Islamic Ruling on Corona Virus Azaab or test, shutting down Masjids justified or not ?

The understanding of Islamic ruling in times of epidemic disease. 

There were many epidemics broke out in the history, if you read any classical book of history that is 'tareekh at tabari'  or much later book by ibn katheer ' yaqut al hamawi '. you will find many  treatises and history books written on this subject if you  read a book of history you will come across a number of plagues that has occurred in past like what we are experiencing today in the name of corona virus. For example in the year 218 hijrah,  plague affected Egypt and not a single household was unaffected, in fact it is said that all the governors and leaders and statesmen died into that. In Egypt in 228 hijrah  that same plague reached Azerbaijan resulting  many people died later they even ran out of cloth to cover the bodies and they were unable to bury the dead bodies. 

death due to corona virus

In Basra as well, in the year 406  hijrah the plagues became so deadly that the graveyards were full and the bodies were lying in the streets for a few weeks, it  was said that in some cases the entire family has passed away and the bodies lying close to the house with no burial for many months until the plagues finished.  In the year 448 Hijrah  another plague swept through some lands including Egypt and Andaluz and this incident Imam Ad Dahabi  mentions in his book Siyaar Al Alam al Nubala in volume 18 page number 311 he said, "There was a plague and  famine in Andalus  and Masr that people never had seen before, the masajid (mosques) remained shut without anybody praying in them." 

so this is very explicit here, in the year 448 Hijrah the plague was so severe and the famine was so severe that the masajid were shut and not a single musalli (prayer)  remained in certain areas and lands available and this is  mentioned in siyar al alaam al nubula and in other books of history.  There were many other incidents as well, I want to jump to now of course the infamous Black Plague or the Black Death that swept through 8^th century of the Hijrah corresponding to the 14th century of the Gregorian calendar and it swept through the Mediterranean and Andalusia which  affected the entire globe, of course the epicenter was Europe but it affected the entire globe, as I said that this plague the bubonic plague or the black plague, it was the greatest plague that recorded history has ever seen and once again in a number of regions the plague was so severe. Let me quote you from the famous historian Al makrizee who writes in his book, Al suluok volume 4 page 88. Al Makrizee write in his book on the Black Plague that occurred in the year 749 Hijrah, In a number of regions, the Adhan was stopped being given, people stopped giving Adhan in entire regions and in the famous place , he mentions that only one Adhan was given  in  entire city and majority of masjid and the monasteries, where Sufis would gather together were closed down, Al Markrizi (the famous shcholar) said the plague was so severe that the majority of Masajids  and in some places all of the Massajids were shut down. So this is something that is not new now (if we are closing our mosques), the issue of us being proactive is something that is new it is true because those people were being reactive in those times when it's too late then they were reacting, we're trying to be proactive and shutting the Masajids down before it gets to the level where there are no more musalli (prayer) left and we have to shut the masjid down, but the point is that it has happened in Islamic history before when we had to shut masajids (mosques) and stop the event because of the plagues that were happening no doubt and I'll be the first to say I don't think it has ever happened to the global scale that we are witnessing now but it is because we have more knowledge and we understand the reality of plagues and we're being proactive because of that reason. 

The picture of Kaaba shut down due to pandemic broke out 2020 

The reason and wisdom behind Epidemic

 Ibn Hajar (the greatest commentator on Sahih Bukhari) in the year 833 Hijrah, lost three of his daughters to a plague that affected all over Egypt during the reign of Sultan Ashraf  of the Mamluk era and this made him wrote the encyclopedic work (badlal maun fi fadlan tawun).

It is an encyclopedia over 400 pages. It is a very big treatise of 400 pages, an encyclopedic work that covers many aspects the theology (aqeedah) of plagues, where plagues come from, what to do in times of plagues, the hadith about plagues the fiqh (islamic ruling) of plagues and this is a very interesting book, he wrote this book Subhan Allah what an Alim ! and what a genius ! his family has died he had  seen three of his daughter died how does he react ! he takes that grief and he channels it to write one of the best books the world has ever seen about the "fiqh of plagues", look at the mindsets of  of this great ulema (scholar). Some of the things that we can derive from this book that he mentions "plagues are a mercy for the believers and the punishment for others" and then  he mentions the famous hadith which is in sahih Al Bukhari that the Prophet (peace be upon him) was asked about tauun (plague, epidemic etc.), is the Arabic word for plague and the prophet of Allah saw said that the "Tawoon is an azaab (punishment) upon whomever Allah wants and it is a Rahma (mercy) that Allah has made for the believers". So this is our theological understanding of plagues it is to be notice, he did not say azaab (punishment) on all kuffar he did not say this our prophet (peace be on him) said it is an azaab (punishment) on whomever Allah wants it to be and it is a Rahma for the believers. So this underscores our mentality dear Muslims all that is happening around us now we need to understand this as being a Rahma for the Momin (believer) and we asked all that we are among the Momin (believer) we wanted it to be Rahma (mercy) even if we suffer some of the pains and the pinches and the consequences is in our heart, our attitude is whatever is happening there's a greater wisdom and in the end it will be Rahma for me, also  Ibn Hajar mentions about those who died in the plague and of course these chapters are very emotional very powerful because  he's lost three of his own family members and he narrated  the famous hadith of the prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam ,,"that anyone who remains in a land of plagues and he stays there saabiran muhtasiban  patient expecting the reward of a loss of Allah subhana hu wa taala, knowing that nothing will happen except whatever Allah has willed it to happen then if he dies he shall die the death of a Shaheed."  Ibn hajar mentions the famous saying, I hope we all know this "whoever dies because of the plague with Iman and taqwa that death will be considered the death of a Shaheed and this is a great blessing from Allah Subhanahu wa taala and it is also a comfort and a consolation that Ibn hajar felt much consoled that my daughters my family members died the death of a Shaheed and he also mentions many chapters about the issue of running away from plagues fleeing from plagues and of course the famous hadith which is the hadith of a Umar and Abdur Aahman ibn awf  "if you hear of a plague in another land don't go there and if you're in that land don't run away from it" and then he mentions when is this hadith applicable and when  it is not applicable ?

He said it is allowed to travel to and from such lands if there are pressing reasons to do so. What you're not allowed to do is that when the plague has come to your land and you run away in cowardice and fearing and thinking that running away will save you. then it is haram (prohibited). As suyuti (famous scholar ) also mention this. Majority of scholars believe that if you're in a land and you have a genuine reason to go somewhere for example to protect your family or for medical treatment somewhere else and so you leave one land to another land for legitimate reason,  Ibn Hajar  mention then this hadith does not apply to you, now should you leave should you not leave this also goes back to the experts of our times (for example doctors scientists etc.) and we must listen to the medical experts if we are in an epicenter where our experts have agreed  an epicenter of disease and we are told  not to travel or come out of house and we do not follow ..

then we are  going against what our Prophet (peace be upon him) said. 

compiled by Naved Khan 
excerpts taken from lecture by Yasir Qadhi