Counsel From Shaykh Abu Munir Regarding the COVID-19 Pandemic
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful and Compassionate. May Allah bless our master Muhammad and give him peace, along with everyone who believes in him and all of his Companions.
May Allah Most High give me, you, and all Muslims a good ending to our lives.
All of us are aware of the tribulation and disease that has descended upon the umma of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace).
The intelligent person is someone who understands what Allah Most High is getting at, makes amends, and repairs his relationships before it is too late, before he is overcome by regret and failure. “So take heed O people of insight!.” (Quran, 59:2)
Allah Most High says, “Your Lord will never unjustly destroy cities when their inhabitants are making reparations.” (Quran, 11:117)
There are two aspects of our lives that are in need of repair: (1) our relationships with our Lord and (2) our relationships with other people, especially our brethren in Islam.
1. Repairing Our Relationships With Our Lord
Allah Most High says, “And when those who believe in Our revelations come to you, say: ‘Peace be unto you! Your Lord hath prescribed for Himself mercy, that whoever among you does wrong through ignorance and then repents from it and makes reparations, then He is truly Most-Forgiving, Ever-Merciful.” (Quran, 6:54)
He also says, “Those who do wrong in ignorance and then repent and make reparations, surely your Lord is Most-Forgiving, Ever-Merciful.” (Quran, 16:119)
Allah Most High has warned everyone who turns away from Him of a painful, severe, difficult, and humiliating chastisement in this world and the next “except those who repent, make reparations, cling fast to Allah, and make their religious observances sincerely for Allah, for those are the ones who are with the believers, and Allah will surely give the believers a tremendous reward.” (Quran, 4:146)
We must do the following to repair our relationships with our Lord:
repent and turn back to Him;
do everything that He has made obligatory, especially the obligatory prayers;
leave everything that He has forbidden, especially the major sins;
purify our intentions by making everything that we do sincerely for Him;
learn the religious knowledge that enables us to fulfill our personal obligations to our Lord;
adhere to the Quran by following its methods of developing our spiritual relationship with Allah Most High and of refining our character (the only way to do this is to recite it with reflection);
follow the Greatest Beloved (Allah Most High bless him and give him peace);
remember Allah Most High frequently in the night and at the beginning and end of the day; and
continually plead to Allah in supplication.
2. Repairing Our Relationships With Other People, Especially Our Brethren in Islam
Allah Most High says, “They ask you about the spoils. Say: ‘The spoils belong to Allah and the Messenger; so fear God, repair your relationships with each other, and obey Allah and His Messenger, if you are believers.’” (Quran, 8:1)
He also says, “Believers are indeed brothers, so repair relationships between your two brothers.” (Quran, 49:10)
He also says, “No good is there in much of their conspiring, except for him who bids to charity, or what is right, or repairs relationships between people. Whoever does that, seeking God’s good pleasure, We shall surely give him a mighty wage.” (Quran, 4:114)
He also says, “Repairing relationships is better; and souls are very prone to avarice. If you do good and are godfearing, surely God is aware of the things you do.” (Quran, 4:128)
Repairing relationships between people is the duty of God’s messengers, and no one undertakes it except those who obey their Lord, who have noble souls, and whose hearts are pure, because they love goodness and peace, and dislike harm and discord.
The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) used to personally repair relationships between two disputing parties. Sahl b. Sa ‘d (Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the inhabitants of the town of Quba fell into a dispute that led them to throw stones at each other. When the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) was informed of this, he said, “Take us to them so that we can repair relations between them.” (Bukhari)
The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) explained that the best charity is repairing relationships between people. He said, “Shall I not tell you what is better than the rank of fasting, praying, and giving charity?” His Companions responded, “Indeed O Messenger of Allah!” He said, “Repairing relationships between people, for discord between people is what destroys religion.” (Tirmidhi)
The way to repair relationships between people is to remove the causes of dispute and disagreement either by mutual forgiveness or by coming to a mutually agreed-upon solution.
Imam al-Awza’i (Allah have mercy on him) used to say, “There is no step more beloved to Allah than a step that is taken to repair relationships between people.”
Repairing relationships between Muslims is so important that it is even permissible to achieve it by lying, as ugly and unlawful as lying normally is. Umm Kulthum (Allah be pleased with her) narrated that she heard the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) say, “Someone who lies in order to repair relationships between people, saying that someone else said something good, or saying something good himself, is not considered a liar.” (Bukhari and Muslim)
Keeping good relationships with others is achieved by doing the following:
behaving with them as we would like them to behave with us;
respecting them and not criticizing them;
being gracious to them by showing them a cheerful face and speaking to them affectionately;
keeping ties of kinship and being a good neighbor;
desisting from wronging them physically, spiritually, or financially; and
desisting from slandering them, turning people against them, being envious of them, having malice towards them, deceiving them, or harming them.
Allah Most High warned us against disagreement and discord, saying, “Obey Allah and His messenger, and dispute not one with another lest you falter and your strength depart from you; but be steadfast! Verily, Allah is with the steadfast.” (Quran, 8:46)
The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “The doors of Paradise are opened on Monday and Thursday and every servant who does not associate partners with Allah is forgiven except for two brothers in Islam who hate each other. It is said regarding them, “Leave these two until they repair their relationship. Leave these two until they repair their relationship,” i.e., delay forgiving them until they make up with each other. (Muslim)
The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) also said, “Whoever severs relations with his brother for a year, it is as though he has shed his blood.” (Ahmad)
We ask Allah to repair our relationships, to guide us to the paths of safety, and to take us out of darknesses into light.
O Allah! We ask you to make us brothers who love each other for your sake, who uphold your rights, and practice Your religion.
O Allah! Unite our hearts over that which is good, repair our relationships, forgive us, and relent to us. Surely you are Frequently Relenting, Ever Merciful.
O Allah! Repair our religion, which keeps all of our affairs together; repair our worldly lives, in which our livelihood lies; repair our lives in the next world, where we must all return; and make our lives an increase in every good, and make our deaths a relief from every harm.
Abu Munir al-Sha‘ar
March 23, 2020
Amman, Jordan
(This detailed and heartfelt counsel by Shaykh Abu Munir was translated into English by Shaykh Hamza Karamali. Please circulate it widely in your networks.)
