Allow me to ask you a question. What is the world obsessed with at this very moment? Yes, it’s none other than the dreaded Covid-19.
As much as everyone is trying to stay safe from the deadly virus, which has claimed hundreds and thousands of lives around the world since late 2019, some “heroes” are doing every possible thing that they can to be infected with the virus.
Sounds nonsensical? Well, but it’s true and I’ll provide you with lots of examples. But first of all, we must have a brief look at the safety guidelines issued for the Covid-19 pandemic.
The precautionary measures
The entire world has been shaken by of this pandemic. Almost the whole world has come
under a lockdown situation to prevent its spread. Scientists are working day and night in order to find a cure for this disease. And with the limited knowledge that they have regarding this virus and which is being shared with us, we can protect ourselves from the virus.
They strictly encourage people to maintain social distancing and stay home to avoid contacting this disease. And if people do have to go out due to their jobs or other necessary work, then we all must obey the precautionary measures as prescribed by the World Health Organisation through their official website, i.e., https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
We can find all sorts of relevant and effective information about Covid-19 on this link.
The basic precautionary measures are stated below:
Stay home and do not go out until or unless it’s an emergency.
Wash your hands with soap or an alcohol-based hand rub whenever you get the chance.
Keep a distance of one metre, i.e. three feet, from everyone when outside the house.
Wear appropriate masks when outside, i.e. surgical mask, re-washable mask or N95 mask.
Carry a bottle of hand sanitiser with you when outside.
Do not touch your eyes, nose or mouth.
Wash hands thoroughly as soon as you get home.
Here I present you with the mighty squads who are defying all instructions and their heroic (mis)deeds.
The ‘No need for any precautions’ squad
People who make such statements do exist. I’m quite sure that most of you would have encountered them. They say that without God’s permission, nothing can harm them.
It’s true that nothing happens without Allah’s permission, but we must also remember the fact that Allah doesn’t help those who do not help themselves.
For further understanding, I shall mention a beautiful Hadith that I read recently. It is stated as follows:
One day Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) noticed a Bedouin leaving his camel without tying it.
He asked the Bedouin, “Why don’t you tie down your camel?”
The Bedouin answered, “I placed my trust in Allah.”
At that, the Prophet (PBUH) said, “Tie your camel and place your trust in Allah.” (Tirmidhi)
The lesson from this Hadith is that we need to use all resources available to us to solve our problems, and then trust Allah for the outcome as “Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves.” (Qur’an 13.11)
Subhan Allah, the Quran and the Hadith contain countless blessings and lessons for the world to follow, but sadly, we prefer to ignore it.
The ‘Careless safety’ squad
These people do try to take precautionary measures, but don’t do it in the right manner. For example:
People subconsciously touching their eyes, nose and mouth,
People not throwing away the used N95 or surgical mask where it belongs or washing the re-washable mask as soon as they take it off without placing it elsewhere. We know how the virus stays on certain surfaces for hours, which leaves us vulnerable to the deadly parasite.
People not washing their hands properly.
People believing the unauthentic messages on the internet that claim to ‘cure’ the novel coronavirus.
People not accepting the possibility of their safety measures being incorrect and ignoring what the others say.
People shouldn’t do any of these things as it can lead them and their loved ones to life threatening situations.
The ‘We are safe when praying’ squad
The way that people keep going to mosques and completely ignoring the government’s order, still shocks me. Why can people not understand that being in a crowded place is equivalent to inviting the angel of death to take them? Not only are such people endangering their own lives, but they’re also risking the lives of their family members.
Allah is everywhere, so why can people not pray safely inside their homes, amongst their loved ones? Endangering others’ lives is not part of Islam.
What can we do?
The best we can do for ourselves and our society is to stay in our homes as much as we can, and if we go outside, we must follow all the safety measures, as mentioned above.
Try your best to explain such things to whoever needs it so that you’ll be able to save multiple lives, indirectly. We all know that this situation will continue to get worse if we do not act sensibly. In other words, Covid-19 will keep swallowing the lives of innocent people if we don’t observe social distancing strictly.
Stay safe, stay indoors, sanitise yourself, sanitise your home and guide everyone as much as you can. May Allah protect us all, Ameen.
Published in Dawn, Young World, May 30th, 2020
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