By: Najma Hassan
Humans face number of hardships, perplexities, deprivations and failures in their lives. Confronting these sufferings is what life is about. Escape from some adventures is possible while some calamities are dangerous to handle; some are curable and some are not; certain adventures unable to evade like old age, incurable diseases, sudden death of beloved ones!
Unfortunately human life is nowadays facing a huge and threatening catastrophe all over the world in the form of coronavirus or Covid-19 pandemic. World is experiencing the death so closely and surrounded with the un-imaginary silence. Hearts are filled with anxiety, lips sobbing and streets deserted by the fear of death. The individuals are either imprisoned in their homes or quarantined in government quarters. Constant stream of unpleasant news leads to harassment. Everybody is hedged with loneliness.
It’s time to employ strategy and spirit, planning of work and not to give up. An attribute of a faithful and upright person is patience and firmness, without which one can’t settle way of perfection and excellence.
The days of isolation involve individuals or families staying within their homes and not having physical contact with those outside. At the very time the families can devise a family contract, have a discussion about concerns and expectations about quarantine and what role each person can play to make it better. It’s important for parents to listen and discuss with their children, speak truthfully about the situation, facts and feelings in an age-appropriate manner. Keeping a sense of perspective and sourcing information and advice from credible sources will help stave off anxiety. It is important for the people to be open about what they are experiencing, to reduce any possible stigma or embarrassment attached to self-isolation.
During these situations, one should attain patience in contrast with atheistic doubt without which faith is not faith. Patience and faith have the connection like that of head and body. Neither body without head is body nor faith without patience is faith. Holy Quran gives evidence that when a heavenly person will arrive at the door of heavens, the angles will greet him:
سَلَامٌ عَلَيْكُم بِمَا صَبَرْتُمْ ۚ فَنِعْمَ عُقْبَى الدَّارِ
“Peace be upon you, for you persevered in patience! Excellent indeed is the final home! “
[Al Quran,Surah Al-Rad, Surah 13, Ayat no 24]
Nature is examining our patience. We should try to work with constancy so that a goal can be reached. And stand as mountains before the threatening thunders and storms of the world — we are always under the canopy of Allah the Merciful. Become as much steadfast that these difficulties and sufferings may seem graceful and mellow!
Despair and hopelessness are the most pitiable and heart-rending aspects of life but working with uprightness and putting faith in Allah guarantees success. Slip and faux pass are often created by afflictions. The real philosophy of examinations is to manifest the ability, strength, reality and worth of being human. Examining is about wrenching the beloved things from one. One should not raise a hue and cry but clasp it as a gift from the nature. Life is a journey to pass. Death is inexorable.
الَّذِينَ إِذَا أَصَابَتْهُم مُّصِيبَةٌ قَالُوا إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ
[Who say, when afflicted with calamity; “To Allah we belong, and to Him is our return’’.]
Surah Al Baqarah: 156
Why should we not be peaceful when we know that this patience and hard work gives perfection and marvel. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) says: “Hope is a mercy for us, otherwise no mother would ever feed her child and no gardener would ever plant a tree.”
Man has been sent to serve fellow beings. Helping each other uproots conflicts, creates a world of a family under one roof (sky) and in one home (earth). The important point to be mentioned here is that even being aware and eyewitness of the destruction caused by COVID-19, people still indulge in foolishness by hiding their travel history with the excuse that we are Muslims and Allah is going to cure us. Undoubtedly Allah is the mender of all, but precautions are a must. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) even being himself the doctor of every illness also visited doctors (‘hakeems’) of that era whenever He had any health issue. Muhammad (PBUH) did pray (‘dua’) as well as used to take medicines. It makes us learn real philosophy of life. By behaving irresponsibly, we are not deceiving the authorities only but ourselves as well. We are becoming murderers.
(Author is a student at Sheikh-ul-Alam Memorial Degree College Budgam and can be reached at najmahassan138@gmail.com)
