{"id":989,"date":"2022-09-22T00:15:00","date_gmt":"2022-09-21T16:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zularifin.com\/eng\/?page_id=989"},"modified":"2022-12-14T09:40:18","modified_gmt":"2022-12-14T01:40:18","slug":"wisdom-and-mercy-behind-covid-19","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.zularifin.com\/eng\/anchor\/wisdom-and-mercy-behind-covid-19\/","title":{"rendered":"Wisdom and Mercy Behind Covid-19"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t

Wisdom and Mercy Behind Covid-19?<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\u00a0<\/p>

Covid-19 has taken the world by storm. What is happening is unprecedented. The whole world is terrified, for the \u2018scourge\u2019 seems to know no boundary. All are affected; irrespective of East or West, socioeconomic status, and other schisms that have divided people. The disease does not discriminate.<\/p>

Many countries are imposing forms of lockdown to counter the \u2018onslaught\u2019 of the virus. These and other measures have been taken by the authorities, but they have not given people much confidence. At this time of uncertainty, how can we make sense of this forced isolation, fear, anxiety, insecurity, and confusion that is encircling our \u2018normal\u2019 lives? With the passing days and the increase number of cases and deaths, many are overwhelmed with fear, grief and distress, so how should we appraise the situation?<\/p>

\u201cIs the coronavirus a punishment from Allah?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cIs Allah angry at us?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cIs the coronavirus a blessing, test, or punishment?\u201d<\/p>

These theological questions are in the hearts and minds of many Muslims since the coronavirus spread worldwide, infecting over two million and taking the life of over 100,000 people thus far.\u00a0Answering these questions requires a discussion of core theological concepts, including a thorough understanding of the concept of punishment.\u00a0In this paper, we seek to answer these questions, describe what American Muslims actually report believing about the topic, and provide practical solutions to the questions.<\/p>

The closest precedent to this question may be when \u02bf\u0100ishah, the wife of the Prophet \ufdfa, asked him about the plague. He responded,\u00a0\u201cIt is a punishment that Allah sends upon whomever He wills, but Allah has made it a mercy for the believers. Any servant who resides in a land afflicted by plague, remaining patient and hoping for reward from Allah, knowing that nothing will befall him except what Allah has decreed, will be given the reward of a martyr.\u201d\u00a0Although the coronavirus is not technically the plague, they share in being infectious diseases with painful symptoms that may be fatal. Therefore, it is reasonable to use the Prophet\u2019s explanation about the plague to understand the coronavirus.\u00a0What does the Prophet\u2019s answer teach us? First, we learn that the plague\u00a0can\u00a0<\/em>be\u00a0a\u00a0punishment or a mercy.\u00a0In light of our previous conversation,\u00a0it may be considered a compassionate\u00a0reprimand intended to return people to the path of righteousness. This is supported by Ibn \u1e24ajar, who explains that the punishment mentioned in the aforementioned hadith has been expedited in this world before the afterlife. He argues that the plague is the direct result of widespread moral corruption in society.\u00a0However, at both the societal and individual level, it may end up being a further punishment or a mercy.\u00a0How can this be? When the Prophet \ufdfa clarified that Allah made it a mercy for the believer, the plague becomes an individual punishment conditional on one not having\u00a0\u012bm\u0101n\u00a0<\/em>or responding inappropriately. Thus, the coronavirus (or the plague) may be a great\u00a0mercy\u00a0and blessing for\u00a0the believer who exercises patience, appropriately quarantines him or herself, hopes in reward from Allah, and accepts that whatever happens is from Allah\u2019s divine decree. Such a believer may be rewarded with the gift of martyrdom. Thus, the test of this affliction may be a means of forgiveness, elevation of rank, and the reward of martyrdom for the believer.<\/p>

Pinpointing exactly what the coronavirus is (a test, a punishment, or both)\u00a0may not be possible. However, we can ask ourselves, \u201cHow have we responded?\u201d \u201cAre we good with our Creator?\u201d\u00a0This line of questioning is what the Prophet \ufdfa directed us to focus on. When a Bedouin came to him asking when the final hour (i.e., the day of\u00a0Judgment) would be, the Prophet responded with his own question. He asked the Bedouin, \u201cAnd what have you prepared for it?\u201d\u00a0What we learn from the Prophet\u2019s response is that we should not worry about matters of the unseen that are out of our control. Such matters are the domain\u00a0of\u00a0Allah\u2019s Lordship and our focus should be on what we will be asked about: our response.\u00a0This is why when the wind would blow strongly, the Prophet \ufdfa would not dwell on whether it was being sent as a \u201cnearer punishment\u201d or as a blessing. He would simply raise his hands in\u00a0du\u2019a<\/em>, saying,\u00a0\u201cO Allah, I ask You for its goodness and I take refuge with You from its evil.\u201d\u00a0The Prophet took both possibilities into account and focused on turning to Allah for the best outcome regardless of what Allah\u2019s true intent was.<\/p>

Regardless of whether the coronavirus is a specific punishment, a wake-up call, or a general test, we begin by asking Allah for any good that may result from it and we seek refuge in Him from its evil. If it\u2019s a punishment, we seek Allah\u2019s forgiveness. If it\u2019s a wake-up call, we should wake up from our heedlessness\u00a0and focus on pleasing Allah.\u00a0If it\u2019s a test, we remain patient, engage in righteous deeds, hope for Allah\u2019s reward, and are content with whatever He decrees.\u00a0Because we cannot be sure, we need to engage in all the above actions to the best of our ability. This way, we guarantee ourselves that it turns out to be a blessing and a mercy. Thus, the way we react will determine the answer for each one of us.<\/p>

So, can you now see the wisdom and mercy behind this event..?<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wisdom and Mercy Behind Covid-19? \u00a0 Covid-19 has taken the world by storm. What is happening is unprecedented. The whole world is terrified, for the \u2018scourge\u2019 seems to know no boundary. All are affected; irrespective of East or West, socioeconomic status, and other schisms that have divided people. The disease does not discriminate. Many countries […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":6,"menu_order":3,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-989","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zularifin.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/989","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zularifin.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zularifin.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zularifin.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zularifin.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=989"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/www.zularifin.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/989\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1156,"href":"https:\/\/www.zularifin.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/989\/revisions\/1156"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zularifin.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zularifin.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=989"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}