What are the side effects of coronavirus? Confusion, distress, and burning anxiety are the side effects of coronavirus that all of them are affecting everybody throughout the world.
When normally we are at ease, we do not appreciate Allah’s blessings. For example, both security and health are not appreciated until we lose them. And this is what Imam Ali (A.S) said (نعمتان مجهولتان: الصحة والأمان) so, when I’m healthy I have no problem, I do not appreciate the blessings of Allah and keeping me safe, in granting a me healthy life. When there is everything secured, I am living in a society which everything is secured, no problems, no anarchy, no disorders, no wars, I do not appreciate normally people do not appreciate that bounty of Allah, that grace of Allah. So, we take it for granted and even do not appreciate it. But, when there is a war, when there are hooligans who are creating anarchy here and there, then we see how good it was when we felt safe and now, we are in trouble. brothers and sisters these are two blessings of Allah that the Imam mentions that they are not appreciated. They are not recognised as blessings from Allah (S.W.T) until people lose them. When we look at the Italians, they call this virus as the killing machine. And recently, the Prime Minister admitted we lost control, the pandemics killed us psychologically, physically and mentally. All earthly solutions failed, the solution is left to the heaven or in other words, to Allah’s will, to God’s will. So, when you look at a European country like Italy, and someone like the Prime Minister who admits all earthly solutions failed and we cannot do anything at all. We leave everything to God, to metaphysics, to something beyond science and beyond the health organizations and whatever might be suggested to save us from this fatal killing machine.
Here, let us remember one thing, that we in addition to observing all precautionary measures, taking every precautionary step to avoid transmitting and passing this disease via washing our hands, controlling our contact with others, keeping the distance and what wisely now done by most of the Islamic centres, in addition to non-Islamic in suspending the congregations, the Salat Al-Jama’a, Salat Al-Juma’, so all daily prayers in the mosques and Friday sermon and Friday gatherings are suspended with recommendation of the trustees of Islamic centres here in the UK in order to avoid the crowd, the contact with others when even one person carries that virus might pass it on to others and that is a duty of every human being, duty of every Muslim not to be a means for transmitting the disease to others because that’s negligence or not complying with health advices and health regulations will lead to many wrong doings.
It is interesting, brothers and sisters to read and this is what I recently came across that in 1981, Dean Koontz wrote a book in which he predicts that in 2020, there will be a virus that will spread over the whole world and this will affect the respiratory system or organs which means that it is affecting the lungs. In 1981 this author writes the book and that book is called The Eyes of Darkness. If you search for it and see that he mentions in that book that in 1981 which means that 40 years ago. Was it a novel? Was it a prediction? Was it reading the future or there was something in the process of building and leading to some biological attack on humanity by that person? I don’t know! I leave it to you brothers and sisters to judge but when you see that not only talking about the possibility of such a thing, the author of The Eyes of Darkness fixes the year 2020 and the organ which is going to affected by that disease and the virus, how and where from? I don’t know.
Now, how to combat and deal with this psychological disorder, confusion, distress and anxiety? We know that millions of people or hundreds of millions of people are worried about what would happen. What is the next attack? And in the end, how many of the population of the whole world are going to die or going to be affected by this and when exactly the vaccine to give immunity against that will be made available to people? I am sure that you will all agree with me that it is worrying, and it is increasing every day and spreading everywhere. In addition to these health observations and precautions, may I suggest that we look at how to strengthen our communication with Allah (S.W.T). The non-materialistic means or the spiritual suggestions, the religious advice that might help us to cool down, to have some sort of tranquillity, and some sort of better understanding, not to worry about the consequences and the results.
First of all, let us remember that Allah (S.W.T) says in the Quran (فَإِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا. إِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا) “After each difficulty, there will be ease” and this is repeated twice in the Quran (فَإِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا. إِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا). So, let’s hope that InshaAllah there will be ease by the will of Allah (S.W.T) and that is what is likely to be heard and seen by the Prime Minister of Italy. Second, Allah (S.W.T) promises that if we exercise and stick to piety (تقوى) Allah (S.W.T) will find us an escape, a way to get rid of and a way we call it a solution which we never calculated and never expected. Allah (S.W.T) says (وَمَن يَتَّقِ اللَّهَ يَجْعَل لَّهُ مَخْرَجًا وَيَرْزُقْهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَحْتَسِبُ) which means that those who are in difficulty, in stress, in some sort of difficulty which is overwhelmingly affecting our psychology, our understanding, then observing piety which means sticking to Allah’s commands and keeping away from disobedience, refraining from the prohibitions that Allah (S.W.T) mentions in the Quran and the Prophet (S.A.W.W) made it clear to the Muslims. So, by exercising (تقوى) piety and righteousness, keeping in mind all the commands and prohibitions in Islam, in this way Allah (S.W.T) promised us and He is the true promiser that Allah (S.W.T) will find us a way out of this problem.
And don’t forget brothers and sisters, the last one. And that is (الصدقة تدفع سبعين من البلاء) that afflictions, problems and difficulties can be avoided by donations, by charitable acts, by alms and Sadaqat. So, if you think of those who are vulnerable, those are less able to meet their needs. If you assist others either financially or in any way. For example, I found in many messages good acts of some youth here in London, Birmingham and some other cities, that the group of people offer their assistance to go and shop for those who cannot leave home, for the elderly who are unable to go and buy and order their daily needs. Giving them your telephone number and being prepared to assist them somehow, providing you are perfectly observing the medical advice and avoiding infections, this Sadaqa , this act of charity Allah promised and the profits seconded that will help a lot in giving you immunity. So, it is not only the immunity in our system to overcome the disease, it is something beyond physics, beyond science, beyond natural causes to help us in overcoming the side-effects of disease. We besiege Allah and in the owner of the profits and our error-free imams to protect you all from this problem and give you immunity against what will lead and would cause the damages to health or any other type of mentality.