As a powerful earthquake hit Pakistan and Afghanistan on Monday, causing scores of deaths, Muslim scholars have rushed to offer prayers to the devastated countries, calling for immediate help and assistance.

"Praying for everyone in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and India. A friend of mine just sent me a message about how he and his wife were awoken by the earthquake, and the way the people there were shaken. May Allah protect them and have mercy on the dead. Ameen," Omar Suleiman wrote on Facebook.

A magnitude 7.5 earthquake hit the Hindukush region in Afghanistan early on Monday, October 26, leaving scores death in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The quake was also felt in the Indian capital New Delhi, though no damages were reported.

Early reports said at least 17 people died in Afghanistan and 12 in Pakistan, Reuters reported. Other local news agencies reported death tolls in the dozens.

Sharing Pakistanis and Afghans their feelings, Yvonne Ridley wrote on Facebook, asking people in the affected area to share their feelings.

"An earthquake measuring 7.5 on the richter scale has hit Northern Afghanistan, Pakistan and northern India. Early reports suggest around 40 deaths - if you have been impacted please tell us what you are experiencing now,"she wrote.

The region where the earthquake struck has a history of powerful tremors. This is a result of the Indian subcontinent driving into and under the Eurasian landmass.

Such tectonic shifts can cause enormous and destructive releases of energy.

In 2005, a magnitude 7.6 quake in Pakistan-administered Kashmir killed more than 75,000 people.

In April this year, Nepal suffered its worst earthquake on record with 9,000 people killed and about 900,000 homes damaged or destroyed.

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