Coronavirus: Thinking Points, Talking Point, & Action
By Sound Vision Team
At this writing, about 90,000 people worldwide have been infected with coronavirus. Panic in the USA has set in as people empty grocery store shelves to prepare for the impending catastrophe.
Please pray that God Almighty gives comfort to those struggling for their health, especially in China. The 11 million residents of Wuhan have been on lockdown in their homes for over a month.
And no one is even allowed to know what our Uighur brothers and sisters in the Chinese concentration camps are facing. They are sitting ducks for coronavirus, while those who are still somewhat free are locked in their homes without food in many cases.
May God have mercy on them and us.
Thinking Points
• Vigilance and preparedness are needed, not panic.
• Life, death, and sickness are all from God Almighty. However, we are accountable for taking care of our health and doing our part to prevent diseases from spreading.
• “A strong believer is better and dearer to God than a weak one…” (Bukhari)
• We must take care of our health, which is a trust from God. Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, once asked a companion, "Is it true that you fast all days and stand in prayer all night?" The companion replied that the report was indeed true. The Prophet then said: "Do not do that! Fast some days, not always. Stand up for prayer at night but also sleep at night. Your body has a right over you, your eyes have a right over you and your wife has a right over you.” (Bukhari)
• The virus has jumped from animals to humans most likely because of ill-advised human habits and globalization spreading it around the world -- 50 countries and counting.
Talking Points
• Take appropriate measures. Pray and trust God.
• About 80 percent of coronavirus cases throughout the world are mild, resulting in flu- or cold-like symptoms and ending in full recovery within a few weeks.
• However, this virus is 20 times more deadly than the seasonal flu. So one must not dismiss it.
• The young and elderly are most at risk.
• Cleanliness of heart, mind, body, and environment are essential tools in disease-prevention in Islam. The Prophet said that cleanliness is half of faith.
• According to one study, making Wudu five times a day cleanses the nose of germs, dust, and related contaminants. It is estimated that 500–1,000 species of bacteria live on the skin, and that by performing Wudu, a person washes away potentially pathogenic germs on the skin.
• Cutting the nails regularly, every 40 days at the latest, is a Sunnah (Muslim). Given all of the germs under fingernails, this will also help curb the spread of disease
• Limit traveling if you are in a community where there have been many cases of coronavirus or avoid traveling to a place where it has spread widely. The Prophet said, “If you hear that it (plague) is in a land, do not go there, and if it breaks out in a land where you are, do not leave, fleeing from it.” (Bukhari and Muslim)
• If you get sick, make sure to take doctor-approved medicines. The Prophet said, “Make use of medical treatment, for Allah has not made a disease without appointing a remedy for it, with the exception of one disease, namely old age.” (Abu Dawud)
Action Items
Cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough. Follow this up by throwing out the tissue you have coughed or sneezed in and washing your hands for 20 seconds. Whenever the Messenger of Allah sneezed, he would cover his mouth with his hand or a piece of cloth, suppressing the sound this way (Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi). The average sneeze or cough can send around 100,000 contagious germs into the air at speeds up to 100 miles per hour.
• Handwashing is essential in the fight against coronavirus, and disease in general. While handwashing is part of Wudu, the Prophet also said to wash hands right after waking up in the morning (Bukhari and Muslim), as well as when consuming food. He said, “The blessings of food lie in washing hands before and after eating” (Abu Dawud).
• If you develop mild flu-like symptoms, call your doctor or your local health department immediately and mention why you think you may have coronavirus. It's important to call your doctor and not just go into a doctor's office without an appointment, according to the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) because it gives your health care provider the ability to keep other people there from being exposed.
• The CDC also said those sick with suspected coronavirus should wear a face mask when they go to the doctor.
• Make sure to clean "high-touch" surfaces daily, like counters, computers, phones, toilets, and doorknobs in particular.
• Do not share eating or drinking utensils.
• Call your representatives to increase funding to fight the virus. Scientists believe the US needs to spend $15 billion to deal with this deadly virus. However, the President has asked Congress for $2.5 billion.
Keep the CDC’s page on coronavirus handy so you have an easy reference to accurate and updated information.
Take all precautions but do not be frightened. Once death is due from God, no one can avert it (Qur’an 4:78)
May Allah cure the sick, and may He bless us with good health so we can serve Him in the best way.
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