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Fatwa CenterSupplication against earthquakes
Question
Assalaamu alaykum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh. I received this message, is this supplication really against earthquakes? "O Allaah, I seek refuge in You from my house falling on me, I seek refuge in You from falling into an abyss, I seek refuge in You from drowning, burning and old age. I seek refuge in You from the devil harming me at the time of my death, I seek refuge in You from dying in Your cause while retreating, and I seek refuge in You from dying of the sting of a poisonous creature." (Sunan Abu Dawud 1552)
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ʻalayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.
This hadeeth was narrated by Abu Daawood, An-Nasaa'i, and Ahmad from Abul-Yasar (As-Sulami) 
. It says that the Prophet, sallallaahu ʻalayhi wa sallam, used to supplicate: “Allaahumma inni aʻoothu bika min al-Hadm, wa aʻoothu bika min at-Taraddi, wa aʻoothu bika min al-Gharaq wal-Haraq wal-Haram, wa aʻoothu bika an yatakhabbatani Ash-Shaytaanu ʻinda al-Mawt, wa aʻoothu bika an amuta fee Sabeelika mudbiran, wa aʻoothu bika an amuta ladeeghan.” (O Allaah, I seek refuge in You from my house falling on me, I seek refuge in You from falling into an abyss, I seek refuge in You from drowning, burning and old age. I seek refuge in You from the devil harming me at the time of my death, I seek refuge in You from dying in Your cause while retreating, and I seek refuge in You from dying of the sting of a poisonous creature.) [Al-Haakim and Al-Albaani graded it saheeh (sound)]
The different narrations of this hadeeth do not mention earthquakes or tremors. However, al-hadm and at-taraddi may be relevant to earthquakes. At-Teebi 
wrote, “Al-hadm means the collapse of a building and its falling on someone or something, and at-taraddi means falling from a high place such as a high mountain or falling into a well.” [Sharh Al-Mishkaah]
Al-hadm and at-taraddi and the rest of the evils which the Prophet, sallallaahu ʻalayhi wa sallam, sought refuge with Allaah from in the hadeeth did not include earthquakes. However, earthquakes may cause the collapse of walls or falling from a high place. Therefore, earthquakes may be included in the general indication of the hadeeth in this sense.
Allaah knows best.
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