The Friday sermons in Makkah and Madina warned against rushing to judge others and accusing people of sin and moral depravation following the occurrence of natural phenomena and disasters. Dr. Saleh Bin Humaid, Imam and Khateeb of the Holy Haram in Makkah, urged Muslims to adhere to the Prophet's jurisprudence and refrain from the “Pharos' attitude”, saying that recent decades saw people afflicted by weakness, poverty, fear and vagrancy. Bin Humaid reminded Muslims of the calamities that occurred during the times of the worthy “such as the Year of Starvation and the plague which broke out during the reign of the Caliphs and Prophet's Companions (May Allah be pleased with them.)”, and said that those affected by them “included Muhajirs (the Makkans who emigrated to Madina in the early period of Islam), Ansaar, (those who pledged allegiance to the Prophet) and many of those fought at the Battle of Badr.” “The Prophet's society was one of the most pious societies ever known in Islamic history,” Bin Humaid said. “So this poses a crucial question: Did the meteorological and astronomical phenomena such as the lunar and solar eclipses intimidate the Prophet (pbuh)? Did he ever accuse his companions of being evil and sinful and branded them as corrupt?” “Despite all this, the people were stronger in their belief and very close to Almighty Allah. He turned their fear into security, poverty into wealth and disunity into unity. When things changed and people started enjoying an easy life, they then through heedlessness attributed these favors to sources other than Almighty Allah and forgot Allah's signs warning His creatures against indulging in Earthly whims and inclinations,” Bin Humaid said. “The scholars regard these disasters not as punishments but as a test from Almighty Allah of their submission to Allah's will. They are a warning for people to mend their ways,” he said, adding that “making allegations like these show that people object to Allah's fates and His wisdom.” In a similar vein, in Madina Sheikh Hussein Aal Al-Sheikh called upon Muslims to refrain from letting “whims take over their judgments of people” and urged them to “consider things properly and not misjudge people.”
