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Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.
To the countries that are still in relative safety from this pandemic, and the numbers of infections are still contained, let me advise them and myself with two pieces of advice.
The first piece of advice is etiquette with Allah and ascribing the favor to Allah alone. This safety from the disease is a mercy, forbearance, and respite from Allah. Let us leave the self-conceit that destroyed Qarun, who said: "I have been given this only because of the knowledge I possess."
And let us remember the saying of our Lord, may He be glorified and exalted: {And if Allah should touch you with adversity, there is no remover of it except Him} (Quran 6:17). And the saying of our Lord: {Say, 'Who is it that is in control of all things, and He, being the Protector, does not need [any] protector? If you should know [the answer]'} (Quran 13:16). Meaning, whoever Allah wills to destroy and frighten, no one can prevent it. And whoever Allah wills to support and protect, no one can prevent His support and protection.
And let us remember the saying of our Prophet, peace be upon him: "Know that if the nation were to gather to benefit you with something, they would not benefit you except with something that Allah has already written for you."
If we want Allah to maintain our safety, let us remember the saying of Allah, the Most High: {And if you should count the favors of Allah, you could not enumerate them. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful} (Quran 16:18). Yes, and all of them, we and they, must ascribe the favor to Allah that He has enabled them to do this. Whoever fulfills his duty in obedience to Allah and seeking His pleasure, his reward is with Allah, and we thank Him. But the loudest voice is for thanking Allah and ascribing the favor to Him, glorified is He.
Prayer, dear people, teaches us to direct all praise to Allah, so we begin reading it with {Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds}. And Allah, the Most High, addresses the best of humanity, Muhammad, peace be upon him, who was standing on the best of manners, saying, glorified is He: {Whatever good befalls you [O man] is from Allah, but whatever evil befalls you is from yourself} (Quran 4:79).
The Quran ascribes the great achievements that seemed to be the achievements of the Prophet, peace be upon him, to Allah, glorified is He, for He is the One who enables them: {And you did not throw [O Muhammad] when you threw, but it was Allah who threw} (Quran 8:17). {And by the mercy of Allah, you dealt with them gently. And if you had been severe [in punishment] and harsh-hearted, they would have disbanded from about you} (Quran 3:159). {Even if you spend all that is in the earth, you could not unite their hearts, but Allah has united them} (Quran 8:63). And this is the speech about the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, in these verses. So what about those who are below him?
We are not in a football knockout stage, but we need to supplicate with the supplication of our Prophet, peace be upon him: "O Living, O Self-Subsisting, by Your mercy I seek help, rectify all my affairs, and do not leave me to myself for the blink of an eye."
Oh my fear, if we pass this stage, people will come out like the days of success in the secondary school certificate (the Egyptian high school exam), the girls and boys will scream from the car windows and wave, raising the slogan "We won, we won." Among the things that Allah has condemned man in the Quran is that he does not supplicate to Allah, the Most High, in such situations. This is among the things that destroy people.
See, beware, brother, sometimes people become arrogant, and Allah does not hasten the punishment upon them, but rather opens for them the doors of good and gives them an opportunity. Then they think that they are safe from the torment and say: "Here we have disobeyed and nothing has happened." Then comes the command of Allah and regret will not avail them afterward.
Allah, the Most High, says: {And certainly did We send to nations before you, so seize them with adversity and distress that perhaps they might humble themselves. But when Our punishment came to them, they did not supplicate to Us, but their hearts were hardened, and Satan made attractive to them that which they were doing. So when they forgot that by which they had been reminded, We opened to them the gates of everything} (Quran 6:42-44).
Qarun said to his people: {Do not rejoice; indeed, Allah does not like the rejoicers} (Quran 28:76). Do not rejoice in the joy of the heedless arrogant one who forgets to thank Allah, seek His help, and entrust his affair to Him, glorified is He. He said: "I have been given this only because of the knowledge I possess." Knowledge with you? Let your knowledge benefit you! {So We caused the earth to swallow him and his house. And there was not for him a company to aid him other than Allah, nor was he of the victorious} (Quran 28:81).
By Allah, my brothers, without the mercy of Allah, without the mercy of our Lord, without the mercy of our Creator, by Allah the Great, we are not worth the shell of an onion. So let us leave the self-challenge and the self-boasting as if what happens of our human achievements. All the favor is to Allah. And let us not be among those whom Allah said about them: {And We will drive the ones who were trying their best to avert [punishment] into the punishment with [their] wrath, and there is not for them any helper} (Quran 17:61).
And let us humble ourselves, submit, and be submissive to our Lord, glorified is He, leaving His disobedience, seeking His mercy: {O our people, respond to the Messenger of Allah and believe in him; He will forgive you your sins and protect you from a painful punishment} (Quran 46:31).
O Living, O Self-Subsisting, by Your mercy we seek help, rectify all our affairs, and do not leave us to ourselves for the blink of an eye.
Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.