The Holy Quran: ‘With Difficulty There Is Ease’; Fight the Pandemic with Faith
By Arman Neyazi, New Age Islam
17
April 2021
Due
To The Uncertainty Caused By The Covid-19 Pandemic, The People Are In The Grip
Of Fear Of Death And Destruction. Let Us See How Quran Helps People Out Of
Similar Situations.
Highlights:
1. Humanity is crying for help, which is
nowhere in sight. What is the role of Faith? Can Deep Faith in Divinity Help?
2. This difficult time should be taken as a
test from Allah. The brightest of the days come after the darkest of nights.
3. A strong believer is a better and more
beloved to Allah than a weak believer, although both are good.
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We cannot deny the fact that our world is
facing troubled times for more than a year now. One or the other part of the
world is in the severe grip of uncertain times due to the recent pandemic
Covid-19.
There may be different theories in the air
about this trying time but ultimately there is no denying that humanity is
crying for help, which is nowhere in sight. The People are in the grip of fear
of death and destruction. Every eye is wet. Every mouth is open in disbelief.
There is a crying silence. One can experience the sound of silence in the
atmosphere.
The sound of a knock on the door or that of
the ambulance siren on the road is enough to frighten even the bravest and the
boldest among us. When there is no hope, there is the hope of our Creator to
save us from these difficult times as He has done it on various occasions in
the history of 1400 years of Islam. Allah has come to the rescue of the
individuals and the communities whenever they have shown their faith in Him and
asked for help.
Having
Faith that Things will Get Better
So, surely with hardship comes ease. (Al-Inshirah 5-6) - Dr Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran
˹He is the One˺ Who
created death and life in order to test which of you is best in deeds. And He
is the Almighty, All-Forgiving. (Al-Mulk 67: 2) - Dr Mustafa Khattab, the
Clear Quran
The two above-mentioned Ayaat are the true
reflection of the hardships and the easiness of life. The Ayat is a pointer of
easy times after the difficult times. And the second Ayat clears all doubts, if
any, that this world is an examination hall and the human beings are tested for
their belief both in life and death.
It
is not the death that we must fear, but it is the life that is full of tests,
especially for those Allah loves the most. As far as death is concerned
everything, except a few incidents that have got a mention in the Holy Quran
and Ahadees, is in dark. Those among us who fail to understand that difficult
times are a test of our firm belief and patience from our Creator, also fail to
see the ease and comfort after every difficulty. Do not forget, the brightest
of the days come after the darkest of nights.
This difficult time should be taken as a
test from Allah and should show our firm belief in the Creator, His apostle
Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and all that He has sent. Allah, the Almighty has said
in the Holy Quran (Al-Baqarah 2:214) addressing His Messenger and all the
humanity that path to Allah is surely full of tough times. But always remember
as Allah says, ‘with hardship comes ease:
‘Or think ye
that ye will enter paradise while yet there hath not come unto you the like of
(that which came to) those who passed away before you? Affliction and adversity
befell them, they were shaken as with earthquake, till the messenger (of Allah)
and those who believed along with him said: When cometh Allah's help? Now
surely Allah's help is nigh. (Surah Al-Baqarah -
2:214) Pickthall’
The human being should fall for the grace
and mercy of Allah, the Most Merciful as it has always shown us the light
during darkness. Consider the following verse:
“They after that you turned away. Had it not been for
the Grace and Mercy of Allah upon you, indeed you would have been among the
losers. (Quran, Surah Al-Baqara: 64)”
Do
not Feel You Are Alone
Those among us who have faith in the divine
power should never feel helpless because this feeling is a sign of weak faith
in Allah and His Mercy. Read the following narration by Abu Hurayrah (RA), it
asks you to stay strong in the direst of the situations:
It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may
Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him) said:
“The strong believer is better and more
beloved to Allah than the weak believer, although both are good. Strive to do that
which will benefit you and seek the help of Allah, and do not feel helpless. If
anything befalls you, do not say ‘If only I had done (such and such), the such
and such would have happened,’ rather say: ‘Allah has decreed and what He wills
He does,’ for ‘if only’ opens the door to the work of the Shaitan.” (Muslim,
2664).
Importance
of having a Positive Support Group
When we are low at heart and are surrounded
by feelings of grief, loneliness, sorrow all around, we should be in the
company of people who are positive thinkers and supportive. We must not forget
the famous maxim, ‘Birds of a feather flock together.’ The presence of wise and
virtuous people creates an atmosphere of positive waves. Consider the following
Hadees:
Narrated Abu Musa, Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)
said,
“The example of
a good companion (friend) in comparison with a bad one is like that of one who
sells musk and the blacksmith. From the
first, you would either buy musk or enjoy its good smell, while from the
blacksmith you would either get burned or smell a bad scent.” [Saheeh Hadith by
Bukhari].
As the maxim goes, ‘man is known by his
company’, being in the surrounding of the inspiring people will also influence
your approach towards life and if there is any negativity, which is common during
the difficult times, it will change into positive thinking. In the present
situation, it is a way of coming out of the pandemic depression and of being
helpful to society.
Remember
Allah during the Times of Happiness
Those who remember their friends during the
good times have the nerve of asking them for help, if needed, during the tough
times also. In the same vein, do not forget Allah when you have good times.
Keep remembering and thanking Him for His mercy. Following Ayat describing the
story of Prophet Yunus (AS) exhorts us to remember Allah during tough times.
Out of His mercy, Allah finally relieved
him out of that calamity. He tells us in the Qur’an: “Had he not been of them who glorify Allah, he would have indeed
remained inside its belly (the fish) till the Day of Resurrection.”
(Qur’an, Surah As-Saffaat: 143-144)
May we see the brightest day of the ‘post
pandemic’ era and all humanity be safe under the mercy of Allah.
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Also
Read: Islamic Guidelines on Epidemics Can Help People Cope With
Covid-19
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And
Allah knows the best.
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Arman
Neyazi is a columnist with NewAgeIslam.com
URL: https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/the-holy-quran-‘with-difficulty/d/124709
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