It has been a couple of months that the whole world is battling an insignificant yet powerful enemy. A virus called Corona, Aka COVID-19. Allah says in chapter 74:31 And none knows the soldiers of your Lord except Him. We believe nothing happens without the will of Allah. Does Allah want bad and suffering for His creations? Parents would never want to see their children go through any hardship. Allah loves His creations much more than parents love their children. We also believe that He is a loving, caring, and the most merciful. He is in control of all. Why then He would allow such a pandemic happen to us all? If He wills, this virus can disappear from the face of the earth as were the dinosaurs. Then why is Allah allowing the virus to cause some much pain? Let us see what Allah says in chapter 30:41. He says: Corruption has appeared throughout the land and sea by [reason of] what the hands of people have earned so He may let them taste part of [the consequence of] what they have done that perhaps they will return [to righteousness]. SO maybe instead of blaming everything on God or others, we reflect on what we are doing. We reflect on how we live our lives. How much damage are we causing the environment? Every action has a reaction. Our actions have consequences that will come back to us. It might not necessarily be what we as individuals are doing or are not doing. It could be that the leaders or politicians are making decisions and we are oblivious about these decisions. To make it clear let us look at an example given by our beloved prophet. Two groups of people are aboard a ship with two decks. One group on the upper deck and the other on the lower deck. The group on the lower deck makes a hole on the floor of the ship to get water. The second group does not prevent the first group. what is the result? Everyone drowns. We cannot just sit and be indifferent about the actions of others in our society and on our planet. We all have responsibilities. We have responsibilities toward ourselves. This means we are responsible toward our body. This is the reason some actions are prohibited in Islam. Smoking drugs (including cigarette) and drinking alcohol, for example, are harmful to the body, so these are prohibited. We are responsible toward our family then toward our community.
Let us look at another verse from the Quran. Allah says: And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient. 2:155. This is the reality of the life of this world. Allah tests us all. Calamities fall in our lives in different forms and shapes. We persevere, put our trust in Him, and never lose faith.
