Pandemic and the Prophet

[Reproduced below is an article by Dr. Craig Considine of the USA. Originally appeared in Newsweek International on 17 March 2020; against the backdrop of the Covid-19 global pandemic, the article provides a glimpse into the Divinely-inspired advices and healthy practices left behind by the Holy Prophet of Islam (sa). In the search for safety and security from the deadly contagion stalking the world today, the finest minds amongst us testify to the stunning validity and effectiveness of the Prophetic practices even in these uncertain times. Along with his devoted prayers to God Almighty, the Holy Prophet (sa) valued reason and common sense in every day life, including in the fight against epidemics: a lesson for all who truly seek to practice the most ideal way of life]. 

The COVID-19 pandemic is forcing governments and news sources to provide the most accurate and helpful advice to the world's population, as the disease is indeed global in reach. Health care professionals are in high demand, and so too are scientists who study the transmission and effect of pandemics.

Experts like immunologist Dr. Anthony Fauci and medical reporter Dr. Sanjay Gupta are saying that good hygiene and quarantining, or the practice of isolating from others in the hope of preventing the spread of contagious diseases, are the most effective tools to contain COVID-19.

Do you know who else suggested good hygiene and quarantining during a pandemic?

Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, over 1,300 years ago.

While he is by no means a "traditional" expert on matters of deadly diseases, Muhammad nonetheless had sound advice to prevent and combat a development like COVID-19.

Muhammad said: "If you hear of an outbreak of plague in a land, do not enter it; but if the plague outbreaks out in a place while you are in it, do not leave that place."

He also said: "Those with contagious diseases should be kept away from those who are healthy."

Muhammad also strongly encouraged human beings to adhere to hygienic practices that would keep people safe from infection. Consider the following hadiths, or sayings of Prophet Muhammad:

"Cleanliness is part of faith."

'Duah': Invocations to Allah- IX

Alhamdulillah, Summa Alhamdulillah, I implore God by His most beautiful names and His most sublime attributes, and I thank Him for giving me the blessed opportunity to continue the Friday Sermon series on the duahs of Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh). I am making this effort only by the grace and help of Allah. I also implore Him to enable me to benefit from them both during my lifetime on earth and after my death, and to share it with the people - anyone who reads the sermons on the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam’s website. All praise is to Almighty God [Allah] and we praise and implore His help as well as His forgiveness. Ameen.

As for the Holy Prophet (pbuh), he tells us: “He who remembers his Lord and he who does not remember his Lord are like the living and the dead.” (Muslim)

Anyone who recites a letter from the Book of God will have done a good deed knowing that every good deed is rewarded many times. And I don't mean by letter: Alif-Lam-Mim, because Alif is a letter, Lam is a letter and Mim is a letter. (Tirmidhi)

Now let’s see the duahs which Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) used to recite:

Allahumma anta Rabbi, Laa Ilaaha Illa anta khalaqtani wa ana abduka, wa ana ala ahdika wa wa’dika maa stata’tu. Audhu bika min sharri maa sana’tu. Abu’u laka bini’matika alayya wa abu’u bi-dhanbi. Faghfir li fa-innahu laa yaghfiru dh-dhunuuba ilaa anta.

O Allah, You are my Lord, none has the right to be worshipped except You; You created me and I am Your servant and I abide to Your covenant and promise as best I can, I take refuge in You from the evil of which I have committed. I acknowledge Your favour upon me and I acknowledge my sin, so forgive me, for verily none can forgive sin except You. (Bukhari)

Allahumma afini fi badani. Allahumma aafini fi sam’i. Allahumma aafini fi basari Laa Ilaaha Illa anta. Allahumma inni audhu bika minal kufi, wal-faqri. Wa audhu bika min adhabil-qabri. Laa Ilaaha Illa anta. [to recite three times]

O Allah, make me healthy in my body. O Allah, preserve for me my hearing. O Allah, preserve for me my sight. There is none worthy of worship but You.

O Allah, I seek refuge in you from disbelief and poverty and I seek refuge in you from the punishment of the grave. There is none worthy of worship but you. (Bukhari, Abu Dawud, Ahmad)

Hasbiy-Allahu Laa Ilaaha Illa huwa alayhi tawakkaltu wa huwa Rabbul arshil azeem. [to recite seven times]

Allah is sufficient for me, there is no Deity except Him. I place my trust in Him and He is the Lord of the great throne. (Abu Dawud)

Whoever recite these words seven times in the morning and in the evening will see God spare him from all the worries that will preoccupy him, both on this earth and in the hereafter.

'Duah': Invocations to Allah-VIII

Waz-zaakiriinallaaha kasiiraww-wa zaaakiraati ‘a-‘addallaahu lahum-maghfirataww-wa ‘ajran ‘aziimaa.

… men and women who remember Allah often—for (all of) them Allah has prepared forgiveness and a great reward. (Al-Ahzab 33 : 36)

Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) as saying that Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, thus stated: “I am near to the thought of My servant as he thinks about Me, and I am with him as he remembers Me. And if he remembers Me in his heart, I also remember him in My Heart, and if he remembers Me in assembly I remember him in assembly, better than his (remembrance), and if he draws near Me by the span of a palm, I draw near him by the cubit, and if he draws near Me by the cubit I draw near him by the space (covered by) two hands. And if he walks towards Me, I rush towards him.”

Alhamdulillah, Summa Alhamdulillah, Allah (swt) gave me the Tawfiq to continue my sermons on the subject of “Duahs” and today is the 8th part. All this is by the grace of Allah (swt) and His blessing and where He is pouring these duahs on me so that I can present them in front of all the brothers, sisters and children in Islam as well as all my dear disciples around the world. Ya Allah, Ya Azim, Ya Ghaffar, Ya Rabbul Aalameen (O Allah The Almighty, The Indulgent, The Master of all worlds), thank you for all Ilm (knowledge) that You pour out on me so that I lead Your servants on the right path. Ameen.

We pray that Allah (swt) will grant mercy, salvation and blessing to our prophet Muhammad (pbuh), as well as to his family and all of his companions. Ameen.

It is thanks to this great prophet Rahmatul-lil-Aalameen (who is a mercy to the whole universe) that we know these duahs. Allah taught us the duahs that His Nabi Kareem (pbuh) used to address to Him, and especially under what circumstances they should be recited. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) himself is this perfect guide and model, and we have no guide except the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). [That is to say] It is from him that all people take example in order to perfect their own Islam and Iman (faith).

'Duah': Invocations to Allah- VII

Yaaa-’ayyuhallaziina ‘aamanuz kuru-laaha zikran-kasiiraa; Wa sabbihuuhu bukrataww-wa ‘asiilaa.

O you who believe, remember Allah abundantly, and glorify Him morning and evening. (Al-Ahzab 33: 42-43)

In a Hadith found in Sahih Muslim, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: “When a group of people assemble for the remembrance of Allah, the angels surround them (with their wings), (Allah’s) mercy envelops them, Sakina, or tranquillity descends upon them and Allah makes a mention of them before those who are near Him.”

Alhamdulillah, Summa Alhamdulillah, we have entered a new Islamic year, the year 1442 Hijri and today is the 1st Muharram. Alhamdulillah, Summa Alhamdulillah.

As you all know, Muharram is one of the four holy months, along with Rajab, Dhul-Qaddah, and Dhul-Hijjah. For the Muslim, it is the start of our new Islamic year. So, I wish all Muslims all over the world, as well as my followers in different countries of the world, a “Naya Saal Mubarak”.

'Duah': Invocations to Allah- VI

Alhamdulillah Summa Alhamdulillah, it is purely by the grace of Allah that I continue my sermon on the subject of duahs. 

In Bukhari's book of Hadiths, Kitab’ul Manaqib, there is mention of a duah for Hadhrat Jabir Bin Abdullah (ra). The introduction is as follows: the narrator relates that Hadhrat Jabir (ra) said: My father Abdullah died in a state where he was in debt... and certainly it is very important that when someone dies leaving a debt/ some debts, then the first thing to do is that his children have to repay his debts.

Hadhrat Jabir (ra) said: I was very worried because there were only a few dates with me [in my property], and that was not enough to pay off all of his debts. So I went to Hadhrat Muhammad (pbuh) and said to him: These few dates that I have are not enough to pay off my father's debts, and I [then] have to keep paying that debt for many more years... and he said to the Holy Prophet (pbuh): “Come with me, so that his creditors don't abuse me.”

Since his creditors were all Muslims, he thought that when they would see Hadhrat Muhammad (pbuh) with him, they would not abuse him. Hadhrat Muhammad (pbuh) told him to go and collect all the dates and put them in a pile. Hadhrat Muhammad (pbuh) then went around the dates making duahs. Then he sat down and advised the creditors to forgive Hadhrat Jabir bin Abdullah (ra).

Jabir (ra) said: 'I paid all my creditors in the form of dates until all of my father's debts were completely paid off. And as much as the amount of dates which Hadhrat Muhammad (pbuh) had given as payment, a similar number remained thanks to the prayer that Hadhrat Muhammad (pbuh) made'.

'Duah': Invocations to Allah- V

Allah says in the Quran: “Invoke your Lord in humility and secretly; Indeed, He does not like transgressors. And do not do mischief on the earth, after it has been set in order, and invoke Him with fear and hope; Surely, Allah’s Mercy is (ever) near unto those who do good.” (Al-Arraf 7: 56 & 57)

[In light of these Quranic verses, Huzur (atba) spoke about the importance of making peace, and keeping peace, and to invoke Allah in secret, and the best way to invoke Allah in secret is when you wake up at night for the Tahajjud prayer, where you meet Allah in secret, whereby no one knows about it and you invoke Him. A person may not invoke Allah only at night, but also during the day in his Zikr. Allah may not accept a duah right away, or the next day or in a week, etc. After many years also He can grant that duah and fulfill it. 

Do not do like the woman who despite being in prayer but each time someone came at her neighbour’s place, she used to count the number of people by placing pebbles and then she used to count the number of people who came through the number of pebbles which there were. In the end, it is these very pebbles which formed a barrier between her and Heaven and finally she fell into hell. On the other hand, there is the example of the prostitute upon whom Allah has mercy because of a good deed she did. On day, she saw one of the creatures of Allah, a thirsty dog. She put herself to great trouble only to quench the thirst of the dog. She went to seek water for it and removed her shoe and used it as a recipient to hold water so that she could give it to the dog and quench its thirst. In the end, Allah admitted her to Paradise for her good deed.

You should never create disorder on earth after you have secretly invoked Allah. You should not nullify your invocations and prayers by doing evil upon the earth. And you should not dare to say that despite multiple prayers that you have done, but Allah is not fulfilling those invocations. You should never doubt the ability of Allah to fulfill those duahs. On the contrary, a believer should always trust in Allah and be confident that Allah will listen and grant him his prayers. 

The Murder of Tahir Naseem

Charged with the offence of 'blasphemy' and facing legal proceedings for the last two years in Pakistan, Tahir Ahmad Naseem was murdered by a fanatic youth on Wednesday, 29 July 2020. Apparently, the assassin was able to sneak inside a Peshawar courtroom where a judge was presiding over the case, and  shoot the victim down at point blank range, to silence him forever. Media reports testify that while the gunman Faisal Khan was immediately apprehended by the police; the murder is being openly celebrated as a 'victory of Islam', with many Mullahs competing among themselves to declare the murderer a 'Ghazi' - soldier of Islam-, turning a horrific murdered into national hero!