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Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.
The truth is, dear respected individuals, it pains one to hear that China has succeeded in containing the Corona pandemic, while some Muslims are careless about it and spread it among themselves. The truth is that such incidents have made us aware of some issues in the thinking of some Muslims, including the trivialization of human life.
We have presented, dear brothers, the misunderstanding of asceticism in this world. Among us are those who think that asceticism means not caring about this world and preserving lives within it. Among us are those who have been influenced by the media, which has belittled the importance of Muslims, for every day you hear about the killing of fifty or a hundred until the value of a Muslim has become trivial in our minds. And among us are those who have trivialized the human soul in general, and one might say: "What does it mean if Corona kills millions of people? Humanity is nearing ten billion, let millions die, what does it matter?"
As if you have forgotten, O Muslim, that Allah created these people for His wisdom. Let us remember that every living human being is a project of a believer, every living human being is a project of a believer, every human being is a goal for our call and guidance. If he believes, he becomes of great worth. Allah mentions the believer in the highest assembly, the believer is a candidate to be a friend of Allah the Almighty, the One who said: "Whoever shows enmity to one of My friends, I have declared war against him." Sa'd bin Mu'adh was a believer whose death caused the throne of the Merciful to tremble.
When you talk about the people who are dying, remember that each one of them, when alive, was a project of a believer who had great worth with Allah the Almighty. We, the Muslims, are the most deserving people to have a respectful, caring, honoring, and attempting to save view of the human soul. We save souls from the plagues of this world and its destruction, hoping to save them thereafter from the fire of the Hereafter with guidance and call. Do not say: "Let them decrease, it is not important." No, it is important. Rather, every soul that dies is a soul that has been lost to us, but the Prophet, peace be upon him, succeeded in saving him and was happy about that.
We, the Muslims, strive for a good and beneficial life. Yes, we strive. The pursuit of worldly life in itself is not blameworthy, but Allah blames the pursuit of any life, the pursuit of the Jews and the polytheists for any life, and He said: "Live any life, but live the beneficial life that brings you closer to the Hereafter and the pleasure of Allah the Almighty."
Ibn al-Qayyim has beautiful words in his book "Provisions of the Patient." We are used to, people, Ibn al-Qayyim and other scholars speaking about the blame of this world and not attaching to it, but Ibn al-Qayyim has statements that create a beautiful balance. He said: "The world in reality is not blamed, the world in reality is not blamed, but the blame is directed to the deed of the slave in it. And it is a bridge. The world is a bridge or a passage to Paradise or to Hell." Until he said: "Otherwise, it is -meaning the world- the building of the Hereafter and its cultivation, and from it is the provision of Paradise, and in it the souls acquired faith and knowledge of Allah and His love and remembrance and seeking His pleasure. And the best life that the people of Paradise attained in Paradise was what they sowed in it -meaning in the world-." To the end of his beautiful words.
We have not entered Paradise except by working in this world? We must love the world, but to love the world is blameworthy, we love the life to live a life that pleases Allah the Almighty. And it is narrated from Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, in what Ibn Abi al-Dunya mentioned in his book "Reforming Wealth" that Ali heard a man cursing the world and said -meaning like the one who objects to him-: "It is indeed a house of truth for those who are truthful to it, and a house of well-being for those who understand it, and a house of wealth for those who provision from it. A mosque of the lovers of Allah, and a place of descent of His revelation, and a place of prayer of His angels, and a market of His friends, they acquired mercy in it and won Paradise in it."
So the world, people, we love the world, yes we love the world. "Say, my prayer, my worship, my living, and my dying are for Allah, the Lord of the worlds." The truthful friends are mentioned before the martyrs, Allah the Almighty said: "So those are with those whom Allah has favored among the prophets, the truthful, the martyrs, and the righteous. And excellent are those as companions." The truthful friend Abu Bakr died on his bed, but his status is among the highest of statuses as he lived for the sake of Allah.
The Muslim who is careless about preventive measures against pandemics and does not care about his condition or the Muslims, he must remember all of this. Do not let the criminals and oppressors hate you in this world and push you to commit a suicidal faith. How is it a suicidal faith? This is an expressive term I heard from my brother Dr. Abdul Rahman Dhaker. Suicidal faith is that you belittle death not for a great cause, but because you are burdened with performing your duty in building the earth, calling humanity, and enduring and persevering in harm for that, so you belittle death in the name of religion and asceticism in this world. Rather, say to the oppressors: "We will not leave the world for you and your corruption, and we will work to save it and its people from you."
If, people, the Muslims have become trivial in the eyes of the oppressors and tyrants, then it is necessary that they do not become trivial to each other. If your value in the eyes of the oppressors is nothing, then it is necessary that your value in yourself is great, and the value of your Muslim brothers with you is great.
The Prophet, peace be upon him, prohibited harming Muslims in the slightest way. He prohibited hurting the feelings of your Muslim brother by whispering with two people without the third. He prohibited frightening him, even in jest, in the hadith: "It is not permissible for a Muslim to frighten a Muslim." He prohibited narrowing the path for Muslims. He ordered those who entered the markets or mosques of the Muslims to cover the tips of the spears -meaning the arrows- lest they injure a Muslim even with a slight injury.
And you see, my brothers, what prompted me to spread this word is a message from a beloved brother, Aziz Ali from Egypt, in which he fears for the sons of his country from their negligence in dealing with the pandemic, and this is present in many countries unfortunately, rather in most of the Muslim countries.
Our good dealing with the subject of pandemics and our concern for the life of each other, rather for saving humanity, is a practical model before people, before nations, that we are worthy of leading humanity. Do you see, my brothers, that the great powers will not last long, and it appears that the earth is preparing for great changes. Is it reasonable that we accept for ourselves and for humanity to be passed from the hand of an oppressor to the hand of an oppressor? America and Europe will decline. Even if China succeeds in containing the pandemic, and even if it helps countries to contain it, and even if China finds effective treatments, what does China have to offer people after that? On the level of spiritual advancement? On the level of values? On the level of humanity? On the level of working in this world for the sake of the Hereafter?
What does China have? Turning people into dumb production machines? Burning the dead? Demolishing mosques? Forcing people in their religion? Kidnapping children from their parents to raise them in disbelief? Forcing people to eat pork and drink alcohol? What does China have to offer? What do some of the great powers that behave in a way that shows their desire to let the pandemic kill the elderly and the sick have, so that they are rid of them as they are no longer productive and have become a burden on the state?
We are more deserving than China and all nations to work on saving humanity, seeking reward, relying on Allah, attached to Him, and our motto in that: "And whoever gives life to it, it is as if he has given life to all people."
Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.