17 – ʿAbd Allah narrated to us; he said: Muhammad ibn Nāṣiḥ related to me; he said: Baqiyyah ibn al-Walīd told us, from Yazīd ibn ʿAbd Allah al-Juhanī, who said: Abū al-ʿAlāʾ related to me, from Anas ibn Mālik:

Anas entered upon ʿĀʾishah with another man. The man said to her, “Mother of the Believers, tell us about earthquakes.” She replied,

“When people deem fornication permissible, drink wine, and strike up their musical instruments, Allah’s sense of honor is stirred in His heaven, and He says to the earth, ‘Quake beneath them.’ If they repent and desist, so be it; otherwise He will cause the earth to collapse upon them.”

He said, “I asked, ‘Mother of the Believers, is it a punishment for them?’” She answered, “No—it is an admonition, a mercy, and a blessing for the believers, but a deterrent, a punishment, and an expression of wrath against the disbelievers.”

Anas said, “After the Messenger of Allah ﷺ I have never heard a report that made me happier than this ḥadīth.”