Islamic perspectives in disaster : An alternative to changing fatalistic attitudes

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.