COVID-19
On
the authority of Usmah b. Zayd, the Messenger
of God said,
“If
you hear of an epidemic afflicting
a land, do not enter
it, and if it afflicts the land you are in, do not leave
it” Sahih
al-Bukhari :5728, Book 76, Hadith 43 - (30) Chapter: What has been
mentioned about the plague
One
of the reasons that an infected
person is prohibited from leaving
the area of the epidemic is
so that such a person does not transmit the illness to
others. Instead, he should quarantine himself
from even the healthy people of that region.
Ibn
Athir (d. 630/1233) mentions in his Al-Kmil
fi al-Trikh (The Complete History),
“Amr
b. al- As fled Emmaus with
the people when they were afflicted with
the plague and
went up into the mountains until God removed it from them. News of
this reached Umar
b. al-Khattab, and
he did not censure
it [meaning, as caliph, he deemed Amr’s actions
as appropriate and hence sanctioned by him].”
Narrated Abdullah bin `Abbas:
Umar
bin Al-Khattab departed for Sham and
when he reached Sargh, the commanders of the (Muslim)
army, Abu 'Ubaida bin Al-Jarrah and his companions
met him and told him that an epidemic had
broken out in Sham.
Umar said,
"Call for me the early emigrants."
So Umar called
them, consulted them and informed them that an epidemic had
broken out in Sham.
Those people differed in their opinions. Some of them said, "We have come out for a purpose and we do not think that it is proper to give it up," while others said (to `Umar), "You have along with you. other people and the companions of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) so do not advise that we take them to this epidemic."
Those people differed in their opinions. Some of them said, "We have come out for a purpose and we do not think that it is proper to give it up," while others said (to `Umar), "You have along with you. other people and the companions of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) so do not advise that we take them to this epidemic."
Umar said
to them, "Leave me now."
Then
he said, "Call the Ansar for me." I called
them and he consulted them and they followed the way of the emigrants
and differed as they did. He then said to them, Leave me now,"
and added, "Call for me the old people of Quraish who
emigrated in the year of the Conquest of Mecca." I called them
and they gave a unanimous opinion saying, "We advise
that you should return with the people and do not take them to
that (place) of epidemic."
So Umar made
an announcement, "I will ride back to Medina in the
morning, so you should do the same."
Abu 'Ubaida bin Al-Jarrah said (to `Umar), "Are you running away from what Allah had ordained?"
Abu 'Ubaida bin Al-Jarrah said (to `Umar), "Are you running away from what Allah had ordained?"
Umar said,
"Would that someone else had said such a thing, O Abu
'Ubaida!
Yes,
we are running from what Allah had ordained to what Allah has
ordained.
Don't
you agree that if you had camels that went down a valley having two
places, one green and the other dry, you would graze them on the
green one only if Allah had ordained that, and you would graze them
on the dry one only if Allah had ordained that?"
At
that time Abdur-Rahman bin `Auf, who had been absent
because of some job, came and said,
"I
have some knowledge about this. I
have heard Allah's
Messenger (ﷺ)
saying, 'If
you hear about it (an
outbreak of plague)
in a land, do not go to it; but if plague breaks out in a country
where you are staying, do not run away from it.' "
Umar thanked
Allah and returned to Medina. [Sahih
al-Bukhari:5729, Book 76, Hadith 44]
-----------------------
---
Narrated
Abu Huraira:
Allah's
Apostle said,
"Neither
Messiah (Ad-Dajjal)
nor
plague will enter Medina."
[Sahih
Bukhari:Volume
7, Book 71, Number 627]
---
The
Qur’an reminds us of our nature and our choices:
“Surely
the human being was created anxious,
overwrought when touched
by trouble, and tight-fisted
when blessed with bounty—save for the prayerful who are constant
in their prayer, who give a portion of their wealth for the beggar
and the destitute, who recognize the reality of the Day of Judgment,
who are fearfully concerned about their Lord’s punishment (for
the punishment of their Lord is not to be felt secure from), who
maintain their chastity (except with their spouses and legitimate
consorts, for they are not blamed, while those who go beyond that are
the transgressors), who respect their promises and pledges, who
stand by their testimonies, and who are mindful of their prayers;
they will be honored with gardens.”
(70:19–35)
Imam
al-Qurţubī, who
lived in times of great
trial,
said about the first verses mentioned above (“Surely
the human being was created anxious, overwrought when touched by
trouble”)
that man is naturally inclined toward bad character when afflicted
with trials of either good or evil.
He explained that overwrought (halū¢)
means that “if
touched by harm, he becomes anxious and distressed; his heart
succumbs to panic from the immense fear in it, and despair plagues
him; and when blessed with bounty, he displays miserliness and
covetousness, failing to help others.”
Imam
al-Qurţubī said:
“Imam
Aĥmad relates from Qatādah about God’s words, 'those
who are mindful of their prayers,' that Daniel,
peace be upon him, prophesied about the community of Muĥammad ﷺ,
'They pray a prayer that had the people of Noah prayed it, they
would never have drowned.'”
---
The
Qur’an
says,
“Nothing
will afflict
you
except
what
God
has
decreed
for you”
(9:51).
---
It
is narrated on the authority of the Wife of The Prophet ﷺ
[the
mother of the believers]
‘Aaishah,
she said: “I asked RasulAllah ﷺ
about
the plague, and he [ﷺ]
informed me that it was a punishment sent by Allah on whom He
Willed*; and Allah has made it a Mercy for Muslims; there’s no one
[Muslim] in a country afflicted by the plague staying patient and
steadfast therein, knowing that nothing shall afflict him except for
that which Allah has Willed in his fate, except that he shall obtain
the reward equivalent of a martyr.” [Sahiih Al-Bukhariy]
---
