The term ‘Armageddon’ is a term used to refer to any “end of the world” or doomsday scenario. The global pandemic spread by the Coronavirus (COVID-19) is a grim reminder of that “Day of Reckoning” and “Striking Calamity” and yet the world does not seem to draw any lessons from this catastrophe. At the time of writing (March 28), there were 587,958 confirmed cases with a rate of 83.44 per million resulting in 26,909 deaths. The US and Italy have the highest number of confirmed cases, although the COVID-19 first erupted in China. The other most impacted countries are Spain, Germany, France and Iran.
The Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared the COVID-19 viral disease to be an official pandemic on March 11, saying it had swept 114 countries and resulted in more than 4000 deaths. The number of deaths has multiplied six times since that declaration. It shows how dangerous, widespread and fatal is the disease and led to unprecedented scenes that are truly apocalyptic.
Social distancing is one of the key weapons to slow down the spread of this pandemic given the high transmissibility of the virus and its ability to survive on different surfaces for long hours. The infected patient spreads the virus to all who come in physical contact with him/her and so the people who test positive are immediately quarantined in a bid to isolate them from the community.
Prominent people who have tested positive include the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Prince Charles and hundreds of other celebrities. Given these facts, governments of various countries were forced to implement complete lockdowns with entire populaces prohibited from stepping out from their homes. There are no trains, no bustling airports, malls, bazaars, streets and markets. All schools, colleges, universities, offices, shops, companies, public gardens and places of worship were ordered to shut down. Most cities in the world now resemble ghost towns and the “fear-factor” is at an all-time high. There is a lot of discussion and information in the public domain about the origin of the virus, its spread and its remedial measures.
When a country of the size of India goes under complete lockdown at a four-hour notice, one can imagine the untold misery and difficulties it can cause to the teeming millions who do not have enough provisions to survive. Hundreds of thousands of labourers are forced to trudge all the way to their villages and native places from cities, as there is no means of transportation. Naturally, there is great outrage on the inept handling of the situation along with fears of an economic recession looming large because of the sudden demand shock and a complete breakdown in the global supply chain. Equity and bond market crashes exacerbate the collapse of the financial system and there are talks of a “Great Depression” once again visiting the world.
There is very little debate on the moral lessons we should imbibe from this episode. Is this cataclysm retribution from God Almighty for the sins of humanity or a wakeup call for awakening the moral conscience of humankind? What should the Muslim Ummah learn from this unparalleled pandemic? Are we heading towards an “apocalypse now” scenario?
The Signs of Allah
The Qur’an (51: 20-21) says: “There are many Signs on earth for those of sure faith and in your own selves. Do you not see?” Science itself testifies to the fact that the universe and the earth are captive to certain laws and rules, which can be computed, predicted and formulated. There seems to be a perfect order set in motion by extremely sophisticated design that is beyond the power of man who is still leading a finite span of life in this world. An un-prejudiced person with an open mind can never accept that this universe has been formed as the result of an accidental explosion that had occurred suddenly millions of years ago. He will rather be convinced that this wise and perfect work of art is the creation of an Omnipotent and Omniscient God.
Moreover, God Who has made this earth cannot be helpless to resurrect man after death, nor can He be so unwise as to leave a sensible and intelligent being like man without providing him guidance and laws to govern his affairs. Routine and regular events in a person’s life are also Signs of Allah. Man’s birth, death, sleep and his inability to master what are called “the vagaries of nature” point to his helplessness and the tremendous power of Allah.
Then there are some critical events or “natural calamities” like earthquakes, tsunamis, plagues and pandemics. They are a grim reminder of how God can shake the foundations of the assumed “natural order” and bring humankind to its knees. All the progress made in cutting-edge technology, medicine and engineering suddenly seems inadequate to confront a new family of viruses. The nations who were called superpowers appear ordinary, weak and incompetent even to slow down the havoc wrecked by the apparent invincibility of COVID-19.
The Muslim Ummah
The belief in “life after death” and the faith that we die only when “Allah wills” gives an edge to the Muslim Ummah over others in confronting the pandemic. However, there is no scope for misplaced bravado in throwing caution to the winds by disregarding ‘social-distancing’ and the calls for continuing with congregational prayers were rightly rejected by the Muslim religious leadership.
Many see it as the “Wrath of Allah” and revenge for the sinners who heaped great acts of injustice on Muslims in the recent past. This may not be true, as we know that many noble and “God-fearing” people are equally afflicted by such natural calamities. Instead of poring over researching on “end of times”, the Muslim Ummah must redouble its efforts in discharging its core responsibility of being the “Khair e Ummah” (the best nation) and “Shahadat e Haq” (witnessing the truth). We must be at the forefront of helping the poor, the needy, the hungry, the displaced and the marginalised in the hour of great economic hardship. We must loosen our purse strings and be the most charitable community.
This is a time when people’s hearts have softened. They are seeing mass death at close quarters. Their minds are reflecting on the fragility and uncertainty of life. It is the job of the Muslim Ummah to present Islam to the world and share our thoughts on life, death and the Hereafter. Muslims must convey how the Oneness of God and belief in the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is integrated with the Islamic way of life and how Islam is the only and natural way of peace, prosperity and salvation. The Prophet ﷺ advised his Ummah to convey from him, even if it be a single verse. This is the best time to heed his advice!