'When the sentence of doom is given against them, We shall
bring a creature out of the earth, which will speak to them: people
had no faith in Our revelations'. (27:83)
'...It was not God who wronged them, they wronged themselves. Those who take
protectors other than God can be compared to spiders building themselves
houses- the spider's is the frailest of all houses- if only they could
understand'. (29:41-2)
Novel Coronavirus. The global pandemic
is an occasion to reflect on the dire state of our world: how precarious our
calculations are, how deeply vulnerable we are. The hidden forces of
nature can suddenly emerge to shatter our lives at any moment in time. Since the
new virus was first identified in China last year, it has caused considerable
international concern as it is spreading fast across regions, races and religions- Italy,
Iran, South Korea, Spain, the United States, etc. The death-toll from the disease- that jumped from animals to humans- has crossed 7000 as of today, just as infection rates have surged in recent days. Now there are more reported cases
outside of mainland China than inside, pointing to the evolving nature of this
pandemic. [Inset: As part of a long-running effort to see what viruses bats harbor, researchers in China examine one temporarily captured in a cave in Guandong. (c) ECOHEALTH ALLIANCE].
Media reports show that countries around the world are rushing to implement emergency measures in an effort to contain the virus and enforce social distancing, including nationwide lock-downs, imposing border and travel restrictions, school closures and ordering restaurants, cafes and bars to close or reduce services. 'We have never lived through anything like this. And our society, which had grown used to changes that expand our possibilities of knowledge, health and life, now finds itself in a war to defend all we have taken for granted', Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told Parliament. "This is a once-in-a- hundred-year type event," said Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, warning the crisis could last six months as his nation gears up for changes in life, as it is changing all around the world. The global pandemic is amongst the several disasters striking humanity today. As humanity stands humbled by the emergence of a microorganism, and the outbreak of a pandemic consuming thousands, we need to pause and it should also occasion an intense and thoroughgoing soul-searching amongst us on what is wrong with our world that is turning upside down on all fronts. The microorganism is literally 'speaking'/ asking us to reclaim the values of global inter-dependence and solidarity, collective security, and shared progress. In a world riven by arrogant conceptions of 'national interest' and 'nation first' where 'leader' after 'leader' is speaking the language of racist intolerance and xenophobia, the reach of the epidemic is shaking the existing order to its core, bringing 'tall' icons down to their crumpling fate.
Media reports show that countries around the world are rushing to implement emergency measures in an effort to contain the virus and enforce social distancing, including nationwide lock-downs, imposing border and travel restrictions, school closures and ordering restaurants, cafes and bars to close or reduce services. 'We have never lived through anything like this. And our society, which had grown used to changes that expand our possibilities of knowledge, health and life, now finds itself in a war to defend all we have taken for granted', Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told Parliament. "This is a once-in-a- hundred-year type event," said Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, warning the crisis could last six months as his nation gears up for changes in life, as it is changing all around the world. The global pandemic is amongst the several disasters striking humanity today. As humanity stands humbled by the emergence of a microorganism, and the outbreak of a pandemic consuming thousands, we need to pause and it should also occasion an intense and thoroughgoing soul-searching amongst us on what is wrong with our world that is turning upside down on all fronts. The microorganism is literally 'speaking'/ asking us to reclaim the values of global inter-dependence and solidarity, collective security, and shared progress. In a world riven by arrogant conceptions of 'national interest' and 'nation first' where 'leader' after 'leader' is speaking the language of racist intolerance and xenophobia, the reach of the epidemic is shaking the existing order to its core, bringing 'tall' icons down to their crumpling fate.
Throughout history, Divine messengers brought sublime guidance on righteous living; they called their people to an exalted, heavenly destiny of inner peace, by recognizing the higher values of life and respecting the restraints of Divine Law. Most people, however, are often dominated by a materialistic, 'earthly'-outlook on life, and they choose their fate by turning their backs to the pure messages on offer: the materialist outlook that these people embrace trigger evil impulses in its own way to destroy human soul, public health and the social order. We can reclaim our world only by reverting our preoccupations and lifestyles back to the path of moderation and balance as ordained by the Creator and Sustainer of the worlds, and by following the Divine Elects of our times who are there to lead us in the correct and straight path. In a Special Address delivered on 11 March 2020 ~ 16 Rajab 1441 AH, Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam Hadhrat Muhyi-ud-Din Al Khalifatullah Munir A. Azim (atba) of Mauritius spoke about recent Divine revelations vouchsafed to him against the backdrop of the global pandemic: a message that contains perennial truths on the mission of the savants of Faith; good news for those who keep to the middle course in life; and for those drunk on pelf and power, severe warnings about the Days of God.
Read the Special Address Below:
