Coronavirus and the plan of Allah
continued from page 8
Ramadan and I‘Tikaf continued from
page 15
If we have never performed or even
planned for i‘tikaf, this maybe the
time to start. We often procrastinate
for reasons illustrated above, but it
is a good idea to think of this as a
vacation, which indeed it is. It is a
time to shut down and cool off for a
short time and regain our sense of
self and being. The i‘tikaf will press
our reset button and allow us to see
things anew, to see life the way it
really is. To realize that our relations
and connections are not as essential
as we make them out to be. Do we
think that those connections and
relations will die with us? Life goes
on, and we observe this as people we
once knew departed from this world.
Families shed tears, which dry up into
poignant memories and everyone
moves on; their jobs go to another,
their homes are reclaimed, and their
accounts closed, the funds distributed
in inheritance. As much as we think
we are need of these connections, we
must remember that they are not as
needy of us as we are to them. The
spouses remarry, the children grow
up to raise their own families, and
the space we once occupied, in so
many different capacities, is filled by
others. Life will go on as usual. I‘tikaf
brings these realities to life. In a way,
it is a pre-death experience since
death also brings these realities to life.
The only difference is that i‘tikaf is a
resuscitation back to good spiritual
health, providing another chance
to live according to the pleasure of
Allah, whereas death discloses all the
realities, after which it is too late to do
anything about.
May Allah give us all the taufiq to allot
time for i‘tikaf in the last ten days of
Ramadan every single year. Ameen.
Note: This article was written before
the Coronavirus outbreak in the U.S. Its
relevance has only increased in the current
situation.
not a time to understand, it is a time
to believe and submit to His plan.
Submission to His plan translates
into patience, which Mufti Rafi‘
Uthmani explains, is of three types
(Islahi Taqrirein; v.6, pp.74-76).
We are undoubtedly stressed and
that is natural; but we do not raise
objections in our hearts or from
our tongues. This is the first type of
patience. To be patient over hardship
and the plan of Allah whether it
comes as a blessing we like or a
blessing in disguise.
The second type of patience is to
be patient on good deeds. When we
pray, we think of doing something
more ‘productive’ especially in
this time, and Shaytan adds to our
insidious thoughts with whispers that
we are wasting time and not getting
anything worthwhile out of salat. But
we ignore all the passing thoughts
and the whispers of Shaytan to
patiently hold fast to our salat and to
fasting in Ramadan. We desire to be
selfish and hoard by buying as many
essential and non-essential items
that would last us several months in
case of an economic meltdown, but
hold back because this was not the
conduct of the blessed Prophet a.
In hardship and ease, he always gave
preference to others over himself.
Now, you go to the store and wrestle
down the urge to hoard but out of
concern for others, you only buy as
much as you need. This is patience
on good deeds.
The last form of patience is patience
in avoiding sin and being indifferent
toward Allah. Now that we are
quarantined and have plenty of
time, we need to occupy it doing
something. Instead of utilizing that
time in good deeds, remembrance
of Allah, giving time to our kids and
educating them about the Deen, we
waste it on watching movies and
using social media to sling mud on
people we don’t like (which includes
our president; and, no, I am not his
supporter).
In summary, in these trying times,
we need to recognize and submit to
the belief that whatever Allah has
planned for us is best for us, whether
we like it or not. We need to trust His
judgment in all affairs and learn to
distrust our own decisions since we
humans rarely know what is better
for us (if we did, our world would
have been a much better place to live
in). Secondly, we need to uphold the
three types of patience mentioned
above. The blessed Prophet a said,
“The epidemic is a retribution for
whom Allah wishes among His
servants, and He sends it as a mercy
for the believers.” Any believer who
stays quarantined in his town when
an epidemic hits, he is patient and
hopeful of reward but Allah will
write for him the reward of a shaheed
(Bukhari; Hadith al-Ghar).
Furthermore, we can build our
trust in Allah with a beautiful du‘a
the blessed Prophet a often made.
He constantly prayed that Allah
make him pleased with whatever
Allah plans for him. Imam Bukhari
narrates this du‘a in his al-Adab
al-Mufrid. The du‘a is: Oh Allah,
“I ask you for health, virtue,
trustworthiness, good conduct, and
to be pleased with what You have
planned for me” (Man Da‘a Allah an
Yuhsina khuluqahu).
18 May - June 2020 | AL-MADINAH