Summary & Main Points of discourse by Shaykh Abdul Mueed Saheb (Hafizahullah) of Sukkur – Pakistan
Saturday, 28 March 2020 – Khanqah Maseehiyyah, Sukkur, Pakistan
Some friends have requested that since everyone is in lockdown, some advices and guidelines should be presented through the online facility. With the grace of Allah Ta’ala we will endeavour to present an analysis of the situation and solutions.
The present conditions
The conditions we are experiencing presently are beyond our control. Every person today desires to live a life free of difficulties, hurdles and illnesses. Everyone desires comfort and happiness. Despite the desire of man to live blissfully, difficulties and challenges will always be there. We understand from these conditions that life is not in accordance with the desire of man, rather everything happens according to the Order of Allah Ta’ala.
In this world people enjoy happiness and comfort as favours of Allah Ta’ala, however man attributes these achievements to his human intelligence and effort. He regards himself to be great and powerful. This makes him proud and arrogant.
What should be our approach?
There are two approaches that are adopted in such a time. One is a person takes lesson and heeds the warnings and brings about a change for the better. For people who heed the warning and reform their lives, this epidemic is not a punishment but a mercy. For such a person, these conditions outwardly seem to be harmful, but in reality are a mercy. The other approach is one of negligence and disregard. Instead of turning to Allah Ta’ala and making the difficulty a means of gaining divine proximity, man becomes negligent and forgetful.
Death is decreed
Every person has an appointed day and time of death and that will inevitably come at the appointed time. Hazrat Maulana Muhammad Farooq rahimahullah used to say that death does not come to a person because of an illness, but it comes by the order of Allah, no matter how well or ill a person maybe, death cannot be delayed.
What will happen?
People are afraid of what is happening and what could happen. As Believers we should not be gripped with fear. It is simple that since our death is decreed, we will remain on this earth up to that point. So when life and death are predetermined then what is the need to be consumed by fear of conditions.
The need
In reality the need is for us to utilise this opportunity in light of what is happening to reform our lives and to give it direction. These challenges come to awaken us to reality. Allah Ta’ala loves his servants dearly and wishes the best for them. The coming of these events is to awaken us from our slumber and to rid us of our negligence.
The alarm clock
A person who sets the alarm to wake up in the morning does not blame the alarm clock for disrupting his sleep. Rather, he is appreciative for the alarm that wakes him up to fulfil his duties and get to work. Similarly these difficulties are like an alarm bell, and serve to awaken us for our duties to our Creator. They have not come as a difficulty and punishment.
The world in anxiety
No person could have ever imagined that such circumstances would have ever occurred where the entire world is in a state of such uncertainty. Under lockdown all trade and communication has been completely curtailed. Virtually the operations of every industry has been suspended – no one could have ever imagined such a thing could ever happen. We could understand it happening in a particular part of the world, a particular country or a region, but not the entire globe all at one time.
Invisible virus
Yet all it took was an invisible virus to put a stop to everything. Even the person who could not be held back in his home due to travel and business, exerting all his energies towards the world 24/7, is now under lockdown in his home. This is an indication of the great power, control and grandeur of Allah Ta’ala – how great is Allah Ta’ala!
We have only one option
With humanity at its knees, every person must now accept and acknowledge that the business and preoccupation of the world has distracted us from Almighty Allah and the only recourse we have is to return to our Lord and to please him.
The obligation of Salaah
The foremost obligation to our Creator is the five daily Salaah – if we each have to look deeply into our hearts and ask ourselves when the Muazzin used to call out the Azaan, what was our response from within? Were we eager to go for Salaah or did we regard it as a burden? The importance of Salaah has been stressed to the extent that if a blacksmith had lifted his hammer to strike the iron and the Muazzin commenced the Azaan in this interim, then he should not strike the blow, but rather drop his hammer and go for Salaah. Today this concern and feeling for Salaah has left us.
The sad reality is when the Muazzin used to call out the Azaan, the response was very poor, the Masjids were empty. Is this not ingratitude to the favour of Allah Ta’ala ? Due to this ingratitude that favour is now suspended. Today we are all thirsty and eager to go to the Masjid but the opportunity is being denied. This is due to the ingratitude, disrespect and ill-effects of our actions when the doors were open.
Blame ourselves
So instead of blaming others, blaming the government and blaming authorities, we should blame ourselves. The closure of the Masjid is because of the ill-effects of our own actions – it is due to our deficiencies and weaknesses – we should take responsibility for this. In reality, if everyone was attending the Masjid in the community then all Masjids would have been filled to capacity and people would have been performing Salaah on the roads.
We all had the freedom to practice our religion, there was no obstacle from any authority or person – rather, we chose not to fulfill the obligations of our Creator, today the restrictions that have been placed are not because of any government or authority, but these are the obstacles and barriers that have been created by ourselves.
Allah forgives plenty
The verse of the Quran says” And whatever calamity befalls you is on account of your own deeds, and Allah forgives plentiful.” (Surah Shura – Verse 30)
This is not in our control – everyone is worried there is no cure. Thousands are dying daily. There is acute difficulty in burying people. Mass graves are being prepared. We need to come out of our negligence and strengthen our relationship with Allah. We have drifted from Allah Ta’ala and need to come closer to him. Allah Ta’ala wants to bring us closer and wants to bless us with His favours.
Muslims First 