Finding Purpose in the Face of a Pandemic

Finding Purpose in the Face of a Pandemic

Shaykh Mohammed Amin Kholwadia, Director of Darul Qasim

And surely We shall try you with something of fear and hunger, and loss of wealth and lives and crops;
but give glad tidings to the steadfast. (Sūrat al-Baqarah 2:155)

We cannot help but be reminded of the above ayah in the backdrop of the immense fear and confusion that the COVID-19 pandemic has put in us. Yet, despite this, a Muslim looks to seek Allah’s faḍl in everything he/she does. The way that is done is by understanding the Quran and Sunnah in the nūr (spiritual light) of the pious predecessors. This is the path through which one finds nūr in all that Allah does and gratitude to Allah for everything He does. And so it is that we must remain calm and focused on attracting Diving Attention. The following rubric will, inshā’ Allah, facilitate this process for spiritual students and guests.

1. Tawḥīd demands that we believe this pandemic is created by Allah. We must affirm and reaffirm every day that this is indeed created by Allah. There are many benefits to this ʿaqīdah such as:
   1. trust in Allah
   2. taking responsibility for one’s role in minimizing, if not eradicating, the problem
   3. seeing this a means of drawing closer to Allah
   4. fearing that this might be a Divine punishment. If so, then He is facilitating the inability to commit sin which is a great raḥmah.
2. Tawbah (repentance) is a great means of attracting Divine attention. Unfortunately, most human beings never feel the need to repent or to show remorse for their own actions and sins – which do indeed contribute, if not accentuate, Divine Wrath. We should not assume sins are merely physical. We commit intellectual and social sins. But we simply do not consider them as sins. We should think of the sins we know we do commit and ask for forgiveness. We should ask Allah to forgive the sins we do not know about as well.
3. We should increase ʿibādah. As Ramadan is approaching, we should take this time to insert ourselves into a better Ramadan mood than ever before. We should recite the Quran daily and offer nafl salat. We should increase our ṣadaqah and be willing to help others if we know they are in need. We should make constant dua and increase our quota for sending blessings to the Prophet (peace be upon him).
4. We should unite with all Muslims on every front. We should unite with family members with whom we are disunited. We should make dua for the Ummah of Muhammad (peace be upon him) and for the guidance of mankind towards Islam.
5. We must remember there are millions in the world who are far, far worse than we are. We should count our blessings and cry over the fact that perhaps we are the most spoiled brats on the planet if we do not stop complaining and whining. Allah loves those who are grateful and observe patience. Allah does not love the ingrate.
6. We must believe that our patience and gratitude is rewarded – both in this world and the next. Allah will elevate our ranks in Jannah through being patient in this ordeal. We do not deserve Jannah . But through patience, Allah will tell the angels to escort us into Jannah and raise our ranks. This is the ONLY desired destination for all Muslims. May Allah lead us there by His Hand.
7. Be safe and strong. Allah is always close to us. We are the ones who drift away from Him.

May Allah accept our efforts.