COVID-19: Making the Most of the Opportunity – Mufti Hussain Kamani
Mufti Hussain Kamani reminds us that when a believer meets difficulty, they engage in remembrance and respond by looking at the bigger reality. Even in prayer, our heart is in a different place — it’s with God.
Tests like COVID-19 remind us that matters are not in our hands — they are in Allah’s control. And while we can’t ever say for certain why God is giving us a particular tribulation, we can always use them as opportunities to turn to Him and ask Him for forgiveness. We can ask Him for forgiveness for our shortcomings, for taking our blessings for granted, and for not taking care of our world.
The next step is to learn to cope with the challenges we face. As self-isolation brings our community and social lives to a halt, we need to follow the guidance of both our health professionals and qualified scholars on how to navigate the situations we face. But we also should look for lessons we can learn from the current pandemic. For many, COVID-19 has been an eye-opener to the fact that we could die anytime. And this in turn opens up bigger questions that can cause us to reevaluate our entire lives. What legacy will I leave behind? Am I ready to stand before my Creator?
This valuable process can be hampered, however, by the mind-numbing information overload that is social media. This is why we need to take step back to engage with our heart and soul. This which is where self isolation presents a valuable opportunity: we are afforded far more free time to connect with our family and maximize our time, as it puts us all in a virtual devotional retreat. It would be a tremendous loss if all this potential for benefit is sucked up by digital media and other forms of wasting time.
Mufti Hussain emphasizes that we should build our days around the prayer, and devote ourselves to our ritual salah, reading Qur’an, dhikr, and supplications, using this time to turn inward and focus on God. By doing these things, we can make the most of the opportunities that this quarantine presents.
This reminder is part of COVID-19: A Global Islamic Response series. As the Coronavirus pandemic spreads across the world, the Muslim community is struggling to find answers to many questions. Along with the critical advice of health and medical professionals, we are in dire need of Prophetic Guidance. In these videos, Muslim scholars and community leaders from around the world provides clarity in these challenging times on how people from all faiths should view and respond to the current situation. Watch the full playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list….
