زلازل جزيرة العرب في المصادر الإسلامية (منذ القرن الأول حتى القرن الحادي عشر الهجري القرن السابع حتى القرن السابع عشر الميلادي)‎

Abstract EN

This research aims to collect, study and document the data mentioned in the Islamic sources regarding the earthquakes that hit the Arab peninsula between the seventh and the seventeenth century A.

D.

Hundreds of historic, literary, geographic and religious sources have been explored in addition to many travel diaries and biographies.

This has led to very important findings which are documented in this research, as it turned out that the number of earthquakes that hit the Arab peninsula in the period of interest were twenty one.

The first earthquake occurred in (627 A.

D.

corresponding to 5 H.) while the last one took place in (1679 A.

D.

corresponding to 1090 H.

).

It is also understood that earthquakes in the Arab peninsula were quite rare and weak causing very few casualties or damages compared with those which occurred in Persia and Greater Syria during the same era.

However, some of the earthquakes were accompanied by huge volcanoes, but again causing very few casualties or damages since they occurred mostly at uninhabited locations.

It is also worth mentioning that the Islamic scholars agreed that the earthquake that took place in (654 H.

) and was accompanied by a large volcano fulfils the prophecy of the prophet Muhammad depicted in the Hadith which says : (The Day of Judgment will not come till a fire erupts in the land of Hijaz which lights up camel necks in Busra).

It has also been documented that the Arab peninsula inhabitants used to fear earthquakes and associate them with anger from God Almighty for their increasing sins, and therefore seek refuge to God by praying, asking for forgiveness and giving up on sinful deeds.

Scholars and poets too were strongly affected by earthquakes ; as scholars used to associate them with sins and evil deeds, while poets would describe them in long poems.