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Wa `alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Brother, thank you for your question, which emanates from a thoughtful heart. May Allah Almighty help us all adhere to the principles of this true religion, Islam, and enable us to be among the dwellers of Paradise in the Hereafter. Ameen.
Regarding your question, Muslims should offer all forms of aid—spiritual and material—to alleviate the suffering and pains of afflicted people. Spiritual aid includes du`aa’ (supplication) and qunut (supplication within salah).
In response to your question, the renowned scholar and da`iyah Sheikh `Abdel Khaliq Hasan Ash-Shareef states:
Dear brother, thanks for your question and concern about your brothers and sisters in humanity.
In times of disasters, Muslims should set good examples for others in cooperation, helpfulness, generosity, brotherhood, etc. Muslims should hasten to offer all forms of spiritual and material aid so as to alleviate the suffering and pains of the afflicted people.
Islam does command Muslims to be kind and merciful to all living creatures. Humans, of course, take priority in the Muslim’s concern and care. Muslims, therefore, do not hesitate to provide all spiritual and material forms of aid to the afflicted people.
Offering salat al-gha’ib for those who died in the earthquake that hit Indonesia is legitimate, and Muslims pray it seeking Allah’s forgiveness for the Muslims who died there.
Likewise, Muslims are to resort to Allah in their du`aa’ and qunut to alleviate the suffering of the victims. Qunut is legitimized in times of disasters and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) offered it in such times.
Finally, we should spare no efforts in aiding the suffering people in Indonesia. They are our brothers and sisters, whether Muslims or non-Muslims. Individuals and governments should join hands together to help the afflicted areas.
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