1514 - وَ سَأَلَ سُلَيْمَانُ اَلدَّيْلَمِيُّ أَبَا عَبْدِ اَللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ: عَنِ اَلزَّلْزَلَةِ مَا هِيَ فَقَالَ «آيَةٌ» فَقَالَ وَ مَا سَبَبُهَا قَالَ «إِنَّ اَللَّهَ تَبَارَكَ وتَعَالَى وَكَّلَ بِعُرُوقِ اَلْأَرْضِ مَلَكاً فَإِذَا أَرَادَ اَللَّهُ أَنْ يُزَلْزِلَ أَرْضاً أَوْحَى إِلَى ذَلِكَ اَلْمَلَكِ أَنْ حَرِّكْ عِرْقَ كَذَا وَ كَذَا» قَالَ «فَيُحَرِّكُ ذَلِكَ اَلْمَلَكُ عِرْقَ تِلْكَ اَلْأَرْضِ اَلَّتِي أَمَرَ اَللَّهُ تَبَارَكَ وتَعَالَى فَتَتَحَرَّكُ بِأَهْلِهَا» قَالَ قُلْتُ فَإِذَا كَانَ ذَلِكَ فَمَا أَصْنَعُ قَالَ «صَلِّ صَلاَةَ اَلْكُسُوفِ فَإِذَا فَرَغْتَ خَرَرْتَ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ سَاجِداً وَ تَقُولُ فِي سُجُودِكَ يَا مَنْ «يُمْسِكُ اَلسَّمٰاوٰاتِ وَ اَلْأَرْضَ أَنْ تَزُولاٰ وَ لَئِنْ زٰالَتٰا إِنْ أَمْسَكَهُمٰا مِنْ أَحَدٍ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ إِنَّهُ كٰانَ حَلِيماً غَفُوراً» يَا مَنْ «يُمْسِكُ اَلسَّمٰاءَ أَنْ تَقَعَ عَلَى اَلْأَرْضِ إِلاّٰ بِإِذْنِهِ» أَمْسِكْ عَنَّا اَلسُّوءَ «إِنَّكَ عَلىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ».
Hadith.1514 - Sulaiman al-Daylami asked Imam Jafar ibn Muhammad Al-Sadiq 
about earthquakes and what they are.
Imam said: "It is a sign."
Sulaiman then asked: "What is its cause?"
Imam said: "Allah (swt), Blessed and Exalted, has assigned an angel to the veins (roots) of the earth. When Allah (swt) wishes to cause an earthquake in a land, He commands that angel to move a specific vein."
Imam continued, "The angel moves that vein of the land which Allah (swt) has commanded, and it shakes along with its inhabitants."
Sulaiman asked: "What should I do when that happens?"
Imam replied: "Pray the Prayer of the Eclipse (Salat al-Kusuf), and when you have completed it, fall into prostration to Allah (swt), the Mighty and Glorious, and say in your prostration:
Yumsiku as-samāwāti wa al-arḍa an tazūlā, wa la’in zālatā in amsakahumā min aḥadin min ba‘dihi, innahu kāna ḥalīman ghafūrā.Yā man "yumsiku as-samā’a an taqa‘a ‘ala al-arḍi illa bi-idhnihi," amsik ‘annā as-sū’a innaka ‘alā kulli shay’in qadīr.
'O’ He who holds the heavens and the earth lest they should fall apart, and if they were to fall apart, none would hold them except Him. Truly, He is Most Forbearing, Oft-Forgiving. O’ He who holds the heaven from falling upon the earth except by His permission, withhold harm from us, for You have power over all things.'"
