Is COVID 19 a wronged soul ?

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Have been reflecting and trying to the pandemic in the light of the little knowledge gained by reading and reflection.

Like the Arabi ( desert dweller – a simpleton ) who asked the Nabi ( SA) about the ‘rope’ I in similar vain and like an Arabi having no scholastic knowledge am trying to seek an answer.
With technology at our command I googled a question does Covid 19 have a soul ?
The answer that popped up is as follows :

So let us embark on our quest of understanding this pandemic. True knowledge is power and understanding is the first step.
Now the million dollar question ad to why is Covid 19 out there to turn our world upside down, as if human life does not matter. Why ! O Why !
Why ! O Why ! is the question that the hapless creation of Allah has been asking us humans for the past several years and we humans in our greed to have more and more have been totally heedless to the plight of Allah’s creation.
The Natural Habitats and the Animal Kingdom and the rich Natural Resources have been asking humans all these past years Why ? O Why ?
What wrong we have done, what was our sin ? Allah with his azeem Rehmat had created us to serve HIS ‘ Ahsan ul Makhluqat ‘ احسن المخلوقات
you humans, who are on the very top of the chain of all His Creation and see what you have been doing
You humans have been driving out 30,000 species to extinction per year about three every hour !!
You humans have destroyed wild life habitat at rate of approx 5760 acres per day or 240 acres per hour.
You humans have been killing species across land, rivers and seas for food. Earth has lost half of its wild life in the past 40 years.
I can go on and on at the wanton destruction of Allah’s Creation, which was created to serve us humans.
Let me recall the riwayat of sixteen bottles as narrated by Aqa Moula ( TUS) in 19th Sehrullah vaaz mubarak.
Herein below is the link to refresh your memories.
https://hikmaahblog.wordpress.com/2020/05/24/sehrullah-19th-vaaz-mubarak-tassavurat-16-bottles-human-greed/
Hope now we are getting to understand a little as to who is responsible in large part to this pandemic.
It is pay back time folks ! What you sow that you reap. The blame of Covid 19 boomerangs on us humans collectively. No particular community or country need be blamed.
The hapless creation of Allah created to serve his احسن المخلوقات had been suffering all these past years in silence but Allah on High who always gives a long rope to his best of Creation to amend also Says in Quran Surah Ar Rum 30: Ayah 41 – ‘ Evil has appeared on land and sea (wanton destruction resulting from human greed) of what the hands of men have earned that HE may make them taste a part of that which they have done…
So as of now the Arabi in me has managed to understand the Why ? of the pandemic. Hope my readers will agree.
Destroyed Habitat Creates the Perfect Conditions for Coronavirus to Emerge and instead of blaming ourselves, we are demonising the poor bats, which is regarded as one of the wondrous, amazing and perfect creation of Allah.
As to the understanding of HOW to control the pandemic the best of scientific brains around the world are working, and the courageous front line health workers are putting their life in line to control the pandemic.
Surah Saba (34: 03) Allah Knows – not even a weight of small atom or less escapes him.
Surra Al-Anam ( 6:38 )
There is not a moving (living) creature on earth, nor a bird that flies with its two wings, but are communities like you. We have neglected nothing in the Book, then unto their Lord they (all) shall be gathered.
Allah has created countless living and non living and all with a purpose. His entire creation is wondrous, amazing and perfect.
The true meaning of the first Revealed word – IQRA is just not to read but it is to study, understand, observe, investigate, analyse, learn, observe and innovate.
Allah instructs the entire humanity in many verses of the Quran to reflect on heavens, the earth, living things and their own existence.
Maurice Bucaille stated in his Booklet – ‘The Quran and Modern Science’ that there are enormous scientific assets in the verses of Quran.
We are resting all the blame on the bats for our present misery and forgetting that we humans are responsible for bringing it on upon us because of our own greed and gluttony.
It is widely believed that Covid 19 appeared to shake us up all from our heedless ness from the wet markets of Wuhan selling bats and exotic pangolin.
Both are harmless creatures living in isolation but when human greed encroaches on wild habitats, it creates opportunities for pathogens to jump to livestock and humans.
The problem is with us humans. It is just possible that if we had left bats in peace our world economy would not be in tatters and we would be going about our normal way.
Humans have been slaughtering bats and other wild life animals for food and medicinal value.
Pay back times humans. 5000 tons of high quality Roquefort
and blue cheese will be going waste on account of Pandemic in Europe.
The global food system is responsible for up to 30% of total greenhouse gas emissions according to Lancet study.
In India Scientists working at the forensic laboratory of Wildlife Institute of India (WII) have found that majority of wildlife killings in India in past 32 years took place just to fulfil people’s gastronomic desires.
Now coming to bats who live an isolated life have an excellent immune system and the echolocation sounds of bats along with Dolphin clicks have greatly helped in Medical Ultrasound Imaging development.
And to top it let me share that bats who eat insects that harm crops and vegetation – just two examples
Are saving Indonesian Cocoa farmers 800 million dollars a year which they would otherwise have to spent on pest control.
2.Like wise in US the corn farmers are saving 22 billion dollars a year.
The pollinating bats who live on flower nectar , also help the mangroves to grow, and thus save humanity from the effects of storms.
All of Allah’s creatures are out there to help humans.
Humans start respecting Allah’s creatures and now having known your sins and introspecting and accepting that it is we humans that are to be blamed for our greed and gluttony seek forgiveness so that humanity is saved
Allah is All Seeing All Knowing
However, in Islam seeking forgiveness has also some preconditions.
Realisation and acceptance of our sins are the first steps to seeking forgiveness, but there is a catch in Islam, and that always proves to be a stumbling block for us humans.
That is – affirmation with true conviction that the sins for which forgiveness is being beseeched will not be repeated. This is the most difficult part, as we humans tend to forget easily once we come out of the crisis. Is that not true ?
Agreed on account of insatiable greed of humans against the other kingdoms of Allah out there, created by His Mercy to help his best creation, is the main reason of our suffering as detailed in the previous post.
But then the Arabi (simpleton) in me asks. Why am I to suffer ? In all my life I have not cut a tree, I recall not even having plucked a flower in past several years, yes admit occassionally swathed at home flies and killed a few lizards who showed up over the years to frighten my dear wife !
Hope my readers will also be having the same question. Yes big multinational companies and Government agencies who should be protecting the environment in order to feed their bottom line out of greed and selfishness have bought us harm.
Allah has created different Kingdoms having specific governing laws and hierarchy and all answerable to Allah on the day of Judgement.
The Kingdom of Heavens Angles مملكة ملائكة السماء
The Kingdom of Jinn مملكة الجن
The Kingdom of Humans
مملكة الانس / البشر
The Kingdom of Animals
مملكة الحيوانات
The Kingdom of Nature
مملكة الطبيعة
As we are part of the Human Kingdom we are governed by the laws of our kingdom and as we get to enjoy and satiate our desires and wishes by the discoveries and progress made by the human race over centuries, like wise we suffer collectively for the ills and sins of a few amongst us.
But on Judgement Day our individual actions will be taken into account and our Leaders and evil doers amongst us will be questioned for their deeds.
Just a few current examples. Before the Pandemic landed on American shores the American people tolerated President Trump inspite of his loose character and penchant for false statements ( 18000 and still counting as reported in American Press ) because the Economy under him was booming and everyone was happy. The Financial gains was the ‘driver’ over riding all his shortcomings.
As a pay back, under the Pandemic the American population has suffered much for his rash whimsical decisions taken during crisis him overriding his own Medical Advisory Board , with his sole focus on winning the upcoming Presidential Election.
The American economy is in tatters and the death toll has crossed one lac.
Likewise Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro worries more about the Economy than thousands of life lost knowing that most of the deaths are that of poor people living in Favelas ( shanty towns )
In India the plight of the migrant workers trudging home on foot hungry and uncared, for hundreds of miles has been a nightmare.
The political leaders may win another Election if they are destined to win, but they and their progeny will be answerable for the plight and sufferings of lakhs if they have made rash decisions. They are the only ones privy to their own thoughts and actions. I know not -ALLAH KNOWS.
There is no escape from the ‘Adl of Allah.
Just three out of thousands. Just recall the tyrants who ruled and the populace that supported it. Each and every one will be answerable and no one will be wronged.
Hope the above examples are enough to clear our understanding that we are all one and part and parcel of what is Allah’s Kingdom of Humans. مملكة الانس / البشر
We enjoy the fruits of our progress and also suffer the ills.
I end this post by a pregnant quote of Khalil Gibran to help understand better. ( Read it twice if need be )

A single leaf turns not yellow but with the silent knowledge of the whole tree, so the wrong doer cannot do wrong without the hidden will of you all…
This makes it crystal clear.
The Covid 19 pandemic has given us a window of opportunity to make amends at individual level. Grab it.
Request my readers to make best of this opportunity to introspect and come to a realisation that in the end – it is the A’kherat that counts.
If I had said the same thing when the world was taking us round and round I know it would have mattered least, but now with deaths round the world creeping into our drawing rooms, such things do matter.
It will be blessing to take this opportunity to work on our shortcomings and character building.
Start thinking and planning to undertake all good humanitarian acts that will help you when times comes to lie six feet under the ground. For kafan has no pockets.
Humanity has suffered much for the heedlessness. I feel the Covid 19 pandemic has taught us humans a lesson which will not be easy to forget.
During the entire month of Ramazan which was once in a life time spiritual experience, after tilawat of Bawisa each night, I used to fervently beseech Allah to save the humanity from this pandemic.
I feel this reflection of an Arabi ( simpleton) is a result of my dua , and one more step, as we are made to realise that what we are suffering is our own doing and we seek forgiveness from Allah – Rehmat ul lil Alameen.
Surah 13: Ayah 39
Allah erases what HE wants and Writes what HE wants ‘
وقيد جراثيم شر كما يق
تضي العدل بالحكمة الداعية
In the Munajaat Sharifa above Abyat 43 Aqa Moula (TUS) has also beseeched Allah to restrain this evil bacteria, and surely if humanity realises its follies sooner and seeks forgiveness, our world will be better than before for sure.
Realisation and seeking forgiveness is what will protect us till a vaccine is found.
Just one impactful change and there will be many more to come, is the recent announcement by Tech Giants Google and Face Book that majority of their employees are to work from home till 2021.
This will greatly ease the pressure on chocking cities as people will move out and also save on high rents and have better living conditions and healthy life style in gated neighbourhoods away from cities
The Arabi in me is seeing a new dawn on the horizon.
However, it has pained me a great deal to know that even educated and so called cultured have been attaching stigma to those families who have lost their loved ones to Covid 19.
Disgusting indeed. Those health workers who venture out each day risking their lives knowingly or the innocent amongst us who venture out to serve their families, if they become Covid 19 positive and die – remeber this and get it right – it is not for their sins but they have sacrificed their lives for the collective sins and heedless ness of us humans. Instead of attaching stigma, offer a prayer for their souls. Who are you to judge ?
Look inward to your self.
To attach stigma to one suffering of Covid 19 is a repulsive behaviour and hope my reflective writings may have helped in proper understanding.
I conclude my reflections by offering my heart felt condolences to families of those whose loved ones have succumbed to the pandemic.
When we see hundreds of bodies in black protective sheetings being lowered in grave with no family or one or two around, it breaks my heart.
The one thing heavy on their minds is the final moments of their departed, as a family they were unable to attend takfin and tadfin – تکفین ، آنے تدفین which they would have been able to attend under normal circumstances, and would have been able to console each other at the loss of a family life.
To those families I say find solace and succour by recalling the final moments of our beloved Panjatan Pak ( SA) how many were there at Ma Fatima’s burial ? O Hussain O my Moula Hussain ( SA) there was none as your body lay without ‘kafan’ on the burning sand of Karbala.
Specially to mumineen families I say your loved one has not died in vain, but his/her death is to teach us humans a lesson.
Dua ni iltemas.
Shukran for being with me on my quest of understanding the Pandemic and learning life lessons.
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If you have anything to add, feel free to comment.
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