Lessons from the Pandemic - by Nasreen Bano

In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent the Most Merciful

All praise is for Allah most high, Exalted is He and there is none worthy of worship except Him. And salutations on prophet Mohammed (saws) and upon Imam Mahdi al maood (as) and their companions.

A year Since a microscopic force turned our worlds upside down, our lives have seen a dramatic shift practically overnight while a unique situation of uncertainty and fear prevailed.

Now how did this community of believers along with their Mahdavia faith face the calamity.

The closure of mosques, suspended Jummah congregations, cancellation of Bahr-e-Aams, Tarawee prayers, Dugana Lailat-ul-Qadr, Eid gatherings and many more religious activities were prohibited and an intense social impact especially lost freedom of movement and safety of life of our near and dear one’s uncertain job security left us questioning what consequence this might entail for our faith and our spiritual wellbeing.

During the calamities such as this, Muslims are being reminded that people in the past had suffered too and had their faith tested. In a society that emphasizes with productivity and efficiency of worldly matters over religion, maybe this was a blessing in disguise. It became customary for us to remove ourselves from the hustle and bustle of life, to seek solace in seclusion and to exercise in minimalism. Allah ^swt chose us to live through this. Like a relief of some light rain on a scorching hot day. Perhaps He gave us this year of solitude so that we could turn to Him and to Him alone. Taking out time to recognize and purify our inner self and get prepared for a deeper and higher spiritual quest.

Here are few of the basic Mahdavia obligations that we revisited and lived even more deeply during the pandemic.

WADHU & TAHIYATAL WADHU:

Wadhu (ablution) is an obligatory requirement for prayer and for touching the holy Quran and for which our Prophet ^(saws) said that it is Shatrul Imaan (half of the faith), promising great rewards in the life hereafter and identifying his followers from its signs. Our Imam Mehdi ^(as) who was the divinely guided follower of our beloved prophet Muhammad ^(saws) commanded his followers to offer short prayer of Tahiyatal wadhu which serves the purpose of thanksgiving and ensures inner purification, thus preparing us for subsequent sunnah and Faraz prayers.  Wadhu, during the pandemic has being a point of great focus as it not only washes away sins of the believers but also washes away physical impurities thus medically contributing to hygiene.

SIMPLER MARRIAGES:

In a culture that obsesses over social obligations, societal status and stigma of reputations, the Muslims were forced to shun their ego and land into the uncomfortable zone of a low-key system of marriage. The haldis, mehndis and shehnais were cancelled. Nikahs were performed with a limited gathering of closed circle of relatives, with no extravagant burden and with minimal expenditure. All duly in line with Shariah laws (or rather Govt law?)  It surely took an outside authority such as the Govt to interpret, implement and police it down on us.

Religion is not a path where you seek religious comfort along with worldly respite and its pleasures. It is a desolate path but one that is everlasting. If for a few days we amend and yet after the ease we turn to our ways then surely, we never learnt the lesson we were supposed to.

TARK-E-DUNYA:

Allama Iqbal says “If you have tied your heart to Allahus samad, everything matters little”.

This pandemic proved that nothing on earth matters except Allah ^swt. Hence the dunya became smaller and easier to renunciate, giving up of the love of the wealth and love for the life of the world became easier.  Prophet Muhammed ^(saws) said “Die before you Die” He further said “The world is your ^nafs when you cause it to perish there is no world for you”. Giving up of the self-seemed achievable, activities of earning and commerce were withdrawn thus giving up the love of the goods and diminishing love for the valuables of the world. And we confined ourselves devotedly in obedience to and worship of Allah swt.

Imam Mahdi ^(as) under the command of Allah ^swt imparted the teachings of a life of divine love and Tark-e-dunya being an important obligation & a strong pillar which supports the Deedar of Allah ^swt was taught through the pandemic that it is easier and possible to achieve even in this era of modernization by the grace of Allah ^swt .  Allah says “such is the bounty (of Allah) which He bestowed upon whom He wills and Allah is of infinite bounty”

TAWAKKUL WO TASLEEM:

“Allah will bring forth people, He will love and who will love Him”

The person who remains steadfast in the desire for Allah and is sincere in his love for Allah will be tested in various ways. Thus, it is imperative upon the believers to place complete trust in Him, remain patient and not fear any calamity and accept his decisions wholeheartedly. Life, death, fear, health, hardship, losses come what may, a believer’s love for his lord makes it easier for him to stay firmly strong on his tawakkul. Provisions were stockpiled. But we Mahdavis desired the provider and not the provision. For He swt is the real cherisher who provides sustenance. Tawakkul, one of the most important tenets of mahdaviat was brought alive thus deepening our love for our lord and longing for His Deedar.  

MERCY AND PATIENCE:

“Those who are merciful will be shown mercy by the most Merciful”

By the grace of Allah ^swt we came together in wisdom and in peace showed mercy towards each other, helped the needy, provided comfort and support and faced this collective grief and anxiety with prayers and patience. For indeed we believed that Allah ^swt is with the as sabiroon, those who keep patience.

UZLAT E KHALQ:

An utmost difficult task of distancing ourselves from our near and dear ones by means of lockdown gulped down on us like never before. Which eventually led us to come even more closer to our Lord and obey His commands wholeheartedly. Prayers deepened our connection with Him. Zikr made us forget the perishable world and made us longing for the love of our Lord and desperately longing for His Deedar.

CONCLUSION:

The storm wasn’t here to break us. It was here to keep us at His ^(swt) door. This world had turned its back and announced its departure while the next world had appeared forward and proclaimed its approach, providing an opportunity for transformation. “Today” was the day of repentance and preparation and to turn back towards Him. The pandemic surely presented itself as an amplifier that made the commands of Islam, mehdaviat in particular more palpable and visible.

There is no heart better and more steadfast on Islam than a heart that survives on the fact that everything that Allah predestines for a Muslim is the best for him, whether good or bad. Be confident that Allah is the one who facilitates all of your affairs. Trust Him, rely on Him, remember Him. For “verily in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest”.

“O Allah! From among the good things of this world, Your love, Your desire, and Your remembrance are enough for me. And from the good things of the Hereafter, Your vision and Your pleasure is enough. By your Grace and benignity, O the great One who showers Mercy greater than those who show Mercy.”.

About the Essay and the writer: Mohtarma Nasreen Bano Saheba d/o Late Syed Mahmood Mehdi Bokhari Saheb and a Mureed of Hazrat Peer-o-Murshid Syed Valiullah Saheb Ibrahimi Saheb ahle Channapatna is a resident of Bangalore, Karnataka, India and is a Housewife. This Essay is a part of the Second International Essay Writing Competition conducted by Mehdavia Times Welfare Trust during the Ramazan of 1442 hijri / 2021 taking the opportunity of the Pandemic Lock-down.  Mohtarma Nasreen Bano Saheba secured the Third Prize in this Competition in the in Senior English Category. We Wish her all the Best for all her future endeavors, May Allah Bless hem with success in both the worlds. Aameen. 

The results of the competition can be seen here ->>> https://mehdaviatimes.blogspot.com/2021/05/announcement-of-results-of-second.html

Note: We will be publishing daily one selected essay in this Ramazan for you to read. We take this opportunity to thank and congratulate all the participants, winners and evaluators and those who were directly or indirectly involved to make this initiative a grand success. Fresh Write-ups/Articles/Essays are always solicited you may send them to MehdaviaTimes@gmail.com . Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the Mehdavia Times Welfare Trust or its members. Reproduction of the material contained in this publication may be made only with the written permission of Mehdavia Times Welfare Trust. To Err is Human, Please ignore any typos or concepts which you may find in his / her write-up. If you come across, any major typos kindly write to us on mehdaviatimes@gmail.com