A Comparison of Islamic and Christian Perspectives on Earthquake

Earthquakes are often viewed as negative phenomena as they threaten human beings and other life on earth. Although researchers scientifically explained this phenomenon, people still relate it to God's role. Discussions from physical or scientific studies, as well as metaphysical and theological views, are essential to gain a deeper understanding. Geology examines earthquakes scientifically, including the causes, effects, and earthquake-prone places, while religion perceives it is caused by the power of God (Supreme Being) that determines everything. The purpose of this study is to emphasize the comparative analysis of earthquakes from both Islamic and Christian perspectives using a qualitative method concerning the Quran, tafsir al-Quran, Bible, biblical exegesis, and secondary literature relevant to both religions and geology. Although earthquakes are broadly studied in both faiths, researchers are less interested in doing in-depth comparative analysis of many features. This paper is a comparative study and reveals the similarities and differences of earthquakes in seven areas: earthquakes in the scriptures, religious views, historical earthquakes, current earthquakes, future earthquakes, religious coping, and earthquake geological facts in scriptures.