26/03/2020
Asalaamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullah
In the Name of Allaah, the All-Merciful, may His Salaah and Salaam be upon His final Messenger
This pandemic is an opportunity that we have been blessed with, some of us will come out having built palaces in Jannah for themselves, whilst others will have not benefited at all.
A'isha (radiallaaahu anhaa) reported: She asked the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, about plagues and he said,
It is a punishment that Allah sends upon whoever he wills, but Allah has made it a mercy for the believers. Any servant who resides in a land afflicted by plague, remaining patient and hoping for reward from Allah, knowing that nothing will befall him but what Allah has decreed, he will be given the reward of a martyr.
Source: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 5402
There are four conditions mentioned in the hadith for which, if a person fulfils them, they will attain the reward of a martyr and the reward of the martyr is one of the greatest rewards anyone can be blessed with in Islam. The four conditions mentioned are:
1) You stay in the land and do not leave, unless you have a reason to i.e. you do not flee out of fear of the disease.
2) You remain patient. This is perhaps the hardest one as we are all now isolated at home, and may have to abandon our usual socials lives and any plans we may have had. Remaining patient despite this is key to attaining the reward mentioned.
3) That you hope for the reward of Allah. This means that you seek the reward of a martyr, as the hadith says. You are remaining in the land, and are patient in hope of Allah's reward you. Whilst in isolation you seek the reward of Allah.
4) That you know that nothing will befall you but what Allah has decreed. You do not question the decree of our Lord Most High. You accept the decree of Allah and you remain patient. Perhaps we may have enjoyed going to work (for some), or university or school, but they are now cancelled. Perhaps our hearts were attached to the Masaajid and the circles of knowledge and remembrance, but they have been cancelled. Perhaps we enjoyed spending time outside with friends and relatives, but now everyone is in isolation. These are all from the decree of Allah. And we do not question Allah's decree. Rather we are patient and submit to whatever Allah wills.
If we strive to fulfil these four conditions, we hope that Allah allows us to achieve such a great reward, for which an opportunity to attain reward like this is not easy to come by. By following these guidelines you could attain the reward of a martyr with the permission of Allah, whichever of the three following groups you may fall into:
1) Person who gets infected and dies.
2) Person who gets infected but recovers.
3) Person who doesn't get it at all.
Allah has made this test a mercy for the believers. Fulfil the conditions and there awaits an immense reward.
