Introduction
Covid-19 is spreading at great speed throughout the human population of the world. While Europe and the USA are reporting the highest number of infections, all countries are affected. If the disease spreads in the same way everywhere, there can be no doubt that the poorest in the world will suffer the most, directly in loss of life and then indirectly, much more severely, in loss of livelihoods that were already precarious. Generally, people are in a state of shock, although those who have to rush about in order to cope with the emergency cannot yet feel the full effects of the shock.
Recognising Our Common Vulnerability
The saying is well-known that “death comes equally to us all and makes us all equal when it comes.” This global emergency should remind us that we are all equal in our fragility and vulnerability. The virus does not appear to discriminate by race, nationality, social rank, or economic privilege. If discrimination appears at all, it is in our responses to it.
- In the UK: People complain to the government that a few hundred of its citizens holidaying abroad are stranded, unable to get home.
- In India: Many millions of the poorest workers in the big cities have lost their jobs and are moving on foot, in dense crowds, with little access to food or water, to return to their villages. These millions have no one to complain to.
The situation we suddenly find ourselves in should rouse us to a better awareness of our commonality, our being the same, especially in our need and vulnerability. It should awaken those who normally pay no mind to the suffering of the poorest in their own societies, let alone the suffering of the poor in countries far away, to a fuller, urgent understanding that the pitiless economic practices dominant in our world are not intended—and were never intended—for the common good, the health and prosperity of all, but instead for the increase and concentration of the wealth of the few.
The True Heroes and Their Challenges
People are willing to come out in the evening to clap for health workers and others performing essential tasks like transporting and selling food supplies. However, once the immediate crisis passes, will policy-makers and the public continue to support these heroes? There is a risk that today’s heroes will be told, “No, no, no; now is not the time; first, the economy must be set back to ‘normal,’ only then can we think about justice and fairness, and the common good.” But the “normal” is what is so pitilessly unfair to the poorest and weakest among us.
Mental Health and Resilience
From time to time, I hear reports of people unable to cope with their fear or the lockdown and committing suicide. Far more frequently, I hear the bold claim that we are going to “defeat this invisible enemy,” the coronavirus. Neither of these is the right response. People have endured plagues before; societies as a whole, or humans as a whole, do survive. So, we can hope that we will come through this trouble as well, despite its scale. But if we do, our survival, as individuals or as societies, will not be entirely due to us. Certainly, as individuals, we will have no idea why we survived but not our neighbors or some of our loved ones.
Trusting in God While Taking Action
As believers, Muslims should remember that whatever happens around us is encompassed by the will and power, the knowledge and wisdom of God. We should neither be desperate nor arrogant. Instead, we should entrust ourselves to God, certain that what He has willed for us is what is good for us, here and hereafter. We should turn to Him with stronger attentiveness, seeking His favor and forgiveness, and resolve to do what pleases Him, beginning with a sustained dedication to caring for others and assisting them in whatever way we can.
In this frame of mind, individually and collectively, we should hope that a cure can be found and support the efforts of experts looking for the cure “to defeat this invisible enemy.” The Prophet said, whenever God sends a disease, He also sends a cure for it. So, our hope and effort are not baseless wishfulness; they are based on the best authority.
We must apply the principle that we must both trust in God and exert ourselves in the right ways, developing our competencies to prepare for and deal with the difficulties we encounter in this life. Unfortunately, we tend too much to make allowances for our will and forget to make allowances for God’s will. We assume that if we have the means to attain a particular end, we are sure to attain that end. That is our “normal” in this world. For example, if we intend to travel, we buy the right ticket and are sure of reaching our intended destination. We forget that the “normal” is only possible because all background conditions are already in place, including the entire universe with its mathematically exact laws and finely-tuned values that make its processes so regular and dependable. Surprises are beneficial, both great calamities and little disruptions, as they remind us of our dependence on our Lord.
Coping with Loss and Grief
Every day, people are losing their loved ones. It is a time of pain and grief for those who die and those who survive. Death is a separation, and in this particular situation, the pain of separation is particularly severe because we cannot comfort those who are ill, cannot attend their last moments, and the dying die without the nearness of those who were their nearest. We are not permitted to pay the respect due to the deceased by washing, dressing, and perfuming the body in preparation for its journey. We cannot attend the funeral and burial of those who have died, nor can we visit and gather with relatives to offer condolences and consolations. In this heartbreaking situation, it is all the more important to be strong, patient, composed, and dignified in our loss.
It is well to remember that people before us and even in our own time have had to endure and survive tougher situations than these. There remain many favors for which we owe thanks to God,
if only we were able to be mindful of them. They are indeed too abundant to count. We can perceive and feel what is happening; we have the power of thought and speech. We can make dua, petition God, and turn to Him for solace. Our time is not ended; Shaban will be followed by Ramadan. It may be that, God willing, we shall know the blessing of it and benefit from its disciplines. The coronavirus has not deprived us of the Qur’an. Shall we not then recite it and be comforted and uplifted?
Embracing Humanity and Compassion
If we can face the pandemic with this frame of mind, we may be deserving of God’s promise that He is ma`a s-sabirin (with those who are patient and steadfast). We may behave in the obviously right ways and not the obviously wrong ways. Instead of buying more than we need of food and other supplies and hoarding them fearfully, we can try harder to find out what our neighbors need—those who have no means of getting to the shops or no money to spend there. Instead of worrying about our own troubles, we can worry about the troubles of others. In short, we have the opportunity to live like decent human beings and make that decency “the normal” in our communities and societies.
Conclusion
The Covid-19 pandemic is a global crisis that affects everyone, regardless of their background or status. It highlights our shared vulnerability and the importance of compassion, trust in God, and taking practical measures to protect ourselves and others. By maintaining our faith and taking responsible actions, we can navigate through these challenging times with resilience and solidarity.
Footnotes
- (Q an-Nisa, 4:59) “O believers […] If you are disputing about something, refer it to God and the Messenger, if you believe in God and the Last Day. That is better and more beneficial in the long run.”
- (Q an-Nisa, 4:65) “No! By your Lord, they will not believe until they make you judge in what they disagree about among themselves, then find no resistance within themselves for what you decide, and accept it fully.”
- (Q an-Najm, 53:32) “Truly your Lord is vast in forgiveness; He knows you well from when He produced you from the earth and when you were hidden in the wombs of your mothers, so do not ascribe purity to yourselves; He knows best who is truly wary [of sin].”
