The Spiritual Essence of the Pandemic: Coronavirus Disease (COVID – 19)

I have pondered long and hard about how exactly to express my thoughts regarding this very ill fated situation the world finds itself in right now, this Covid – 19 scourge, the pandemic. In my head it’s like scrambled channels and thoughts akin to jumbled wires that needs sorting out. Firstly because I know not how to pass this message across without sounding like a religious fanatic and secondly, I had hoped to pass a universal message to the people of the world but I have found no way to escape the conundrum. So I am writing this plainly for my muslim brethren and others who feels inclined, to read and if Allah wills, to heed.
A very key lesson that the Pandemic has taught me, amongst others is that the world will definitely come to an end someday. Have you considered how overwhelming it is, how the virus surprised the whole world? In this so called most advanced age of research, knowledge and development, no one has been able to come up with a vaccine or accurate treatment. Does that not mean that there is a force well beyond human inclination and vastly powerful than we can ever imagine? Isn’t it a sign of our vulnerability and the fact that we are absolutely helpless against the decree of Almighty God? Suddenly the whole world is afraid, suddenly the whole world is standing still, hoping and praying that this should pass and that is all we can do; Hope and pray! Can you not see that we are nothing! An invisible virus rubbishing the so called world powers, reducing a super power like the United States to blame games against the Chinese.
I do understand that some people will try to create a plausible explanation that gives the credit of the situation to human beings. They will tell you it’s a biological weapon. I will not counter that. It could be true but that doesn’t negate the fact that it is a sign of a Supreme and Divine Power that we are all subject to. God’s ‘Hand’ is over the hands of men and so therefore even if the virus was created in a lab somewhere, it is still the doing of our Supreme Lord. The lord of the worlds.
I became most puzzled when the Government of Saudi Arabia had to stop people from performing pilgrimages. I imagine a man of vast wealth who had no excuse financially not to perform Hajj, a powerful person and probably a business tycoon or top Government functionary. He does intend to perform hajj but keeps procrastinating while pursuing the world. He shelves his intent to perform hajj every now and then as some emergency meeting or engagement comes up. He tells himself over and over again that he would take a trip to Mecca in his free time to perform hajj. Suddenly the virus comes from nowhere and attacks him and he doesn’t recover. It is then too late and he dies without performing one of the cardinal pillars of islam, not because he didn’t have money but because he prioritized the world over the hereafter.
Can we all take a moment to think of the man who never performs salat and he keeps telling himself that he would start tomorrow. He believes he has time and then this Pandemic hits him and takes his life away, how sad?
Indeed there have been plagues of this nature in the past and they passed after some time like the Swan and Avian flu. So this is not entirely a novel occurrence although the form of exhibition and affliction might be different. i.e Swan flu compared to Covid – 19. This means that some antagonists to my point will say it is nothing new and merely a pandemic. Oh well let every man believe what he wills.
I have seen the world suddenly develop a panic attack with the main focus on the economy and what would be available for people to eat as the world goes into a lockdown but majority aren’t looking in the perspective of a spiritual architecture. They don’t see that my Lord has decided to be merciful to the world by setting up for us what seems like a mock exam while the final test is still pending. A reminder, while we are still at play that our scales of good and bad will eventually be weighed. As a symptom of the Divine Decree of judgement day which has been described in both the Quran and Bible. Let us all learn what we can from this occurrence, mend our ways, hurry to worship God the way he should be worshipped and do all the good that we can while we are still able. May Allah grant us mercy!