Page 38 - The Day of Judgment

36 THE DAY OF JUDGMENT

submerge suddenly and unleash a tidal wave that hit one of the
most densely populated stretches of Java's coastline. The wave,
which destroyed 165 villages and killed 36,000 people, was more
than 35 meters (110 feet) high when it reached the shore. Such
events demonstrate that underwater earthquakes or volcanic
eruptions can have a localized effect and cause flooding and
widespread death further afield. On the Day of Judgment, every
place on Earth, whether underground or underwater, will be
shaken. The violent tremors on the ocean floor will arouse the
oceans and cause tidal waves and flooding on a global scale,
something that we can hardly imagine.
The oceans will rise for other reasons as well. Their calm nature
depends on the laws of nature. On that Day, however, these laws will
be overturned, just like all the other laws upon which the delicate
balances of the heavens, Earth, and people rest. The pillars of this
perfect equilibrium, all of which were created by Allah's will, will be
destroyed at once again by His will. Also, it is quite probable that the
underground heat will increase the atmospheric temperature, thus
melting the ice at both poles and raising the water levels.
We also know that landslides and the sliding rocks, by filling a

bay, lake or a dam and can cause unusually high regional waves. On
the Day of Judgment, not one mountain will be left standing, and
Earth's surface will be leveled. Rocks rolling down the mountains
will fill the ocean beds and cause floods.
Once Allah's appointed time has come, such fear-inspiring
events will unfold one after another: a deafening blast; the
pulverizing of mountains; lava erupting from under people's feet;
dust, gas, and smoke clouds suffocating Earth's surface; and
scolding hot water overflowing onto people… a sudden remorse
befalling those who did not contemplate Allah's existence or His