Failure to Understand Compares the Fear of Corona with the Fear of God

Currently the whole world is being hit by anxiety with the outbreak of the Corona virus (Covid-19) which first appeared in Wuhan, Hubei, China in November 2019.

The World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11 has declared Covid-19 as a dangerous pandemic soul safety. This virus causes fear throughout the world regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, and nationality. In the Muslim world such as Palestine, Kuwait, Malaysia, Turkey, Tajikistan, Iran, and Indonesia, the fear of the Corona virus spreading through worshipers at the mosque can be seen from the issuance of a fatwa that excludes Friday prayers. Instead, Muslims in these countries were instructed to perform Dhuhr prayers in their homes. In Indonesia, the Bandung Grand Mosque excludes Friday prayers and congregational prayers must start on March 16. The fatwa was apparently responded contra by several parties among Muslims including in Indonesia.

They argued that there was no reason to exclude Friday prayers because the obligatory prayer of two rak'ahs in congregation in the afternoon was God's command. They considered the elimination of the Friday prayer and the congregation must show that the Corona virus was more feared than the god. The question is, is it true that eliminating Friday prayers and congregational prayers must be caused by fear of being a medium of transmission of the Corona virus means that it has placed the virus as a creature that is more afraid than its secret? If the answer is "yes", then it can be said that the scholars in each country have been very careless because they have eliminated Friday prayers because of fear of the Corona virus. Isn't Friday prayer a command of Allah? But is it possible that the scholars acted rashly and contrary to God's commands and prohibitions? Feels not enter if they like it. They are the scholars who have certainly been trusted by the community because of their competence and credibility. If this is the case, then the problem is not with the ulamas but with those who are against the fatwa.

They failed to understand that the fatwas of the ulemas were issued precisely because of their fear of Allah. As scholars, they cannot escape the responsibility of public relations. They are well aware of the shared responsibility before God regarding the salvation of the souls of the people they lead. Also read: Seeing Corona from the Aqeedah Perspective and the Jurisprudence of the Prophet in relation to Dangerous Infectious Diseases Among the dangerous infectious diseases is hansen (formerly called leprosy or leprosy). In the time of the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam this disease was already known. Patients with this disease can be identified from lesions (areas of tissue that have been damaged due to injury or pain) on the skin so that it can be seen from the outside. To prevent from the outermost of this disease the Prophet ordered to stay away from the sufferer. Or in other words, it is necessary to isolate the patient so that it is not transmitted to those who are healthy.

The command can be seen in the following three fragments of the hadith:

وفر من المجذوم المصاب بالجذام كما تفر من الأسد

It means, "Run from the person affected by leprosy as you flee from the lion" (HR al-Bukhari).

لا تديموا النظر إلى المجذومين

Meaning, "Do not you constantly see people who have leprosy" (HR al-Bukhari).

لا توردوا الممرض على المصح

Meaning: "Do not mix the sick with the healthy" (HR al-Bukhari).

Currently in Indonesia the number of positive people affected by the Corona virus has reached 172 cases, 7 of which have died worldwide, based on data as of March 18, 2020, at 10:30 WIB. This virus, like leprosy, is contagious, but the danger level is far greater because it can be deadly in a short time. The spread is very fast, especially through contact between sufferers and other people, while the cure has not been found. So this Corona virus is more dangerous than leprosy. If leprosy patients can be seen from the outside, then Corona's disease can only be ascertained through laboratory testing so it is not easily recognized. Generally, people affected by this virus only enter the hospital on the seventh day. From the first day to the four people who are affected by this disease can still move as healthy people do because indeed during this first phase of incubation they do not feel pain. It was this situation that made it difficult to determine who among a group of people, such as the Friday prayer congregation, had actually been affected by Corona's disease. Moreover, most of them, including mosque administrators, are not people who have competence in the health sector that allows early detection.

Eliminating Friday Prayers because of the Fear of Allah Realizing the difficulties, the scholars in these countries do ijtihad by taking the wisdom to abolish Friday prayers and instead ordered Dhuhr prayer in their homes. They take this because they as leaders are obliged to respect and protect human rights among their people, namely the right to salvation of the soul (hifdhun nafs) mandated by the Shari'a. Allah in His Word in the Qur'an expressly forbids humans to do damage on earth as the following verse: وَلَا تُفْسِدُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ بَعْدَ إِصْلَاحِهَاۚ ذَٰلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَّكُّؤْ inya .

That is better for you if you truly believe. " (Surah al-A'af: 85) Allah is the One who raises people and gives him health so that they can carry out their duties properly, namely worship only to Him. For the scholars, letting the safety of human souls be threatened by the Corona virus by allowing them to gather in large numbers in the same space and time is an act that can cause damage because it threatens the safety of the soul. This is not appropriate for the scholars who are actually believers. On the other hand, Allah commands the Muslims to perform Friday prayers and this can only be done in congregation. This is where the problem demands the wisdom of the scholars. They then berijitihad by observing the hadith of the Prophet as follows:

خیر الأمور أوساطها

Meaning, "The best case is the middle attitude."

(Narrated by Ibn As-Sam’ani) Taking the middle ground was what the ulamas did. Obligations on Friday prayers are not neglected, only replaced with Dhuhr prayer because the rules of jurisprudence are so, that is if Friday prayers are prevented from being carried out, it must be replaced by Dhuhr prayers. So in this case none of God's commands and prohibitions are violated. On the other hand, the right of Muslims to not be threatened with safety is fulfilled by eliminating Friday prayers to avoid contracting Corona.

Efforts to avoid this should be prioritized in accordance with the rules of fiqh: "Dar'ul mafasid muqaddamun‘ ala jalbil mashalih "(avoiding damage first rather than doing good). In conclusion, the fatwa of the ulema abolished the Friday prayer as described above in accordance with the instructions of the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. In other words the fatwa was issued precisely because of their fear of Allah subhanahu wata’ala. They are well aware of the magnitude of responsibility before God for the benefit of the people by giving priority to efforts to avoid damage (mafsadat) rather than seeking good (mashalih). So it is not true that the scholars have placed the Corona virus (Covid-19) higher above their god. Na'udzu billahi min dzalik.

Muhammad Ishom,

Source: https://www.nu.or.id/post/