Kayfa Taamal al-Islam ma al-Waba wa al-Bala
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- Kayfa Taamal al-Islam ma al-Waba wa al-Bala
Kayfa Ta‘amal al-Islam ma‘ al-Waba’ wa-l-Bala’ (How Islam Dealt with Epidemics and Afflictions) is a contemporary treatise by Muhammad Mahdi Qashlan examining the Islamic theological, ethical, and preventive framework for responding to plagues and infectious diseases.
Background and Context
The work was originally prepared and delivered as a public lecture at the Ahl al-Dhikr Mosque and various educational and preaching centers in Amman, Jordan, before being recorded in writing on 10 Rajab 1441 AH (5 March 2020 CE). Composed during the onset of public panic surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, the treatise aims to address widespread anxiety through scriptural guidance, balancing spiritual fortitude with empirical medical precautions.
Structure and Content
The treatise begins with an analysis of the psychological and behavioral impact of belief in divine decree and predestination (al-qada' wa-l-qadar), emphasizing that firm conviction in God's sovereignty brings inner tranquility during crises. The author then structures the core of the text around four thematic "faith-based standpoints" (waqafat imaniyyah), followed by practical and spiritual directives:
- Historical Reality and Nature of Plagues: Plagues have afflicted human societies throughout history, including early Muslim figures such as Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah and Mu'adh ibn Jabal during the Plague of Amwas, which claimed over twenty-five thousand lives. The author explains that epidemics serve as a divine chastisement for oppressors and wrongdoers, but as a test, purification, and source of martyrdom for righteous believers who endure them with patience.
- Sin, Transgression, and Repentance: Afflictions descend due to human transgression and are lifted through sincere repentance, citing scriptural links between the public proliferation of immorality (fawahish) and the spread of unprecedented diseases.
- The Reality of Contagion and Divine Will: Contagion is established through reason, science, and the Sharia, operating under God's ultimate decree. The author reconciles seemingly contradictory prophetic statements—such as the negation of autonomous transmission in لا عدوى ("There is no [autonomous] contagion") and the command وفر من المجذوم كما تفر من الأسد ("Flee from the leper as you flee from a lion")—by demonstrating that diseases do not transfer by their own inherent power, yet taking precautions against infectious vectors is an obligation aligned with divine law.
- Preventive Medicine (al-Tibb al-Wiqa'i): The treatise highlights prophetic health directives, including regular ablution (wudu'), washing hands before and after meals, oral hygiene using the tooth-stick (siwak), covering the mouth when sneezing, covering food and water vessels, isolating infectious individuals from the healthy, and adhering to quarantine measures to halt disease transmission. It also notes the historical hazard of holding mass gatherings during outbreaks, citing Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani's account of how a public prayer gathering in Cairo during the plague of 833 AH dramatically accelerated infections.
- Medical Treatment and Spiritual Fortification: The author emphasizes that seeking medical therapy, pharmaceuticals, and vaccines is part of prophetic practice and does not contradict reliance on God (tawakkul). Alongside physical remedies, he outlines recommended prophetic supplications and daily morning and evening invocations (adhkar) for protection.
The book concludes with a warning against spreading unverified rumors and panic-inducing digital media, urging Muslims to maintain optimistic trust in God (husn al-zann billah) and look forward to relief.
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