### Psychological, social, and ethical benefits

- Humility with responsibility: Seeing Allah as the true agent curbs arrogance while motivating diligent prevention and preparedness via lawful means [TAF2], [FAT5].  
- Clarity in speech and thought: Disciplined phrasing (“What Allah wills, then…”) trains the soul to keep Allah first, shrinking subtle forms of ostentation or reliance on creation [HAD3], [HAD5].  
- Guarding hope and fear: Major sins include feeling utterly safe from or despairing of Allah’s plan; sober belief in His sovereignty over events stabilizes hope, caution, and repentance [HAD6].  
- Ethical gratitude: Recognizing that every deliverance ultimately comes from Allah sustains thankfulness rather than self-worship or technocratic pride [TAF5], [TAF2].

## Divergent perspectives to avoid two opposite errors

- Over-naturalizing (subtle shirk): Stopping at outward phenomena and conferring creator-status to human power or nature is shirk; no being has intrinsic power besides Allah [TAF2].  
- Over-negating means (fatalism): Ignoring the order of means Allah established—confusing His creative will (takwīn) with His command (taklīf)—is a misunderstanding; the wise stance is to act through means while affirming that Allah alone creates results [TAF10], [FAT5], [RIS8].

In sum: It is not shirk to acknowledge that human actions may act as outward means that Allah can relate to an earthquake’s occurrence, as long as one affirms that Allah alone creates events and outcomes; it is shirk to claim humans possess independent, intrinsic power to cause earthquakes apart from Allah’s will and agency [TAF2], [FAT5], [RIS8], [RIS6]. If specific, complex cases arise, consult a qualified scholar for tailored guidance on wording and belief to keep your creed precise and safe [FAT1].

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Does believing that humans have the ability to cause earthquakes constitute shirk (associating others with Allah)?

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