The Coronavirus has spread all over the world and created panic. Governments are trying to cope with this terrible outbreak. The Holy Qur’an states in Chapter 4, verse 60:
‘O ye who believe! Obey Allah and obey His Messenger and those who are in authority among you.’
Obedience is very important Islamic teaching and we should all be law-abiding citizens. Even if you do not agree with the leadership – the Government or the society you live in, still you must abide by its rules – providing they are not unIslamic and against God.
The world is presently facing a pandemic and everyone is suffering due to it. Countries all over the world are trying their best to contain the spread of this virus and many countries have gone on a ‘lockdown’ to prevent people gathering and spreading the virus even more.
The Governments have taken a very hard line and it is important that we obey the Government, who is acting in our interest. Certain countries have prohibited large gatherings, discouraged hand shaking and encouraged working from home. They have limited going out, unless it is essential. It is sad to see that sometimes people ignore the advice given and panic buy and go out anyway. It is due to people not obeying that the Governments have had to impose hard rules, which effects everyone, those who obey and those who disobey. But if everyone had obeyed and listened to the advice given, then there wouldn’t have been a need to have a ‘lockdown’.
Obedience is a teaching which can be very effective when followed, whereas disobedience can cause all sorts of problems.
Of course, for a believer, we first of all turn to the One God for help and protection. If you are seeking help from the coronavirus, then here are some prayers of the Holy Prophet (may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) you can use:
“Allahumma innee a’oodhubika min jahdil balaa’i wa darkish-shiqaa’i wa soo’il-qadaa’i wa shamaata-til a’daa’i”
“O Allah! I seek Your protection against the hardships of afflictions, infliction of utter ruin, coming of misfortune, bad decision-making and against mocking by enemies”
“Bismillah-illadhee laa yadurru ma’asmihee shai’un fil ardi wa laa fis-samaa’i wa huwas-Samee’ul ‘Aleem”
“In the name of Allah, with the help of Whose name nothing in the world nor in the sky can hurt, and He is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.”
They are more effective in Arabic, as it covers much more, but can be said in English as well.
Coming back to the subject I want to talk about, obedience. The verse from the Holy Qur’an that I began with, stresses on the importance of obedience to Allah, obedience to His messenger and then to those who are placed in authority over you.
In Islam we should always obey Allah, the One God, His Prophet and whoever is put in authority over us. This is a very important teaching and part of what being a Muslim means:-
‘one must be obedient and totally submit themselves to Allah’.
It is through this submission to Allah, that for His sake, we obey those who are placed in authority over us, i.e. obey the Government, Police, our teachers, etc.
Whoever has been placed in authority are giving up their valuable time and knowledge for your benefit. We should appreciate that and respond by being obedient and respectful to them, for Allah’s Sake and to win the pleasure of Allah. It doesn’t matter whether we like them or agree with them, our duty as a believer is to obey and respect them.
Islam stresses on importance of obedience as this brings about Unity. Unfortunately, we are seeing more and more, that people are no longer showing this important moral character of being obedient. Sadly we see many children, whether at home or at school, disobeying their parents or teachers. Parents lose control. This is where it begins. As the world becomes more materialistic, it moves away from true submission and obedience to God and immorally develops.
This is in fact the true purpose of religion, that being, to teach good morals, which is based on obedience. The Holy Prophet (may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has said:
“A Muslim is obligated to hear and obey whether he likes it or not, except when he is required to do something that is sinful, in which case there is no obligation to hear or obey “. (Bukhari & Muslim)
From this saying it becomes very clear, that it doesn’t matter whether you agree or not, we must obey. We need rules and regulations and they must be followed. If there are no rules in a society, no police etc. then riots and chaos can happen. Just like what we see on TV with the old Wild West, when there was no law, people took the law into their own hands. Hence why we should follow those who are in authority over us and then for a believer, put our full trust in Allah. If you do this, then you will always be successful.
Those in authority can be anyone who has given a responsibility, even if you don’t like them or they are younger than you etc., if they have been given a position of responsibility, then it is the position and not the person, who we are obeying.
Again the Holy Prophet (may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has said:
“He who obeys me, obeys Allah and he who disobeys me, disobeys Allah, and he who obeys my appointee, obeys me and he who disobeys my appointee, disobeys me ” (Bukhari & Muslim)
These days, as children grow up independently, it is important to develop Taqwa (Righteousness) in them. This is what the religion helps to do, instil those moral qualities, to help a person become obedient and follow rules. For Muslims, we try to create a good righteous home life and stress on the importance of obedience to parents. Of course, if your parents tell you to do sometime unIslamic, like not pray etc., then you can disobey them, but otherwise, we should always obey and respect them and if we differ, then we should politely express our views, but be ready to obey them. We try to build into their character of being honest and truthful, obedience and submissive.
Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the Promised Messiah and Imam Mahdi has said:
“Mere words and speeches are of no avail. One has to practically demonstrate one’s faith in God, since mere proclamations of faith cannot please Him. Examine yourselves vis-a-vis your practical character, for noble character adds to the beauty of faith. Those who are involved in unworthy practices, their faith in God cannot be perfect. The beauty of faith is enhanced when one adorns it with virtuous acts.”
The Holy Qur’an states in Chapter 2, verses 156-158:
“And We will try you with something of fear and hunger and loss of wealth and lives and fruits; but give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere. Who when a misfortune overtakes them, say, ‘Surely to Allah we belong and to Him shall we return’. It is these on whom descend blessings from their Lord and also mercy, and it is these who are rightly guided.”
This pandemic is only a temporary trial of all these matters: fear (panic), hunger (lack of provisions and essential items), loss of jobs and income, death of loved ones, and failure of businesses and industries.
Stay calm and patient, and call upon God constantly for strength and help, and one can pass successfully through these trials as many have done before.